Developers Opus North and Rougemont have submitted outline planning permission for Dalton 49 Thirsk, a new 43-acre logistics park, to Hambleton District Council. Formerly part of RAF Dalton, the site is capable of delivering around 650,000 sq. ft. of much-needed employment space.
Situated next to the existing Dalton Airfield Industrial, Estate the proposed plans will create a regionally significant employment site with hundreds of jobs. The scheme will provide modern buildings and facilities to meet the needs of occupier businesses, employees and investors by the provision of a range of unit sizes and types.
Following the recent completion of the new bridge at Dalton, the site offers excellent access to the A19 and A1. Ryan Unsworth, Development Director at Ilkley-based Opus North, one of the region’s most active developers commented:
“Yorkshire will represent around 30 per cent of all the UK logistics take-up this year, as the region remains so attractive to occupiers. Dalton 49 Thirsk is one of the most connected locations in North Yorkshire and being a cost-effective alternative for occupiers, in comparison to other Yorkshire industrial hubs, we have already had interest from businesses looking for space to improve supply chains or expand into new premises.”
A carefully considered site layout will ensure the development is sympathetic to nearby properties and its wider landscape by incorporating new tree planting, habitats and sustainable drainage features. Dalton 49 Thirsk will be a sustainable, efficient and contemporary addition to the existing Dalton Airfield Industrial Estate.
James Craven, Managing Director of a specialist investment manager, Rougemont said: “We look forward to working closely with Hambleton District Council to achieve an outline planning application for around 650,000 sq. ft. of industrial and distribution accommodation to service the shortage of availability between Leeds and the North East.”
“The location is already home to successful engineering, manufacturing and distribution companies and with the improved transport links it has the potential to provide a significant additional employment boost and facilities to the area,” he continued.
Dalton 49 Thirsk (www.dalton49thirsk.co.uk) is being marketed by joint agents Dove Haigh Phillips and Colliers International.
Our Winter newsletter is now published and available to download below.
This summarises the events of 2016 for investors and contacts and shares our views on where we see opportunity during 2017….
Rougemont is pleased to confirm the acquisition of a trophy, Grade A office building on a prime water front position on Newcastle’s Quayside, one of the city centre’s principal office locations.
Sandgate House was bought by a private client for £10.5m and is let on a recently renewed 15 year lease to established law firm, Ward Hadaway Solicitors, as their headquarters.
We are delighted to confirm the completion of our biggest syndicate to date with the Marshall Elland Syndicate’s purchase of Landscape House in Elland, West Yorkshire for £8.5m.
The Property is a modern three storey 32,510 sqft, Grade A headquarters on a secure self-contained site built specifically for Marshalls Plc in 2003. The Property is let on a full repairing and insuring lease to Marshalls for another 21 years.
The syndicate income income return will be 7.85% distributed quarterly in advance.
Rougemont is delighted to confirm the £800,000 purchase of a modern 9,361 sq. ft. Royal Mail sorting centre on a 0.67acre site on the Thirsk Industrial Estate.
The purchase, by Rougemont’s Royal Mail Thirsk Syndicate, provides investors an opportunity to take advantage of the tenant’s recent operational commitment to the property which will likely see the lease extended by a further 10/15 years.
In addition, should a modest increase in rent of c.£5,000 per annum (£6.00 per sq ft) be achieved this will increase investors income return to 7.15% per annum, plus enhance the Syndicates capital value.
Rougemont completed the purchase of the Royal Mail Sorting Centre in Newport for £1.7m.
A modern 21,713 sq. ft. sorting centre is situated in Newport City Centre, next to the Central Railway Station and Royal Mail recently installed a full automated sorting line within the warehouse and decided to extend their lease agreement on the building. The new extended lease expires in August 2030, with a tenant’s break option in August 2025.
The Royal Mail Newport Syndicate will benefit from a 7.00% p.a. Annual Return, distributed quarterly in advance, with a guaranteed upwards only rent review linked to the increase in the Retail Price Index in 2020.
We are delighted to welcome a new member to our team. Annelies Illingworth MRICS joins as Asset Manager for Harlow Property Management.
Annelies assists James Craven with the day-to-day management of Rougemont’s syndicated property portfolio as well as managing the growing number of private client investment ownerships.
There has been a lot of talk in recent months about a looming commercial property crash and horror story headlines like “London bubble set to burst” but, in reality, these scaremongering tales are unfounded and premature.
Commercial property investment continues to be one of the safe havens for investor cash and the latest report from CoStar, a leading commercial property research organisation, shows that the appetite for these assets continues to grow.
The UK Commercial Property Investment Review Q2 2015 shows that we are on track for another record year of property investment and both the capital and the regions are continuing to be hugely attractive destinations for investors both at home and overseas.
In this latest blog I consider some of the findings of the CoStar report and consider what lies ahead.
There’s some fantastic insights in this video from CoStar, but perhaps the most important message is by founding partner of GM Real Estate Tony McCurley who says the UK is “on everyone’s shopping list”.
London remains the top global city for investment while the whole of the UK was the most active investment market in the world after the US over the past 12 months. We’ve seen another phenomenal year with £73.6bn poured into commercial property and it isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
We saw a total of £16.8bn invested in the UK in Q2 of this year, which was up 8% on the previous year, and £6.5bn of that money came from foreign investors, an incredible 44% increase on 2014.
Despite fears that falling yields in an overheated London market had seen it pass its peak, the research showed that the capital bounced back with investment surging 61% quarter-on-quarter and attracted £8.7bn in investment, up 46% on last year.
The UK regions also remain a hugely popular destination for investors as they continue to deliver the best yields and rental growth. For example, investment in the North East was up by 131% on the five-year quarterly average, with £308m invested in commercial property.
The UK remains one of the most attractive investment destinations for a number of reasons. The main reason is the continuing strength of the economy and its fast growth. However, traditional draws like the market transparency and political stability have always provided a high degree of comfort for investors.
When you couple this with the potential for further growth in the regions and the continuing strength of the capital, it makes the UK an obvious choice.
Another major factor is the continuing instability around the globe. With the neverending woes in the Eurozone, conflict across the Middle East and Russia and China’s economies in turmoil, investors inevitably are looking to find safe havens for their money and the UK is proving to be a solid bet.
The report also shows its good news across the individual investment sectors. The office sector surged ahead in Q2, accounting for almost half of all investment. The strongest performers were London and the South East but I expect the regions to get stronger over the course of the year as we’re continuing to see a rise in demand and a number of new developments are now finally coming through the pipeline.
This rising demand coupled with a lack of available office space is also turning into optimism for developers and that will also see the return of speculative projects in the months to come.
Again industrial was a top performer and that is reflected across the country. The only blip was a drop in retail investment – which fell to its weakest level in two years – but that will recover in the second half of the year due to a number of major centres due to come to the market.
Yield compression also resumed strongly, reversing the brief upward movement we saw in Q1. The average all property yield compressed to a five-year low of 6.88% as yields fell in all sectors. With furious competition continuing in London, office yields also sank to a new low of 4.2.
In my own opinion, property investment will remain to be a safe bet. As I said at the start, the likelihood of the bubble bursting is slim. While London is seeing a significant slowdown, I believe that’s just a sign that the capital is now stabilising and the regions still have plenty of room for growth.
This growth and soaring occupier demand will fuel confidence for investors and developers alike and we’ll see a raft of new speculative development in both the office and industrial sectors in the regions. There’s also still a huge weight of money looking for a home and that will deliver robust trading in the months ahead.
Yes, there are still some draconian elements to the market that dampen spirits a little – the threat of empty rates still continues to frighten developers – but that will only stall values briefly while everyone catches up.
The threat of an interest rate rise also still looms large on the horizon, but any increase will be very slow as the Bank of England looks to nurture the growth in the economy.
There’s been much talk of the impact of a Brexit – Britain leaving the EU – and even though this is unlikely, it will have little impact on property as it’s rarely heavily affected by short-term politics.
Couple all this with the continuing instability in a number of economies and nations around the world and the UK will continue to remain on every investors shopping list.
Much has been said of late about New York reclaiming its crown from London as the world’s number one destination for commercial property investment. Granted, these two global giants constantly jostle for the top spot, but what is interesting about this is what it means for property investors in the UK.
The eagerly-anticipated annual survey from the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate always causes a stir and, despite being released a few weeks ago, the implications are still being debated and it has led to a wealth of further articles arguing that the super-wealthy will also turn their back on the UK capital in favour of The Big Apple.
In truth, London will undoubtedly claim the crown again and these findings are being fuelled by the incredible strength of the property market in the capital over recent months. London has seen massive amounts of investment, most notably from overseas investors, and it has overheated. Prices are high and it has become extremely difficult to secure decent returns. Unsurprisingly, investors are looking elsewhere.
But, what does this mean for investors who still want to put their money in the UK which is seen as a stable safe haven for commercial property funds?
Investors looking beyond London
For most, they are now looking to the UK regions. With development only just firing up again in our regional centres, supply has become limited and that is fuelling rent and yield rises. Overseas investors are already looking at regional opportunities, but the biggest spender in this sector are the UK institutional funds.
Our homegrown funds increased their exposure to regional markets by more than a third last year and when you add in property funds, occupiers and private investors, their total share of the regional market now stands at 60 per cent.
Domestic investors have stolen a march on the UK regions and are reaping the rewards. It’s inevitable that overseas investors will soon follow suit, but there are still some great opportunities in the UK for those who know what to look for.
The ‘Golden Triangle’ for property investors
Another recent piece of research named York, in the heart of Yorkshire, as one of the best cities for investment in the UK. Rougemont has already invested in York, recognising its continuing quality and potential for further growth, and this city is a prime example of what regional investors should be looking for.
York is one of the UK cities that are often referred to as “Little Londons”. Others that fall into this category include Bath, Cambridge, St Albans, Sevenoaks and Oxford and that’s because they all share similar characteristics.
Each city has solid commuter connections, a strong and growing economy and offers excellent quality of life. Estate agents refer to these key ingredients as a “golden triangle” for homebuyers and it’s equally as relevant for commercial property investors.
In Yorkshire, the golden triangle for investors is often referred to as “Betty’s Triangle”. It’s named after the world-famous tea shops and links the affluent tourism hotspots of Harrogate and York with the economic powerhouse of Leeds.
Image courtesy of Dominic Harness at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This triangle has extremely solid transport links, London is two-hours by train and it has an international airport, the economy is diverse and growing strongly, and the quality of life is exceptional – quality homes and schools, incredible countryside and rich and varied tourism and leisure are on offer.
Put these together and you have a strong draw for business, and with new business comes new commercial property opportunities.
Investing in properties with potential
There are many examples of these golden triangles around the country and they don’t have to be on a regional scale to offer investors great opportunities. Look for the winning ingredients and, even if it’s a relatively small town, you can be sure to find properties with potential.
We’ve talked at length before about Rougemont’s continuing efforts to find the “pockets of value” when we are hunting for syndicated commercial property investment opportunities and they are still out there.
Critically, investors now have to take more risks if they want to match the returns they have seen over the past five years. Just a year ago, we could buy 10 year leases to quality tenants in grade A located buildings for 7.5%. This is now 6.5% and that means investor expectations have to shift and more confidence has to be placed in the improving occupier market. Long leases are almost none existent and where they are available, the return are not attractive.
Investors now need to look at investments with unexpired short and medium leases but with very good reletting prospects to mitigate the risk of a void income. The downside of this is that the capital value of the property will decrease as the lease length shortens, but if the location and rental level are right, investors stand to benefit from capital growth once a new long lease and rent has been restructured. The income returns applicable to these investments are usually 7.5% – 8% plus.
Ultimately, competition is fierce. The UK funds are moving heavily into the regions and the overseas investors won’t be far behind. However, if you look for the key ingredients and look for properties with potential for growth and/or alternative uses, there are still some great opportunities for investors.
I appreciate many of you will have different ideas and tips on what to look for in property investment and it would be great if you could share them in the comments below. Likewise it would be interesting to gauge appetite for short term income investments but with very good prospects of medium term capital growth.
After a stellar 2014 that saw the recovery take hold, 2015 is already demonstrating that the property cycle is firmly under way. In the first two months of this year, transaction volumes are up 20% on last year at £6.6bn.
That follows a record-breaking 2014 which saw £65bn invested in property – the highest level of investment on record and 27% above the ten-year annual average. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that investment volumes are now practically double that of 2012.
Put simply, its good news for property investors and things are looking rosy for 2015. In this latest investment insight, I look at the individual sectors, where the money is coming from and what challenges investors face.
Regional markets will be the top performer this year and a substantial weight of money is now looking to the UK regions for opportunities that are outperforming London and the South East.
Research from JLL shows that investment activity in the “Big Six” regions in 2014 was up 80% on the previous year and that hunger remains for 2014. That investor appetite is being fuelled by strong take-up rates and active demand currently stands at 4.2 million sq ft.
The result of that is that we are now seeing prime rental growth in all of the major regional markets and speculative development is returning.
However, the continuing demand for space means that the Grade A shortage is intensifying and vacancy rates are now just 1.6%.
What that means for property investors is that good quality, well-located secondary stock is a great option and can deliver great returns. It will mean a slightly greater risk, but the right property will still attract solid tenants.
Overseas investors continue to dominate and account for half of all money being put into property in the UK. The USA and China dominate, accounting for 15% of all investment. Investment from America has more than doubled and Asian money is increasing at a significant rate.
The big story of 2014 was the return on the institutional investors. In 2014 these funds increased their spend on property by more than 30% year on year, further reflecting the growing confidence in the sector.
For property investors, the sheer weight of money in the market means growing competition for quality office and industrial space. Again that will help to fuel growth in the secondary market and further speculative development, but could also herald the return of the patchy retail sector?
Retail remains disappointing, although there are still some great opportunities and Rougemont has just completed a retail investment that is delivering fantastic returns.
Research from Knight Frank shows retail has continued to underperform office and industrial, but argues that it is growing and presents some good opportunities.
The recession is now pretty much forgotten by the public and people are spending again. The economy looks set to continue growing and wage rises are finally materialising. All this makes for a positive outlook for retail.
For investors, this means they can be optimistic about retail but they must also be very careful of the remaining areas where recovery will be unlikely. The right retail investment is all about location – look for city centres and out-of-town parks in major regional centres – and convenience – look for car parking, food, drink and leisure.
Looking ahead and the General Election will be worrying some – especially as the threat of a double election continues to grow with no clear winner. However, as I’ve said before, property is a safe haven in times of political instability and will see little impact.
Offices and industrial remain a safe, albeit challenging, investment option. Both are seeing strong take-up and rental growth and are also seeing the return of speculative development – further evidence of a healthy outlook. However, that means investors have to work much harder to find quality assets.
In retail, it remains challenging but there are good quality options for the careful investor who seeks out prime locations. For the foolhardy, there are still retail ghost towns which will offer little in the way of returns. Be careful and seek expert advice if you are considering retail.
Overall, property in 2015 will at least match the figures seen in 2014 and that is good news for investors. Now, if we can just get past the political merry-go-round…