Project summary
- In July 2021 Moulton College went out to tender to seek an Estate Management Partner to provide ongoing strategic advice and operational support to management, to ensure better utilisation of their property assets across the estate.
- Moulton College is a specialist land-based college. Its main campus is set amongst approximately 1000 acres of owner-occupied agricultural land. They have a separate smaller campus at Higham Ferrers, which they rent on a long term commercial lease.
- The college's property portfolio is mixed and includes residential, commercial, agricultural and educational property. We have provided a wide range of property services to the client.
Solution
- We have provided land and property management and tenancy advice, including advising on property compliance, lease terms and rent reviews, undertaking condition surveys, assisting with subsidy schemes, and advising on access and boundary matters.
- We have identified non-core assets which are surplus to educational needs and we have provided advice on options and pros and cons of disposing of these assets whether that be by sale or lease.
- We have provided general practice planning advice to assist with applications for grant funding and strategic planning and development advice for non-core land with development potential.
- We have advised on potential ways to save operational costs, including undertaking a business rates review.
Benefits
- We have successfully negotiated a commercial rent review and in turn we have saved the client circa £23.5k per annum.
- We have increased the client's rent roll income by circa £30k per annum by letting three surplus buildings. This money can in turn be re-invested back in to the College.
- We have regularised compliance matters on various occupation arrangements, including rectifying risks of tenancies with possible security of tenure rights meaning there is flexibility for the client if they ever need these assets back for educational use.
- We have successfully submitted applications for agricultural subsidy schemes to bolster income and support capital projects.
