Gaunt Francis Architects has relocated its Welsh design studios in Cardiff to fully occupy a refurbished five-storey office building in Womanby Street in the heart of the city centre.

Kames Capital purchased 23 Womanby Street in 2018 as part of a portfolio of properties located in and around Womanby Street. It has since embarked on a programme of refurbishment works to upgrade the portfolio, which is part of an area where Cardiff Council has aspirations ...

Cooke & Arkwright’s investment agency team has advised on the sale of an office investment let to British Airways. Acting on behalf of Curzon Advisors, and with joint agents Cushman & Wakefield, the property has been sold to real estate investment trust, Highcroft Investments Plc.

Nick Lawley, Investment Director said, "This deal provides a strong income yield to the purchaser with the opportunity for further...

The Welsh Government is running a consultation which seeks views on reforming and modernising agricultural tenancy regulations. The proposals say that reform is needed to drive productivity in a sector where little structural change exists, with an aging profile of farmers and limited opportunities for new entrants to bring innovation to the sector.

Proposals include enabling the tenant to assign their tenancy, for payment, to a new tenant. Chris Hyde, Associate Director with Land Agency says these will have far reaching implications ...

Cardiff Metropolitan University has acquired Alexander House in Llandaff, formerly occupied by Bellway Homes for £1.55m. The 15,000 sq ft building is close to its Llandaff campus and will house the commercial subsidiary in its International Centre for Design and Research (PDR).

Cooke & Arkwright’s Business Space team acted on behalf of Cardiff Metropolitan University to purchase Alexander House. Director Ben Bolton...

A new drive-thru Burger King restaurant has been opened at Parc Trostre in Llanelli. The new-build restaurant was constructed for the franchisee, Swansea-based Unionburger Ltd, on a 0.3 acre site adjacent to one of the entrances to the park from Heol Trostre. This is Unionburger’s seventh drive-thru in Wales.

Huw Thomas, Director of Retail & Leisure at Cooke & Arkwright, who acquired the site from M&G...

A Supreme Court ruling on 15th May 2019 has dealt a blow to owners and landlords of unoccupied properties. The Supreme Court has held, on a three-two majority, that even where there is no evidence of real world demand, in rating law we must assume a tenant would still be prepared to pay a substantial rent for a property. 

Jane Shankland, Business Rates Director at Cooke & Arkwright commented, "It’s a disappointing result, especially as the dissenting judges held that ...

The long running dispute between retailers and the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) over business rates on ATM cash machines has been further prolonged.

The UK Supreme Court has allowed the VOA’s petition of appeal against its defeat at the Court of Appeal in November last year, which ruled that ...

The new landlord of Gwent Shopping Centre in Tredegar has announced plans for a capital injection to revitalise the outlet’s presence in the area. Rugby Property Assets Ltd purchased the 81,000 sq ft retail property in November 2018. 

Ben Davies, Associate said that the new owners wanted to attract a good mix of independent...

The South Wales and Monmouthshire branch of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) has appointed Chris Hyde as its new president for twelve months from April 2019.

Chris, who is Associate Director with Cooke & Arkwright’s Land Agency...