We’ve agreed to provide four commercial loans, totalling £35.2 million, to borrowers in Birmingham, Derby, Manchester and Edinburgh, as we continue to grow our loan book exposure outside of London and the South East. The four transactions are:
A 6-month, £11.3 million acquisition loan for a Birmingham office campus with Permitted Development. Occupying a c. four acre site, half the campus has consent for 250 residential units with the remaining 45,000 sq ft of office space let to HMRC & Environment Agency for a further nine years.
A 12-month, £8.2 million loan for the acquisition of the old Royal Infirmary in Derby. The property comprises a cleared site of 18.5 acres, with outline planning permission for up to 500 residential units.
A 12-month, £5.7 million loan to support a repeat borrower’s acquisition of a 135 bed Holiday Inn Express. The hotel is located on a recently developed sports campus between Liverpool and Manchester and will be added to the investor’s portfolio of branded hotels.
A 9-month, £10.0 million loan for the acquisition of six freehold plots that form part of the Granton Harbour Estate and will become the heart of the new Edinburgh Marina development. Totaling c. 19 acres, planning consent has been granted for a mixed use scheme with residential, hotel and retirement living units surrounding a 340 berth marina.
The underlying fundamentals supporting investment and development in the regional commercial property markets remain favorable, driven by the relatively low interest rate environment, high investment costs in and around the South East and a focus on regional development. To support our growth ambitions, we’ve continued to add to our regional teams, having made seven new hires since the start of 2018.
Sirius Private Clients acted as broker on the Birmingham transaction. BBS Capital acted as broker on the Derby transaction. John Charcol acted as broker on the Edinburgh transaction.