Race the Sun 2023

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Race the Sun 2023

Race the Sun 2023

On the 8th of July 2023, a handful of the Landlink team along with a few other friends took on a tough challenge in aid of Action Medical Research - Race the Sun Lake District 2023. This Triathlon style event consisted of a hike up the Old Man of Coniston, a 2 mile canoe on Coniston water and 23 mile cycle in two teams of 4.

With the weather forecast looking ominous, the teams set off amongst beautiful scenery to climb the Old man of Coniston, an 800 meter peak and one of the best the Lakes has to offer.

Race the Sun 2023

Coniston water seen in the distance, their second destination. Teams boarded 4 person Canadian Canoes and had to make their way round a 2-mile course before heading back to for the final leg of the challenge.

Race the Sun 2023

A 23-mile cycle with 748 meters of elevation was all that stood between each team and the finish line. The terrain throughout the ride was 75% off road / 25% road with some steep climbs and rocky descents making for a challenging route.

Race the Sun 2023

Race the Sun 2023

Both teams completed the challenge and together raised a commendable £2,600 for Action Medical Research, an amazing charity dedicated to savings the lives of children.

A fantastic achievement! Well done to all who took part and a big thank you to everyone that sponsored the teams.

Land disposal to Boklok

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Refurbished office

Land disposal to Boklok

We selected Boklok as our preferred developer for our Lambs Field planning consent for 140 dwellings in Yapton. Boklok is a modular housing developer, and it was their strong environmental credentials that proved to be the determining factor in their selection as they closely align with our own ESG policy.

Boklok are a joint venture between Skanska and Ikea and their offering is firmly focused on delivering housing that meets the needs of the community whilst having an environmental conscious. Their 2030 goal is to have a completely climate neutral value chain, from the trees in the forest to delivering their finished homes and further still, in assisting their homeowners to live more sustainably.

Typically, modular development has the following benefits:

  • Carbon emissions are reduced by using low carbon impact materials such as timber, which is the primary building material.
  • 70% less waste when compared to traditional building techniques.
  • Homes have high thermal performance and are typically fitted with air source heat pumps as standard and achieve water consumption rates lower than the norm.
  • Modular homes typically achieve a higher reduction in CO2 emissions which means running costs and energy bills are reduced for residents.
  • Accelerated delivery, typically 50% quicker at building compared to traditionally built developments.
  • This speed of delivery not only facilitates accelerated housing delivery but also means less disruption to local communities and residents.
  • The frequency of deliveries to site are reduced by 50% meaning less noise, dust and disruption on site for the residents and communities.

One of Landlink objectives is to meet local housing need. By no means the determining factor as to why we selected Boklok, but they do have a unique sales model. Local people are invited to enter a sales ballot for our homes, giving each person a fair and equal opportunity to become a homeowner. They state that 97% of purchasers at their first UK scheme are first time buyers and 80% local to the site.

Land disposal to Dandara

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Land disposal to Dandara

We disposed a 1-acre site to Dandara as a natural extension to their existing scheme in Yapton. The site was surplus to the Langmead Groups agricultural business and rather than develop it ourselves there was a natural synergy with Dandara’s neighbouring scheme. The timing of the STP deal dovetailed with Dandara’s build programme allowing them to seamlessly move onto the site without a gap in their development programme.

The 9-unit scheme is the coloured element of the plan and arranged in a courtyard to reflect a traditional agricultural layout, this adds a new ‘character area’ to the existing Dandara scheme and an alternative to the new build development in Yapton.

ESG – our commitment to ensuring a sustainable future

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Refurbished office

Environmental and Sustainability Policy

Environmental considerations play an increasingly important role in both our strategic and day-to-day thinking. Property is an essential component to the economic health of a region and the productivity of those that use it. We are therefore committed to ensuring that our projects are both future proof and environmentally sustainable for future generations and communities to enjoy.

Across our business we have targets and measures to monitor our performance to ensure our actions reflect our core values of promoting and contributing to environmental sustainability. Across each sector of our business be it Asset Management (both invested and occupied), Development or Strategic Land we have a set of priority areas against which we have developed actions and then KPI’s which focus our business and measure performance.

Environmental

Mitigating against future waste and pollution starts during the design stage of any our schemes by using our Energy and Sustainability design brief document that provides a path to Net Zero Carbon. We therefore focus on using renewable materials to ensure that our specification achieves a lower energy usage and continues to meet fabric performance SAP10.2 requirements.

Evidence of our work is reflected in achieving an EPC B rating on all developments and refurbishment projects, all commercial developments are designed to achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating.

We also look to work with housebuilders and developers using off site construction methods and modular construction practises on our current and future residential developments. It’s been proven that modular construction is 25% less wasteful than traditional construction methods which means 5 houses can be constructed instead of 4 using the same resources.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a focal point of all developments we deliver. We take measures to include the specification of renewable heating systems such as Air Source or Ground Source Heat pumps and the specification of PV on roofs.

Our Energy and Sustainability design brief provides technical details on how to maximise the potential of renewable energy, so we specify PV for all roofs with a Southerly aspect to a minimum level of coverage. This applies to all our developments be they residential or commercial with main objective maximising the amount of energy the building can produce itself. This also applies to other innovate renewables projects such as the use of PV on reservoirs and other infrastructure rather than the usual application on traditional buildings.

We also promote good energy behaviour by installing Smart Controls to manage heating and make it easier to select green choices when away from home. Furthermore, the provision of EV charging points helps to make the decision to switch to an Electric Vehicle easier.

Health and Well Being

Health and well-being are at the forefront of all Landlink ventures. Our projects require the design of all buildings to maximise working & living conditions for users, such as ceiling heights & natural day light & ventilation.

We aim to outperform planning policy requirements, by incorporating a higher than stipulated amount of public open space and green space on all development plans.

Early engagement with the local community during the early design and feasibility stages of projects ensures we better understand their needs, and how as a significant landowner we can look at our wider landholding to achieve results best suited to the community. This could mean the provision of offsite sports pitches which best suit residential communities or the use of land outside of the site or the linkage of footpaths and cycleways creating a wider and more sustainable network of transport links.

Social Responsibility

We establish Sustainable Management Trusts on appropriate projects to manage all common areas such as roads, paths, green & other open areas to the highest environmental standards. This puts the control of how the community realm is managed and maintained by the people that live there.

We believe in supporting the local community wherever possible, which is why we prioritise the appointment of local consultants, contractors, and material providers. We hold regular team charity events and volunteering activities which we believe will best support our local community.

Our policies continue to evolve and are being reviewed frequently. We are keen to lead rather than follow reflecting the custodianship of a generational property business.

EPCs and MEES – the impact on commercial landlords

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EPCs and MEES – the impact on commercial landlords

With making savings and improving sustainability high on the agendas of commercial landlords, it is important to understand the standards for energy performance that are being levied by the UK Government.

Landlords are being tasked with improving the energy efficiency of their commercial portfolios and following the announcements made by Rishi Sunak when he became Prime Minister in October 2022 there is still an eagerness to tackle the climate crisis and reduce carbon emissions.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) were introduced in 2007 and tell you how energy efficient a building is and give it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). An EPC is required where a commercial building is to be rented out. There are some exemptions to the requirement for EPCs such as where the cost of carrying out energy efficiency improvements will not be recovered within 7 years.

Changes to the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard or ‘MEES’ Regulations will soon impact and increase the minimum energy performance threshold needed to rent out a commercial property.

As it stands, the MEES Regulations prohibit granting a new lease of a commercial property with an EPC rating of F or G, as this is classed as sub-standard, unless improvements works are carried out or an exemption applies.

From 1 April 2023, landlords will be prohibited from letting properties with existing leases where they have been given an EPC rating of F or G.

However, where leases have been granted for over 99 years, or less than 6 months, these fall outside of the MEES Regulations.

Currently the need for an EPC is triggered by the following scenarios;

  • Construction of new buildings.
  • Certain Alterations are undertaken such as changes involving providing or extending fixed heating, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation systems
  • A building is to be sold.
  • A building is to be rented out – this includes assignment of an existing lease to a new tenant.

The Government have projected their aims for minimum energy efficiency standards from 2023 onwards, so it is important that landlords are aware of the future measures that are likely to be imposed. The most significant proposal is that the minimum EPC rating will increase to C by 2027 and to B by 2030. This means that landlords will only have four years to increase the rating of their commercial properties to a C or seven years to meet the B rating requirement. These minimum ratings will only apply on properties that are not registered exempt.

  • Increasing the number of triggers for a new EPC.
  • Decreasing the EPC validity period from 10 years.
  • Local Authorities being given power to inspect commercial properties; as well as many more.

From the 1 April 2023 commercial property landlords are going to have to take swift action to improve their portfolio EPC ratings.

Early identification of properties that will not meet the MEES requirements is key, and landlords will need to consider whether any current EPCs may need to be re-assessed to get an up-to-date rating, particularly if improvements have already been made to a building, or the current EPC is due to expire. Landlords should also investigate whether they own any properties that may be exempt from the MEES regulations and ensure that these are registered. There will be steps that landlords can take to improve the EPC rating of their property, and each EPC report comes with an accompanying recommendation report which indicates what improvements could be made along with each improvements’ impact on the rating and their ‘payback’ period.

As a landlord of commercial properties, Landlink are taking proactive steps to ensure that their property portfolio complies with the Government standards. We are reviewing current EPC ratings across the portfolio as well as identifying those properties where improvement works may need to be carried out.

Main Road, Yapton – Residential Development Scheme

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Residential Development

Main Road, Yapton – Residential Development Scheme

We have submitted a planning application to Arun District Council for a 20-dwelling scheme in Yapton..

Residential Development

The site has been selected following a submission to Arun District Council Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment HELAA (site NEWY17) wherein 2020 the Council identified the site as developable. This is a high-level assessment by the Council when considering what might come forward for development in the future, it is a good indicator to landowners that their site might be suitable for development if all the elements of the scheme are acceptable. 

If permitted the site will deliver 20 units in total. As a detailed planning application, this will speed the timescale to delivery compared to an outline planning application. 14 of the units will be market dwellings and the remaining 6 affordable dwellings (30%).

The scheme is accessed off Main Road and has no vehicular connection to Drove Lane or the neighbouring Barratts development. The two sites are completely independent of each other. The aim of the scheme is to provide high quality housing in a rural/farmstead design setting, creating a small enclave of units well screened and significant proportion of open space.

If you would like to make comment on the application, please do not contact Landlink, instead if we could direct you to ADC’s planning portal.

Refurbished Office Space Let to Chalkwood IT Ltd Amid Their Business Expansion

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Refurbished office

Landlink submit joint outline planning for 2,200-home mixed-use development in West Sussex

Landlink has leased The Mill building at Ham Farm, Bosham to Chalkwood IT Ltd as their business continues to expand in the final quarter of 2022.

Chalkwood IT are the first tenants since The Mill has undergone refurbishment, which has transformed the 1235 sq/ft office space. Creating an efficient work environment was the focal point of the refurbishment. Original features such as the timber beams have remained in the refurbishment process to uphold the buildings unique character.

At Landlink we believe in delivering spaces that will satisfy all of the needs of our tenants, and The Mill is a strong example of our ethics towards our entire portfolio.

Landlink submit joint outline planning for 2,200-home mixed-use development in West Sussex

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mixed-use development

Landlink submit joint outline planning for 2,200-home mixed-use development in West Sussex

Landlink have jointly submitted an outline planning application for a mixed-use development in Bersted, providing much needed housing and employment in one of the country’s most undersupplied and least affordable areas. The new community will deliver 2,200 homes, including up to 750 affordable homes, an employment hub and significant social infrastructure to create a thriving new rural community.

mixed-use development

Located to the west of Bersted, the 144-hectare West Bersted masterplan site lies on agricultural land to the north of Chalcraft Lane. The application has been jointly made with the other major landowner the Church Commissioners for England.

The masterplan will feature over 480,000 sqft of employment space, local retail opportunities and community facilities like a new primary school, sports pitches, space for healthcare facilities, a public library, significant new parkland and community allotments, as well as new footpaths and cycleways. To support access to the development and ease traffic congestion, a new spine road will be added from Chalcraft Lane to the A259 to the north.

Andrew Tice, Property Director at Landlink said: ‘We are delighted to jointly submit this outline application at West Bersted. As a local business we are committed to delivering much needed housing and employment space for the community and create a legacy of places where people want to live and work.’

Wave Approach Retail Park – fully let

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Wave Approach Retail Park – fully let

We have successfully let the final unit at the retail park. Unit 2 comprises 1,087 sq. ft and has planning consent for restaurant and take-away. The tenant completed their fit out works over the summer is now trading from the unit. The entire retail park is now fully let with ASDA, Costa Coffee and the Downland Veterinary Group all trading from the development which we have retained within our investment portfolio. The park forms part of our masterplan for the adjacent area which includes consent for 193 new dwellings and a 70-bed care home, both of these developments are underway.

Refurbished office let to JW European to support their business expansion

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Refurbished office

Refurbished office let to JW European to support their business expansion.

Landlink has leased the Old Dairy at Ham Farm, Bosham to JW European Ltd to support its business expansion into larger premises.

JW European specialises in supplying baby leaf salad to retailers, processors, caterers and wholesalers and Landlink is pleased to be able to support the continuing growth of the business.

Following vacation by the previous occupier, Landlink undertook a refurbishment of the self-contained 1,240 ft² office property to provide a high-quality, modern working environment whilst retaining the exposed timber beams & posts to maintain the character of the building. New heating and LED lighting were installed to improve the working environment and to improve the energy performance of the property.

The refurbishment and re-letting is part of Landlink’s drive to provide well maintained and strongly performing assets in its property portfolio.

Refurbished office

Refurbished office

Refurbished office

Landlink Sell Second Phase of Saltbox Business Park for £13.35m to SVP owned by Kier/ PGIM JV

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Drove Lane

Landlink Sell Second Phase of Saltbox Business Park for £13.35m to SVP owned by Kier/ PGIM JV

Owner/developer Landlink have sold the second phase of Saltbox Business Park for £13.35m to an SVP owned by a new joint venture between Kier and PGIM, (Kier PGIM Logistics Propco 1 Limited).

Saltbox Business Park is an industrial/ retail/logistics park in Bognor Regis, West Sussex in 17 acres of land. Phase Two comprises of prime commercial development land in 8.9 acres, capable of delivering trade, industrial and warehouse units from 2,500 to 150,000 sq. ft. Three “oven ready” development plots have been sold together with the benefit of planning consent for B1(C), B2 and B8 uses.

Agents for the deal were CBRE and the lawyers were Irwin Mitchell for Landlink and Dentons for the purchaser.

The deal follows the sale of Phase One of the Business Park in August 2021 to Knight Frank Investors. Phase One is now fully operational and houses a state-of-the-art Warburtons distribution facility as well as a new Aldi food store and Starbucks and Greggs drive throughs.

 

The site benefits from proximity to Gatwick Airport and the international commercial and ferry ports at Southampton and Portsmouth, and quick road access to the M27. It falls within Enterprise Bognor Regis, a 70-hectare commercial and employment development opportunity located on the northern edge of Bognor Regis in West Sussex which has the potential to accommodate 150 businesses and provide 4,000 jobs.

 

Landlink Estates Ltd is a privately owned property development company based in West Sussex. It is part of the Langmead Group, a family-owned business with a long-established portfolio of fresh food, farming, and property businesses.

 

Paul Hanson, CEO of Landlink said, “We are pleased to have sold the second phase of Saltbox Business Park, so soon after completing the sale of Phase One. The demand for industrial and warehouse space has never been higher and we have taken advantage of this growing demand for quality warehousing and logistics facilities to secure a very good sale.
We will be reinvesting the proceeds to add value to our extensive land and property portfolio.”

   

Guy Sackett Property Partner at Irwin Mitchell said, “We are delighted to have advised Landlink on its first forays into the institutional market and to help them deliver a great result with the sale of both phases of Saltbox Business Park. This area of West Sussex, with its good transport links, has been growing in popularity, particularly for the warehouse/logistics sector.
We hope to continue working with Landlink as they explore further opportunities to unlock value from their land and property assets in the region.”

Salt Box Commercial & Industrial Scheme NEW OPPORTUNITIES

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Salt Box

Salt Box Commercial & Industrial Scheme NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The two phase industrial scheme is offering exciting opportunities for local and regional businesses; bespoke design and flexible build packages make this scheme an appealing prospect for any venture.

Property Features:
Trade /Roadside Units from 3-30,000 sq ft
Distribution Warehouse/Industrial units up to 150,000 sq ft
7.5 acres
Outline planning for B1, B2, B8
Bespoke Design & Build packages available
Pre-Let with Warburtons agreed

Location: The Salt Box site is located just to the west of the A29 Shripney Road in Bognor Regis, a popular resort town in West Sussex ideally located on the south coast approximately 55 miles south west of London, 24 miles west of Brighton and six miles south east of Chichester. Bognor Regis benefits from excellent transport links with easy access to the A259 which links Bognor to the A27.

Map Salt Box, Master Plan

For more information please contact James Maskey at Knight Frank.
Tel: 020 7861 5257
Email: james.maskey@knightfrank.com
Web: https://www.knightfrank.co.uk/properties/commercial/to-let/saltbox-shripney-road-bognor-regis-po22-9rp/cpd216559

Playing our part in achieving a net zero carbon economy

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Net zero carbon

Playing our part in achieving a net zero carbon economy

The Government’s zero-carbon aim for a ‘net zero carbon economy’ by 2050 will require a wholesale step change across all sectors of the UK economy. For real estate this will mean fundamental changes to not just the way we provide and manage the energy used to run our homes and places of work but also to the way they are built, constructed and maintained.

At a national level, the decarbonisation of the grid and a switch to the electrification of energy will mean occupiers and homeowners will fuel their homes through renewable sources. The European Climate Foundation’s diagram shows the effectiveness of the various measures to reduce carbon. The key element Landlink can control is the Building Envelope by designing and constructing buildings that minimise carbon in their construction and using materials which retain heat and energy. In fact, retaining heat within buildings is a crucial action to minimise energy wastage. Proper cavity wall & loft insulation combined with double glazing effectively seal a building, not doing this in tandem with the decarbonisation of the Grid is akin to scoring an own goal if we are to meet our zero carbon targets. Inside the property occupiers will also be able to better control their energy consumption through smart technology further reducing energy wastage. The advent of Greener technology such as heat pumps and hybrid heat pumps will make the move away from gas boilers simpler and provide greater choice for the consumer. A UK Government report commented that currently only 4.5% of buildings currently utilise low-carbon heating but by making the Government’s changes to the way we produce, manage and consume energy the this will change to 90% by 2050.

Net zero carbon

At Landlink we are accelerating our contribution to meeting the Government’s target through our new homes development strategy. Our approach to sustainable design and innovation is a primary focus for our design teams to achieve a sustainable, affordable, and comfortable home by focusing on three key target areas:

Energy and CO2 Emissions

  • Reduction in the amount of energy used by each home
  • Reduction in fuel bills for homeowners
  • Improved comfort and control of internal environments in both hot and cold months
  • Accessible Electric Vehicle charging for all homeowners and visitors

Water

  • Reduction in water consumption and water wastage
  • Reduction in water bills for homeowners
  • Use of rainwater harvesting

Materials

  • Improvement in sustainable building specification such as the use of high levels of insulation
  • Increase in use of recycled materials and re-cycling of materials during construction
  • Increased volume and quality of supplementary sources such as use of PV’s and solar panels

We are also looking at how our solar energy business can directly provide energy to our developments as well as feeding into the Grid. Our priority is to make schemes ‘self-sufficient’ where geography allows. We have also exceeded the planning requirements for the use of renewable energy sources on our most recent residential schemes. By increasing the provision of PV panels on dwellings and the promotion of Electric Vehicle usage through additional charging points.

As an office occupier we have accelerated our plans of becoming a net zero occupier, by switching to renewable energy tariffs, embarking on an office refurbishment programme focused on improving the thermal efficiency of the head office as well as enhancing technology that will further reduce the level of commuting our staff undertake each year.

Charity Fundraising

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New Grainstore

We raised £6,300 for Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice!

Chestnut Tree House was the Landlink chosen charity of 2019. The different businesses undertook a number of fundraising events including:

  • cake sales
  • sponsored cycle ride
  • Halloween day of scare
  • summer BBQ
  • herb sales
  • 10k sponsored run

The group wants to thank everyone for their donations and support to such a worthy charity.

Volunteering Day at Chestnut Tree House

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Chestnut Tree House

Volunteering Day at Chestnut Tree House

Landlink Estates Ltd along with the larger Langmead group took time off to volunteer for Chestnut Tree House. Eight willing volunteers spent the day getting their hands mucky in the stunning surrounds of the Chestnut Tree House near Arundel.

Chestnut Tree House

Digging, rotavating, clearing, moving and daffodil dead-heading were just a few of the tasks undertaken.

Chestnut Tree House rely on volunteer groups to help sustain the hospice which supports infants to nineteen year olds who are struggling with progressive life-shortening conditions. The charity needs to raise just shy of 3.9 million pounds each year to continue running and relies heavily of donations.

As such Chestnut Tree House have been chosen as the Langmead group chosen charity, so watch this space to see what we will do next.

Chestnut Tree House

Hit the Downs, Charity bike ride

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Hit the Downs

Hit the Downs, Charity bike ride

For Chestnut Tree House. Five members of the Langmead group took part in the Hit the Downs cycle race across the Sussex Downs. The event took place on the 12th May 2019. The race was a 60k or 30k route across the South downs to raise money for Chestnut Tree house (the companies chosen charity for this year).

Hit the Downs cycle race

The Langmed team did an excellent job with one member winning the 60k race!

Hit the Downs cycle race

Overall the team raised a staggering £875! Well done to all who took part and thank you to everyone who donated!