Catherine Burns

Catherine acts for both private and public sector clients on a wide range of estates matters but has a particular interest in large scale development transactions and their related project management. 

Catherine has been with DACB since June 2018 and examples of recent transactions include advising: 

• A developer for the ongoing acquisition of a site for the development of care homes. The transaction involved due diligence, the release of overage and restrictive covenants and the drafting of two complex linked conditional agreements for the purchase of both leasehold and freehold interests.

• A local university in their purchase of a former NHS site. The purchase involved due diligence, division of the site to allow part of the property to be transferred to an SPV and complex lease/licence back arrangements to the outgoing Trust to allow its decant from the property together with related service obligations.

• A national house builder in the relocation of their head office to a newly developed business park. The transaction included complex due diligence of a large title, an overarching development agreement to ensure the developer completed infrastructure works and supplied a fully serviced site prior to commencement of the office development and the production of an agreement for lease, lease and various licences.

• A local Council for their sale of one property and the simultaneous grant of an option to purchase an adjoining property. The transaction involved the drafting of a complex conditional contract including overage and construction considerations and a staggered option to purchase split between two properties

• A developer acting in partnership with an HE college to develop a site near to the boundary of a large river. The transaction involved due diligence of the site, a land promotion and development agreement and linked planning and construction considerations in order to maximise value from campus areas currently considered surplus to requirements.