Belinda has over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of commercial real estate and acts for all types of real-estate clients including property companies, occupiers, joint ventures and funds. She is particularly well known for her occupier experience, acting on all types of premises including offices, retail units, aparthotels, data centres, warehousing and industrial properties.
Belinda is also a member of the Model Commercial Lease (MCL) committee which launched in July 2014. She was instrumental in the creation of the “Clearlet Lease” for Land Securities, a product which has proved to be a popular market-leader and forerunner to the MCL.
Expertise
- Commercial property
- Retail parks
- Data centres
- Developments
- Conditional contracts
- Outsourcing
- Serviced apartments
- Aparthotels
- Retail
- Leisure
- Offices
- Landlord and tenant
- Investment
- Restrictive covenants
Experience
General
- Advised on the complex letting of head office space for A T Kearney at the Adelphi Building in London.
- Acted on several outsourcing transactions including two Inland Revenue deals, the DSS, Aviva, the CAA, the Court Service and Abbey National.
- Advised on the development and pre-let for a serviced-office occupier above Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station.
- Acted on the development of building in Great Portland Street for luxury apartments involving complex rights of light negotiations.
- Provided advice on commercial property aspects to individual in relation to the termination of his employment with Aspers Casino, which was founded by his family
- Provided advice on various commercial property aspects for a high end motor vehicles company in its complex acquisition of the businesses of four other companies that had gone into administration.
Retail
- Acted on the purchase of several Costco warehouse in Hayes requiring complex development arrangements and dealing with restrictive covenant on title benefitting multiple individuals.
- Acted for Diesel on numerous retail units throughout the country.
- Purchased various retail parks for a large UK property company.
- Advised a Central London hair salon on the move to new premises.
- Soled and purchased several car showrooms for a UK dealership.
Hotels, Hospitality & Leisure
- Acted for Native Places on their lease of an aparthotel premises at Ducie Street, Manchester, requiring a complex agreement for lease conditional on planning and development.
- Advised on the development of aparthotel next to the Globe Theatre.
- Dealing with management agreements for aparthotel operator.
- Advised a private members’ club in Mayfair on the development and pre-let.
- Advised on the refinancing of five serviced-office buildings requiring negotiation of certificates of title.
Data Centres
- Advised on an outsourcing arrangement for EDS in which they bought two data centres from Aviva.
- Advising on the strategy for a data centre at Stockley Park.
- Advised on the purchase of a development site for a data centre at Wynyard and the purchase and conversion of a building for data centre use at Camberley.
Recognition
“A no-nonsense straight-talking lawyer.” The Legal 500 2008
Career
Belinda qualified as a solicitor in 1992. Prior to joining Keystone Law, she worked at the firms:
- Brecher LLP
- Nabarro LLP (now known as CMS)
- Davies Arnold Cooper (now known as DAC Beechcroft)
- Berwin Leighton (now BCLP)