Interserve, the International support services and construction group has, through a joint venture company, exchanged contracts to develop the Haymarket area of Edinburgh into a mixed-use site.

The project includes offices, retail units, leisure use, hotel accommodation and underground parking.

Interserve has formed a joint venture company with current landowner Tiger Developments to progress the £200 million regeneration of a site next to Haymarket station. 

Image: revamped Haymarket CGI

The Crown Estate has decided that the merger of Jones Lang LaSalle and King Sturge presents a conflict of interest for its regional portfolio, which the combined firm both manages and values. As a result, the organization is retendering its property management portfolio. 

James Cooksey, head of regional portfolio at The Crown Estate, said: "After 14 years managing the regional portfolio, we thank Jones Lang LaSalle for the high quality of service provided. In light of this regrettable conflict of interest we have decided to re-tender the property management mandate for the portfolio.”

Commercial property firm FG Burnett, has made two new appointments in Aberdeen.

Chartered surveyor Stuart Fyvie, who previously worked with Aberdeenshire Council and Davis Langdon, has joined the consultancy’s building surveying team where he will assist with design and specification projects, dilapidations and building surveys.

Robert Eunson has rejoined FG Burnett, where he started out as a graduate trainee in 2003. Robert joins the company’s commercial valuation department from J&E Shepherd and will work across the office, retail and industrial sectors, providing valuations for FG Burnett clients.

Glasgow-based construction firm City Building has won a £2.1 million contract to provide repairs and maintenance services to West of Scotland Housing Association’s 2877 properties across Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.

Beating off stiff competition to win the three-year contract, City Building was appointed on 1 August 2011 and work will begin with immediate effect.

City Building is Glasgow City Council’s arm’s-length construction company. With turnover of around £200 million it claims to be the largest repairs and maintenance contractor in Scotland, carrying out more than 500,000 repairs every year.

Repairs and maintenance will cover all trades work ranging from minor joinery repairs to complete system renewals. 

Image: "Housing Association seeks a ‘first fix’ ethos" 

Compropscotland swept past two significant mileposts today (9 May 2011). At 9.22 this morning we uploaded our 1000^th story since our re-launch in mid-November 2010. Then, just over two hours later at 11.27am, the site recorded its 100,000^th hit.

Stewart McIntosh, Comprop’s editor and director, said: “We didn’t expect to hit either of those mileposts until mid-June – so it came as a pleasant surprise when we achieved them both on the same, sunny, May morning. We’re logging 800 to 1000 hits a day, which in covering a specialist sector, demonstrates a strong – and highly professional –readership. And those 1000 stories add up to half a million words – each of them about property in its various forms, sectors and regions.

“From the outset, we aimed to establish ourselves as the top source of news, comment and research about Scotland’s commercial property sector – a sector that doesn’t get the coverage it deserves in the mainstream business pages. As property and construction digs its way out from under the rubble of the market crash, we follow the story step by step – and brick by brick. We chart the challenges, report the reversals and celebrate the successes.”

Image: Stewart McIntosh, editor Compropscotland.com

Congratulations to RICS, which has been acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading business-to-business brands in the annual Business Superbrand listings. RICS achieved top-100 status for the first time, climbing 23 places to position 91 in the table.

The UK’s Business Superbrands are chosen by a panel of experts and business professionals. Brands do not apply or pay to be considered and only the top 500 are deemed to be Business Superbrands. The business professionals’ vote is the culmination of an independent selection process, which considers thousands of brands from over 50 sectors.

The voting panel took into consideration the status of each brand within its individual field. By achieving the status of a ‘Superbrand’, RICS is considered to have established the finest reputation in its field.

Image: Graeme Hartley, director RICS Scotland

Gary Duff has been promoted to take charge of surveyors DM Hall’s Oban office, after ten years as an associate with the Scotland-wide surveying firm. 

Gary is delighted that he will continue to have the support of John Miller, retiring Partner, who will continue to provide surveying services to all of our clients of DM Hall.

A native of Uddingston, Lanarkshire, Gary (43) joined DM Hall as an apprentice chartered surveyor in 1989 and has risen through the ranks, working in the Falkirk and Kirkintilloch offices before moving to Oban in 1996.

His remit runs to Mallaig, Invergarry and Fort William to the north; Campbeltown to the south; Crianlarich to the east; and the Inner Hebridean islands including Mull, Coll, Tiree, Islay, Jura and Colonsay to the west.

Image: Gary Duff

Send Comprop details of your firm's appointments and promotions, ideally with a pic, via the 'editorial contact' button at the top of the site

Law firm Anderson Strathern has appointed  ex-Maclay Murray & Spens practitioner Robin Garrett to provide consultancy services to the firm.

Garrett is an acknowledged expert in the real estate sector and his prime will be in working with Anderson Strathern's finance, retail and development team.

Robert Carr, chairman of Anderson Strathern, said: "We are very pleased to have secured Robin's services - and hope that his expertise and experience in the Scottish and UK business communities will help us to continue the successful development of our business in the coming years."

Aberdeen Asset Management has appointed Dr Russell Chaplin as Chief Investment Officer, Property. Reporting to Andrew Smith, Aberdeen's Global Head of Property, Russell will join the company's Management Board for property.
 
He will work to develop Aberdeen's property investment process, and will manage the global investment strategy team for property, with staff in nine countries.

Property consultant CB Richard Ellis (Scotland) has appointed Alistair Urquhart to the position of surveyor within its Glasgow business space team. Alistair joins CB Richard Ellis from James Barr, where he worked in the Office Agency team for three years.  During his time there his duties included acquisitions and disposals for both public and private sector clients.

Jones Lang LaSalle has promoted Dougie Wood, Alex Fraser, Alistair Reid and Ally Hogg to senior surveyor level.

Alasdair Humphery, JLL's MD in Scotland, said: "We're very pleased to award these well deserved promotions. These four individuals are highly respected by their clients, contemporaries and colleagues and consistently work hard to deliver results for the firm. I congratulate them and look forward to working with them as they continue to grow and develop their careers."

The news follows the promotion of Ross Burns to director in the firm's Investment department in Glasgow earlier this month.

Legal firm Maclay Murray & Spens (MMS) has announced that banking partner Robert J Laing will take over as chairman from Philip Skerrett, whose three-year ends on June 1.

Robert Laing has been with the firm for 27 years, advising prominent national and international clients, across the London and Scottish offices.

Philip Skerrett joined MMS in 2004, when it merged with boutique financial services practice, the City Law Partnership, in which he was a senior partner. He will remain with the firm as a consultant after his chairmanship has ended.

Mr Laing said: "Philip Skerrett has done an outstanding job as chairman, through one of the most turbulent legal markets any of us can remember. Thanks in no small part to his efforts, the firm is now in a strong position to capitalise on any recovery in the broader economy.

"As chairman, my first priority will be to support chief executive Magnus Swanson, in ensuring the firm plays to its inherent market strengths and seizes opportunities for sustainable growth."

mms.co.uk

Brodies LLP has appointmented three new partners in its Edinburgh and Glasgow offices: Jackie McGuire in the Public Sector Services Group, Jonathan Cornwell in the Personal Injury team, and Manus Quigg in the Construction and Engineering Group.

At Brodies since December 2007, Jackie McGuire is an expert in Local Government law and has served as director of the firm's Public Sector Services Group, playing a key role in the development of Brodies' public sector legal services, as well as its planning law team (the largest dedicated legal team in Scotland).

John Edwards has been appointed to the post of Chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in Scotland. John takes over from outgoing Chairman, residential surveyor Jim Gibson.

A commercial property surveyor and property development manager for Crichton Development Company Ltd in Dumfries, John has been in the property industry for 35 years. His previous positions within RICS Scotland include: senior Vice-Chairman; member of RICS Scotland Commercial Property Professional Group; former Chairman of RICS Dumfries and Galloway region; and a member of RICS Scottish Council. RICS has 10,000 members in Scotland.

The British Property Federation (BPF) has welcomed the appointment of Grant Shapps as David Cameron’s housing minister.  

Liz Peace, chief executive of the BPF, said: “We congratulate Grant on his appointment to the role which, under Labour, had the biggest staff turnover of any government position. We have dealt extensively with him during his tenure as shadow minister and his extensive grasp of the sector’s many issues will mean he can get down to business right away. His enthusiasm and ideas will go a long way to helping reshape our housing industry, but there will be numerous challenges ahead.

Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) has appointed Alex McGuire as its new Executive Director of Development and Regeneration.

Alex, 44, joined GHA in April 2008 as Head of Investment, with responsibility for the city-wide capital investment, revenue, repairs and maintenance programmes.

He became Acting Executive Director of Housing and Customer Services last year.  A father of three, Alex grew up in Armadale, West Lothian, and was educated at Napier University in Edinburgh.

His remit in his new role at GHA includes overseeing the delivery of around 3000 new-build houses for tenants, while continuing the massive investment programme required to modernise homes and make them warmer, safer and drier.

Martin Armstrong, GHA Chief Executive, said: "Alex's commitment to improving homes and communities, as well as driving continuous service improvement, make him the ideal candidate to help lead GHA as we step up our efforts to become a first-class landlord."

Alex said: "I'm thrilled to be given this great opportunity to help GHA play a major role in the regeneration of Glasgow. I look forward to working with staff, tenants and our partners to create homes and communities the people of Glasgow are proud to live in."

www.gha.org.uk

Sandy Rennie is the new head of Shepherd’s commercial surveying department at its Inverness office. He studied in Aberdeen prior to pursuing a career in the surveying profession in Dundee and Edinburgh. Most recently acting as a partner at one of the major chartered surveying firms, prior to this he was a divisional director at a UK national commercial property management specialist.

Anne McGregor has become a partner at specialist property law firm Bell & Scott. Previously a partner with DLA, she moved up after joining Bell & Scott in December 2008. With more than a decade of experience in commercial property, she acts for a diverse range of major blue chip companies both in Scotland and on cross border deals. She works with property investors, developers and retail operators including Capital Shopping Centres, Royal Sun Alliance and Chris Stewart Associates.