News Round Up - HLL Humberts Leisure

GVA Humberts Leisure 

Leisure 

In this issue: 

News round up 

All the latest stories from the 

leisure and hospitality sector, 

including the creation of 


Focus 

An in-depth look at the latest 

available properties and issues 

affecting the sector, including 

an update on the hotel industry 

Planning 

All you need to know about 

planning issues, including the 

likely impact of localism 

Why choose 


How we can help with our 

comprehensive services and 

areas of expertise. Find a 

contact near you 

Autumn/Winter 2011 

gva.co.uk/humbertsleisure

Relax... 

with GVA Humberts Leisure 

you’re in safe hands. 

02 I GVA Humberts Leisure

Foreword 

All businesses can benefit from a little bit of luck, 

or at least some happy coincidences, which 

enable trading to improve on expectations. 

The late Easter this year combined with the feel-good factor engendered by the 

Royal Wedding were expected to create favourable conditions for many leisure 

businesses. However what no-one expected, or dared to hope for, was wonderful 

weather we enjoyed over the first half of the year. 

The combined result has been one of the best starts to the summer season for leisure 

and tourism businesses. Through the multiplier effect this will create positive impact 

on other sectors of the economy, including agriculture, manufacturing, retail and 

support services. May 2011 also proved to be an important and exciting month for 

us at Humberts Leisure. We have now merged our business with GVA, one of the UK’s 

largest property advisory companies. We intend to use the skills of the combined 

teams, and the additional resources at our disposal, to broaden the range of 

services we provide. 

Our over-riding aim remains the same. It is to add value to our clients’ businesses and 

assets through skilful and creative advice, grounded in a deep-seated knowledge of 

the industry we work within. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to 

discuss ways in which GVA Humberts Leisure may be able to assist your organisation. 

John Anderson, 

Director 

08449 02 03 04 

john.anderson@gva.co.uk 

10 Stratton Street, 

London W1J 8JR 

Autumn/Winter 2011 

4. News 

Highlights 

5. Discover one of the UK’s strongest 

leisure offers in GVA Humberts Leisure 

10. How we’re helping big names to make 

big savings on their business rates 

Plus - the latest properties for sale or to let 

16. Focus 

Highlights 

17. We’re selling Brighton Pier, one of the 

UK’s best loved seaside attractions 

18. Discover the wide range of holiday 

parks/property we have on the market 

25. Leading children’s play centre 

operator, Kidspace, has ambitious 

expansion plans 

26. Update on changes to the 

Licensing Act 

32. How will hotels fare in the coming 

months? 

36. Planning 

Highlights 

37. How will localism impact the leisure 

and tourism sector? 

39. Need help with planning issues? Just 

call GVA Humberts Leisure 

40. Why is there a greater acceptance 

of caravan developments in the 

Green Belt? 

42. Why choose 


Review our areas of expertise and full 

range of services; plus find a contact 

near you 

GVA Humberts Leisure I 03

News 

In this section: 

Discover one of 

the UK’s strongest 

leisure offers in 


Find out how we’re 

helping big names to 

make huge savings on 

their business rates 

Plus the latest 

properties for sale or 

to let and our latest 

planning successes 

Our local teams offer 

specialist expertise, 

across a wealth of sectors 

including golf, marinas, 

hotels and licensed 

premises. 



The GVA Humberts Leisure story 

GVA secures leading UK 

leisure team 

On 31 May 2011 

GVA completed the 

acquisition of Humberts 

Leisure, creating one of 

the UK’s strongest leisure 

offers. 

The new leisure unit, named GVA 

Humberts Leisure, brings together the 

specialist leisure advisory expertise of 

Humberts Leisure, GVA’s existing hotels 

and leisure capability and the resources 

and national network of one of the UK’s 

leading property consultants. 

This strategic acquisition marked a major 

statement of intent by GVA, currently the 

fifth largest commercial property adviser 

in the country, to establish the company 

as one of the UK’s leading leisure 

consultants, with in depth specialist 

expertise across all leisure sectors. 

GVA’s existing Hotels and Leisure team, 

led by James Williamson and Ian 

Thompson, was particularly focused 

on hotels, so the acquisition allows the 

company to effectively tap into the 

wider UK leisure sector. This will include 

pubs and licensed property, hotels, 

general leisure, holiday property and 

caravan parks, golf courses, sports 

complexes and venues, urban leisure, 

water-based leisure, visitor enterprises 

and institutional property. 

Rob Bould, Chief Executive of 

GVA, comments: 

“We’re delighted to have acquired such 

a prestigious business as Humberts 

Leisure. At this stage in the economic 

cycle, this is a first class acquisition 

of what is undoubtedly one of the 

country’s leading specialists in its field, 

which builds on the hard work and 

determination of our existing team. 

It also illustrates our leading contracyclical 

approach to gaining market 

share through the acquisition of a robust 

business ready for further expansion. 

The move introduces a number of highly 

impressive specialist leisure chartered 

surveyors, planners and consultants to 

further supplement our existing team. 

The leisure sector requires a highly 

specialised skills set and it is important 

to us that we can deliver to our clients 

the best possible advice in these 

challenging times.” 

John Anderson, Executive 

Chairman of Humberts Leisure 

comments: 

“We’re delighted to have completed the 

merger with GVA as this provides us with 

a strong platform from which to drive our 

growth strategy. 

Integration of the two complementary 

leisure teams is a tremendous 

enhancement to our national leisure 

service.” 

For further information on the merger 

please contact 

Tim Crossley-Smith, Senior Director and 

National Head of Valuation Services 

on 020 7911 2291 or 

tim.crossley-smith@gva.co.uk 

John Anderson, Director at 

GVA Humberts Leisure on 0113 280 8032 

or john.anderson@gva.co.uk 

GVA profile 

GVA is one of the 

UK’s leading property 

consultants operating 

from 12 offices with 

890 fee earners 

generating a turnover 

of £131.9 million in 

the year ending 30 

April 2011. 

The company provides a full range 

of property-related advisory led 

services including agency, planning, 

development and regeneration, rating, 

building consultancy, investment, 

management, valuation and 

corporate recovery. 

GVA also offers specialist advice in 

areas such as finance, economic 

and social policy, telecoms, 

education, healthcare, hotels 

and leisure, retail, sustainability, 

contamination, plant and machinery 

and the automotive and roadside 

sectors. For further information visit: 

www.gva.co.uk 

GVA is a founding member of 

GVA Worldwide, an international 

organisation serving key markets 

in over 25 countries. The organisation 

comprises over 2,500 real 

estate professionals in over 85 

markets worldwide. 

A leading adviser in commercial real 

estate, GVA Worldwide optimises client 

portfolios locally and around the world. 

It serves the real estate needs of clients 

including multinational corporations, 

major space users, developers, owners, 

institutions, lenders and investors. 

For more information visit: 

www.gvaworldwide.com 


For sale/To let 

For sale 

For sale 

Ramada Park Hall Hotel and Spa, 

Wolverhampton 

On behalf of Joint Administrators - David Bennett and 

Joe McLean of Grant Thornton 

• Established 75 bedroom hotel situated within an attractive 

Listed building 

• Close to Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and the UK 

motorway network 

• Large site area circa 2.14 ha (5.29 acres) providing private 

grounds and circa 300 parking spaces 

• Extensive conference/function facilities include a 600 cover 

ballroom with own bar/restaurant and separate entrance to 

car park and grounds 

• On-site leisure facilities include a gymnasium, swimming 

pool and spa 

Contact: James Williamson on 020 7911 2109 

james.williamson@gva.co.uk 

For sale 

Ramada Warwick Hotel, 

Kenilworth 



• Established 68 bedroom hotel in the Warwickshire 

countryside on the banks of the River Avon 

• Easy access to Warwick, Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and 

the UK motorway network 

• Large site area circa 3.75 ha (9.75 acres) providing private 

grounds and circa 250 parking spaces 

• Conference/function facilities include a recently 

constructed 500 cover ballroom 

• Public areas include two restaurants and a residents’ lounge 

with own bar 



Under offer 

Ramada, Oldbury 



• Recently constructed purpose-built 81 bedroom hotel with 

modern appearance 

• Conveniently located on the A4132 Wolverhampton Road, 

close to Junction 2 of the M5 motorway 

• Site area circa 0.37 ha (0.92 acres) with c. 100 parking spaces 

• Conference/function facilities include a first floor 120 

cover function room/residents’ lounge and a 60 person 

meeting room 

• Public areas include a ground floor restaurant and 

entrance lobby 



Treasure Island, Eastbourne 

On behalf of Joint Administrators JJ Beard and N Mather 

of Begbies Traynor 

• Popular entertainment centre in a prominent position on 

Eastbourne seafront 

• Opportunity to acquire the long leasehold interest with 71 

years unexpired 

• Attractions include 18 hole miniature golf course, external play area, 

games arcade, children’s indoor play area and party room 

• Unfinished first floor restaurant/café with a terrace onto the 

beach front 

Unconditional offers are invited subject to contract 




Under offer 

The Chelsea Yacht and Boat Company, 

Chelsea, London 

An iconic residential houseboat investment and 

profitable business with potential for further 

earnings uplift 

• The prime residential houseboat site in London 

accommodating approximately 20% of all the 

houseboats on the tidal River Thames 

• 59 residential berths paying an annual mooring fee 

and maintenance charge 

Under offer 

• Profitable boatyard with dry dock for the refit and repair 

of houseboats 

• Significant advertising hoarding on Cheyne Walk/ 

Lots Road Junction 

• Management offices (part let) and car park 

Offers invited in the region of £4.75 million 

Contact: John Mitchell on 020 7911 2489 

john.mitchell@gva.co.uk 

Whitney-on-Wye Toll Bridge, 

Herefordshire 

Historic Herefordshire toll bridge offers income and 

capital tax free investment 

• Historic toll bridge with adjoining cottage 

• Ideal tax shelter from inheritance tax 

• Managed business 

• For sale Freehold. Guide price £450,000 




To let 

Sold 

Wildlife centre, Norfolk 

Animal Ark, an existing wildlife based visitor 

attraction with significant scope for enhancement 

and redevelopment 

• Paddocks, enclosures and animals 

• Tea room, play areas and parking 

• 3 bedroom semi-detached traditional barn conversion 

and annexe 

• Approximately 15 hectares (37 acres) of mature parkland 

Contact: Richard Baldwin 

on 0113 280 8039 

richard.baldwin@gva.co.uk 

For sale 

Prime West End restaurant unit 

available in London’s 

Trocadero Centre 

A rare opportunity to develop a substantial 

restaurant unit in a prime location in the heart of 

London’s West End close to Rainforest Cafe, TGI 

Friday, Planet Hollywood, W-Hotel, M&M’s World 

plus many more big brand names 

• 9,364 sq ft (869.9 sq m) unit in the West End’s prime night-spot 

• High-value advertising opportunity 

• Daily footfall of 80,000 

• 200 plus covers 

• Ceiling height of 4.87 m (16 ft) 

• A3/A4 planning permission 

Guide rent on request 

Contact: Gavin Brent 

on 020 7911 2228 

gavin.brent@gva.co.uk 

Landmark seafront hotel, 

Blackpool 

• 107 bedroom hotel located in a prominent position on 

Blackpool seafront 

• Reputation as one of Blackpool’s most popular live 

entertainment hotels 

• Well-established business with proven trading over an 

extended period 

• Freehold 


Contact: James Williamson 

on 020 7911 2109 



Under offer 

Retail unit, Soho 

• Secure tenancy with right to renew 

• Central Soho location, with very 

high footfall close to Piccadilly 

Underground station 

• 258.8 sq m (2,786 sq ft) with 8.2 m 

(27 ft) display frontage onto Wardour 

Street, with 4 m (13 ft) ceiling heights 

• Planning permission for A1 use 

• Close to Prêt a Manger, Starbucks and 

Byron Hamburgers 

• Passing rent £99,500 p.a. (exclusive) 


on 020 7911 2228 


For sale 

Surbiton Town Sports 

Club, Surrey 

Acting on behalf of the Royal 

Borough of Kingston-upon- 

Thames, GVA Humberts Leisure 

has concluded lease renewal 

negotiations at Surbiton Town 

Sports Club and achieved a 

significant rent increase. 

The property comprises two football 

pitches, a go-kart track, clubhouse, six 

flats, together with 36 park homes. 

For rent review or lease renewal advice, 

please contact Gavin Brent 


on 020 7911 2228 


For sale 

Cobdown Sports and 

Social Club, Maidstone 

Substantial sports and social 

club located at J4 of the M20 

motorway. 

• Two storey club house 

• Squash courts 

• Two tier stand 

• Two full size football pitches 

• 7-aside and 5-aside football pitches 

• Cricket and hockey pitches 

• Four croquet lawns with pavilion 

• 11.5 ha (28.4 acres) 

• Freehold (subject to lease to the 

Trustees of Cobdown Sports and Social 

Club - expiring April 2014) 

• Guide price £1.25 million 


on 020 7911 2228 


Lodge investments 

for sale 

Faweather Grange 

premium holiday lodge 

investment opportunity 

Faweather Grange is an award 

winning lodge development that 

has been established for over 

16 years offering luxury holiday 

accommodation. 

• Stunning, tranquil surroundings in the 

heart of Yorkshire 

• Prices for individual lodges from £195,000 

• Various lodge types available 

• Occupancy levels of 90% + 

• 50 year transferable leaseholds 

• Managed on site and marketed 

through Hoseasons 

Faweather Grange is regarded as one of 

the most prestigious lodge resorts in the 

area winning the White Rose Award 2010 

‘Best lodge development in the North of 

England’, and is shortlisted for the VisitBritain 

‘Best Holiday Park in Britain’. 

For information on the individual lodges that 

are available for sale at Faweather Grange 

Contact: Richard Baldwin 

on 0113 280 8039 



Helping big names to make 

big savings 

GVA’s business rates team 

currently handles over 

200 hotels nationwide 

(assessed at over RV £100 

million) delivering across 

the wide spectrum of 

operations from budget 

through to luxury 5*. Our 

client base operates 

under many notable 

brands including Holiday 

Inn, Hilton, Radisson, 

Citidines, Crowne Plaza 

and Marriott. 

In the last few months we have delivered 

significant savings on behalf of two 

of London’s most prestigious hotels - 

The Savoy Hotel and The St Pancras 

Renaissance Hotel. 

GVA’s Business Rates team’s success 

is achieved by focussing on 

understanding the operation, reviewing 

trading patterns, cost profiling and 

competitor impact. 

David Jones, London Senior Director, 

who leads the specialist hotel rating 

team re-emphasises the impact of the 

2010 rating revaluation on the sector 

and the opportunities to mitigate. 

‘’The recent revaluation resulted in 

hotels experiencing the largest sector 

increase in rate bills. We are focussed 

on mitigating these levels of increase 

where possible, our work concentrating 

not solely on rateable value reduction 

but on maximising savings through 

the Government’s transitional phasing 

scheme and challenging historic rate 

bill calculations. 

It is important that hoteliers are mindful 

of the impact of new competition and 

opportunities to mitigate during their 

own hotel refurbishments. We strive to 

ensure that where operating profit is 

affected, rate liabilities are reduced.’’ 

Contact: David Jones on 

020 7911 2389 

david.jones@gva.co.uk 

Ian Thompson on 

020 7911 2962 

ian.thompson@gva.co.uk 



Business 

rates 

Rateable value reduction 

for the renowned White 

Swan Inn, Pickering, 

North Yorkshire 

The White Swan Inn is located in the 

picturesque market town of Pickering on 

the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors 

National Park. 

‘The White Swan Inn embodies what every 

trendy gastropub striving to seem ‘real’ is 

trying to achieve’. (Delicious Magazine). 

‘This is the kind of comfortable, well run 

inn you always hope to find in market 

towns but rarely do’. (The Independent) 

GVA Humberts Leisure has successfully 

negotiated with the Valuation Office 

Agency, a significant (17%) reduction of 

the 2010 Rateable Value assessment of 

this renowned boutique 16th century 

coaching inn. 

If you require advice on your 2010 

Rateable Value assessment, 

GVA Humberts Leisure can assist. 

Contact: Richard Baldwin on 

0113 280 8039 



secures rating revaluation 

success for Homfray 

Hotels portfolio 

The Homfray Hotels portfolio comprises: 

• The Golden Fleece in Thirsk 

• The Unicorn in Ripon 

• The Feathers in Helmsley 

• The Jockey in Malton 

Following a strategic review of the 

2010 revaluation, GVA Humberts 

Leisure successfully negotiated with the 

Valuation Office Agency and achieved 

substantial Rateable Value reductions on 

behalf of our clients. 

Contact: Richard Baldwin on 

0113 280 8039 



For sale 

For sale For sale For sale 

The Lamb and 

Flag, Rhayader 

A two storey public house 

with 2 bars, function room, 

beer terrace, 6 en-suite letting 

bedrooms and 3 bed flat 

Montpellier Hotel, 

Llandrindod Wells 

Substantial Victorian four storey 

hotel, with 11 en-suite bedrooms, 

2 bars, restaurant and function 

room. Terrace and parking 

The Hog and 

Hosper, Pontypool 

A detached two storey public 

house with bar, pool room 

and stage, first floor function 

room, plus 3 bed owners’ 

accommodation 

The Newbridge Arms, 

North Wrexham 

A detached two storey public 

house with bar, snug and 

games room, plus 2 bed owners’ 

accommodation and self contained 

2 bed flat. Beer terrace 

For sale - On the instruction of Prosperity Taverns Ltd 

A portfolio of 8 freehold pubs and hotels located throughout Wales, 

comprising a mix of managed, vacant and tenanted units 

For sale For sale For sale 

For sale 

The Aber Hotel, 

Abertredwr 

The Barley Mow, 

Builth Wells 

The Railway, 

Pentre 

Y Boblen, 

Cwmllynfell 

A detached three storey public 

house with bar, 2 function 

rooms with skittle alley, games 


accommodation and 7 former 

letting bedrooms 

Attractive two storey Victorian 

public house with bar, 

restaurant/lounge, plus 3 bed 

owners’ accommodation. Beer 

garden and outbuilding 

Detached three storey public 

house with 2 bars, pool/games 

room and first floor function 


accommodation 

Detached two storey public 

house with large open plan 

bar arranged around a central 

servery, plus 4 bed flat and 

storage rooms. Beer garden 

and parking 

For further information on the sale of this portfolio, contact: 

Monique Royle on 0121 609 8440 

monique.royle@gva.co.uk or 

Charles Kaminaris on 0292 024 8933 

charles.kaminaris@gva.co.uk 


For sale 

For sale 

The Bear Inn and Hotel, Alderwasley 

On behalf of Ian Gould and Brian Hamblin of 

PKF (UK) LLP Joint Administrators of the Bear Inn 

and Hotel Ltd 

• Attractive three storey Grade II Listed building 

• Public bar, restaurant, function room and residents’ 

breakfast room 

• 8 en-suite letting rooms and a cottage 

• 1 bedroom flat used for lettings 

• Beer garden and 80 vehicle car park 

• Freehold 1.73 ha (4.27 acres) 

Guide price on request 

Contact: Monique Royle 

on 0121 609 8440 

monique.royle@gva.co.uk 

Contact: Andrew Moore 

on 0113 280 8071 

andrew.moore@gva.co.uk 

The Chainbridge Inn, Nr Usk 

A substantial two storey public house in an idyllic 

location on the banks of the River Usk 

• Detached pub with 4 double letting bedrooms and 4 bed 

owners’ accommodation 

• Small caravan park with electric hook ups 

• Parking for 40 cars 

• Situated in a popular tourist location just off the A40 

• Business currently closed 

• Freehold 

Offers invited in the region of £375,000 

Contact: Marcus Street 

on 029 2024 5204 

marcus.street@gva.co.uk 

For sale 

For sale 

The Barracuda Bar, Hull 

Freehold investment for sale 

• A three storey Grade II Listed building in Hull’s city centre 

• Let to Barracuda Pubs & Bars Limited (Credit Safe rating of 88%) 

• Approximately 19 years remaining of a 25 year term 

• Close to city centre retail outlets, other pub operators and a 

short distance from Hull College 

• Rental income following latest review agreed at £89,250 per 

annum exclusive 

Offers in excess of £1.3 million reflecting a net initial yield of 

circa 6.5% assuming purchaser’s costs at 5.76% 

Contact: Charles Kaminaris 

on 029 2024 8933 

charles.kaminaris@gva.co.uk 

Cross Keys Inn, Gloucester 

A three storey Grade II Listed pub in the heart of the 

historic city of Gloucester 

• 2 bars with servery and central lounge 

• 4 bed owners’ accommodation 

• 4 letting bedrooms (currently unused) 

• Patio and decking area 

• Freehold 

Offers invited in the region of £500,000 

Contact: Marcus Street 

on 029 2024 5204 

marcus.street@gva.co.uk 


Planning and consulting 

Planning permission 

secured for 60 

eco-holiday cabins 

at Black Wood in 

Hampshire on behalf of 

Forest Holidays 

Forest Holidays commissioned GVA 

Humberts Leisure’s planning team to 

oversee this application for a major new 

eco-holiday centre in this plantation 

woodland, situated just off the M3 

between Basingstoke and Winchester. 

The application was submitted with a full 

environmental impact assessment, which 

concluded that the development would 

enhance the bio-diversity of the wood. 

For further information on this and similar 

holiday cabin schemes contact: 

Martin Taylor 

on 020 7911 2220 

martin.taylor@gva.co.uk 

Image courtesy of A and M Architectural Services 

Planning permission 

secured for 54 

static caravans at 

Landguard, 

Isle of Wight 

Acting on behalf of Park Resorts 

GVA Humberts Leisure’s Planning 

Team has recently obtained 

planning permission for a major 

redevelopment of this established 

holiday park on the Isle of Wight. 

Landguard receives approximately 

40,000 holidaymakers each year 

and visitors alone contribute an 

estimated £10 million annually to 

the island’s economy. 

The application overcame issues 

relating to tree loss, density and 

layout. 

For further information on this 

project contact: 

Aimée Cannon 

on 020 7911 2143 

aimee.cannon@gva.co.uk 



Permission granted for 26 high quality holiday 

cottages at Lower Hyde Holiday Park, Shanklin 

on the Isle of Wight 

Park Resorts approached GVA Humberts Leisure to secure planning permission for 

the redevelopment of the site of a former cottage to enable the operator to offer 

holiday makers a wider range of high quality accommodation. To fit in with the 

surrounding countryside the redevelopment scheme was designed to emulate a 

former farmstead, including a manager’s house, coach house, stable block and 

mill house. 

Martin Taylor on 020 7911 2220 


Open Space Assessment 

supports permission for 

housing in Brighton 

GVA Humberts Leisure’s planning 

team’s expertise on open space needs 

assessment and further advice on Section 

106 developer contributions has been 

utilised to secure planning permission for 

31 dwellings (12 affordable) on a disused 

private sports ground in Brighton. 

Following the granting of planning 

permission residential housing and 

apartments will occupy a third of the 

site, whilst the remainder will be laid 

out as public open space, play space, 

and sports pitches to be transferred to 

the local authority and a new scout hut 

which is to be transferred to the Scout 

Association. 

For advice on how open space 

assessment can play a pivotal role 

in obtaining consent for redevelopment 

contact: 

Peter Sharp on 020 7911 2201 

peter.sharp@gva.co.uk 


Focus on 


We’re selling Brighton 

Pier, one of the UK’s 

best loved seaside 

attractions 

Got a taste for 

adventure? Discover 

the attractions of 

Stubbers Adventure 

Centre in Essex 

Anna Mathias of 

Joelson Wilson brings 

you up to date on 

changes to the 

Licensing Act 

A review of the hotel 

sector 


Focus on Brighton Pier 

Probably the most iconic 

and renowned of all 

seaside piers 

On the market for the first time in 

25 years - Brighton Pier 

A magnificent symbol 

of Britain’s resurgent 

seaside and an 

important heritage 

attraction, Brighton Pier 

has a fine pedigree 

and established trading 

record. 

• Believed to be in the top 3 of Britain’s 

busiest attractions 

• Situated at a pivotal location in one of 

Britain’s premier seaside resorts 

• Substantial annual turnover and 

operating profit 

• Significant food and beverage 

offerings 

• 18 attraction rides 

• 2 modern amusement arcades 

• Sideshows and numerous retail units 

• Substantial concession income 

• Quality Coast Award Beaches 

• Renowned Grade II* Listed Pier 

• 524m (third of a mile) in length 

Contact: 

Richard Baldwin 

on 0113 280 8039 


Ben Allen 

on 020 7911 2360 

ben.allen@gva.co.uk 

Nigel Talbot Ponsonby (Consultant) 

ntp@gva.co.uk 


Focus on golf market 

For sale 

The Craythorne 

Burton-upon-Trent 

A well presented two 

storey pub-house ideally 

suited to weddings, 

conference and 

functions trade with an 

18 hole proprietary golf 

course and floodlit 

golf range. 

• Attractive two storey pub-house 

with extensive food and beverage 

facilities, furnished, fitted and 

equipped to the highest standard 

(including a former staff apartment) 

• Golf shop and proposed hair salon 

• Undulating 5,642 yard (par 68) golf 

course 

• 13 bay floodlit golf driving range 

• Practice facilities (irrigated practice 

putting green, short game area, 

practice bunker and pitching nets) 

• Modern greenkeeping complex 

• Circa 28.5 ha (70.5 acres) 

• Freehold 

Established business with 

true potential for further 

commercialisation: 

• Commercial trading location close to: 

Derby, Lichfield and Nottingham 

• Turnover circa £635,000 (4 yr avg) 

33% golf and range; 67% food and 

beverage income 

• 222 members 

Guide price £1.15 million 

Contact: Ben Allen 

on 020 7911 2360 



Focus on golf market 

Under offer 

Blacknest Golf & Country Club, 

Hampshire 

Freehold golf club situated in the South Downs 

National Park close to the Surrey / Hampshire border 

Ben Allen on 0207 911 2360 


Sold 

• Attractive 18 hole 5,974 yard (par 69) golf course 

• 6 hole academy course, 13 bay golf driving range 

• Clubhouse with function room, health and fitness suite and 

planning permission for 10 en-suite hotel bedrooms 

• Established business offering good potential for 

commercialisation 

• Offers invited in the region of £1.25 million 

For sale 

Wyre Forest GC, Worcestershire 

On the instructions of Ryan Grant, Simon Wilson 

and Anne O’Keefe of Zolfo Cooper LLP, 

Joint Administrators of Wyre Forest Golf Centre Ltd 

• 18 hole pay and play golf course - 5,734 yard (par 69) 

• Practice facilities 

• Attractive clubhouse (circa 3,500 sq ft) 

• Pair of former cottages requiring modernisation 

• 84 year leasehold interest at ground rent 

• Turnover circa £350,000 

• Circa 56 ha (circa 138 acres) 

• Established business ripe for commercialisation 

Guide £450,000 

Contact: Ben Allen on 020 7911 2360 


Lostwithiel Hotel GCC, Cornwall 

A freehold golf and leisure hotel nestling in 

the Fowey Valley 

• 27 bedroom courtyard style hotel 

• Clubhouse with leisure club and function facilities 

• 18 hole 5,907 yard (par 72) golf course 

• Indoor pool, tennis courts and fishing lakes 

• Established business - turnover circa £900,000 

• Good potential for growth/commercialisation 

• Renowned tourist location close to the Eden Project 

• Freehold 

Guide price on request 

Contact: Ben Allen on 020 7911 2360 



Focus on holiday parks market 

For sale 

For sale 

Four Horseshoes PHE, Kent 

Mature retirement park home estate situated on the 

edge of Graveney village 

• 46 privately owned park homes – 35 twins and 11 singles 

• 18 garages/24 parking spaces – with future development 

potential (STPP) 

• Amenity area 

• Circa 1.3 ha (3.13 acres) of mature grounds 

• Freehold 




Goulton Beck, North Yorkshire 

An easily managed holiday park with significant 

development potential 

• A secluded yet accessible countryside location close to the 

North Yorkshire Moors 


• Site licence for 18 statics and 6 tourers 

• Currently 5 owner-occupied holiday statics and 1 

owner-occupied lodge 

• Freehold 

Guide price £475,000 

Contact: Peter Smith on 0113 280 8075 

peter.smith@gva.co.uk 

For sale 

For sale 

Lakeside Park Home Estate, Somerset 

A rare town centre residential park redevelopment 

opportunity 

• Consent for 50 pitches – 9 private homes remaining, 

16 hire fleet 

• Excellent interim rental income 

• 2 large residential houses – currently let on ASTs 

• Block of 16 garages, shop and former bungalow 

• Potential for permanent housing in place of park homes 

• In all about 1.8 ha (4.4 acres) including pond feature 

• Freehold 




Lodge development site, Loch Lomond 

Unique leisure development opportunity in 

honeypot location 

• Land designated for recreation and tourism – circa 2.02 

hectares (5 acres) 

• Existing extant consent for 40 lodge units – site ripe for 

redevelopment 

• Adjoining Cameron House and The Carrick, with access from 

the A82 and adjacent to a lochside restaurant/wedding venue 

owned by vendors 

• Strong interest anticipated from holiday lodge and hotel 

developers alike 

Heritable interest for sale. Offers over £1.5 million invited 





For sale 

Under offer 

Pound Farm, Lake District 

Profitable holiday business in popular tourist area 

• Close to Kendal and Windermere 

• 14 holiday lodge pitches 

• 10 touring and 10 tenting pitches 

• 4 holiday apartments 

• Modern management offices 

• Freehold 




Wansbeck Park, 

Northumberland 

An easily managed caravan 

park adjacent to the picturesque 

River Wansbeck 

• Currently 44 touring, 17 tenting pitches 

• Consent for holiday caravan park 

redevelopment 

• 12 month holiday use 

• 3 bed bungalow and reception/shop 


• Freehold 




For sale 

For sale 

Under offer 

Springhouse Holiday Park, 

County Durham 

A well located holiday park in 

woodland setting 

• 99 pitches comprising 79 static and 20 

touring pitches 

• 4 bedroom bungalow 

• Reception incorporating shop 

• Circa 6.88 ha (17 acres) 

• Freehold 




Golden Imp, 

East Yorks Coast 

Easily-managed and profitable 

holiday chalet business with 

development potential 

• 28 detached chalets, plus consent for 

a further 6 chalets 

• Pitch fee income of £2,950 per pitch in 

2010, with substantial ‘block’ fee plus 

commission on assignment 

• 2010 ERV in excess of £82,500 pa, 

providing 8.9% gross return on 

investment (excluding commissions), 

with potential additional sales and 

pitch fee income 


• Freehold 




Sleepy Hollow PHE, 

Hampshire 

Immaculately presented modern 

park home estate 

• 24 private homes – 23 twin and 

1 single 

• High pitch fees 

• In all about 0.8 ha (2 acres) of mature 

grounds 

• For sale freehold as a going concern 

Offers in the region of £750,000 





For sale 

For sale 

Oakwood Lodges, 

Powys 

Established, profitable lodge letting business and 

period farmhouse 

• Lot 1: Lodge letting business in popular tourism area. 

- 11 fully furnished holiday letting lodges 

- Total area about 4.86 ha (12 acres) 

- Consent for a further 5 lodges 

- 12 month holiday use 

• Lot 2: 6 bed farmhouse with large garage/workshop and 

2.83 ha (7 acres) of land 

• Freehold 

For sale as a whole or in lots. Lot 1 £975,000 / Lot 2 £345,000 

Joint Agent: Adams & Co 01752 493 002 



For sale 

Porlock Caravan Park, 

Exmoor National Park 

An award winning, well capitalised mixed 

holiday park 

• 55 static caravans (45 private owner units), 9 modern static 

caravan hire fleet units (2007 to 2010 models), 40 touring 

pitches with electric hook-ups, 14 hard standings 

• 3.4 acre touring caravan rally field 

• Reception, workshop and park office, plus three bedroom 

park home and one bedroom staff unit 

• Planning consent for new reception with one bedroom holiday 

unit and three bedroom owner’s accommodation 

• In all about 3.09 ha (7.63 acres) 

• Freehold 




Under offer 

Hill Farm Park Home Estate, 

Pembrokeshire 

Well established park home estate with a number of 

vacant pitches 

• 30 park home pitches with 25 private homes and 1 assured 

shorthold tenancy 

• 3 pitches with stock units 

• 1 vacant twin pitch 

• Elevated, mature site with views over Milford Haven 

• In all about 0.89 ha (2.21 acres) 

• Freehold 




22 I GVA Humberts Leisure 

Crook O’ Lune Holiday Park, 

Lancashire 

A substantial, ideally located holiday park 

• An established and high quality development set in over 

8 ha (20 acres) 

• Site Licence for 179 holiday caravans 

• Currently 164 pitches, including 57 lodge pitches 

• 97 owners paying net pitch fees of £2,370 (statics) and £3,420 

(lodges) plus VAT 

• Reception office, 3 bed detached bungalow and additional 

land of about 2.02 ha (5 acres) with outline consent for a new 

dwelling 

• Freehold 

Offers invited 


peter.smith@gva.co.uk


Under offer 

For sale 

For sale 

Stoneway PHE, 

Kent 

A well established and attractive 

park home estate 

• 29 private park homes – 28 private 

homes and 1 rental unit 

• High level pitch fees 

• Additional paddock 

• Circa 1.64 ha (4.05 acres) of mature 

grounds 

• For sale freehold as a going concern 


Contact: John Mitchell 

on 020 7911 2489 


Silver Birches HP, 

Barton upon Humber 

Redeveloped holiday park ready 

for sales, with detached dwelling 

• Exceptional, high-quality 

development for 27 pitches – all 

currently vacant 

• Total site area circa 0.84 ha (2.07 

acres) 

• Significant holiday caravan sales 

opportunity 

• All year round holiday use 

• Substantial 4 bed house 

• Freehold 



on 020 7911 2489 


Heron Cottage CP, 

South Lincolnshire 

A beautiful touring and static 

park with an attractive cottage 

• 52 touring pitches with electric 

hook-ups – 12 month use 

• 9 newly developed static pitches, 

4 private owners 

• Modern toilet block and laundrette 

• Two bedroom cottage 

• In all about 1.4 ha (3.42 acres) fronting 

onto fishing water 

• Freehold 


Contact: Charlie Mason 

on 020 7911 2488 

charlie.mason@gva.co.uk 

Price reduction 

For sale 

Hill Top PHE, 

Cheshire 

Small park home estate in 

sought-after location 

• Planning permission and Site Licence 

for 8 residential pitches 

• 5 twin and 3 single park homes sited 

(1 twin and 1 single for sale privately) 

• Desirable Cheshire village location with 

excellent access to motorway links 

• Freehold 


Contact: Peter Smith 

on 0113 280 8075 


Sunny Lyn Holiday Park, 

Exmoor National Park 

A mixed holiday park in a valley 

setting close to the coast 

• 13 lodges (8 private, 5 hire fleet), 

7 static hire fleet caravans, 

9 touring pitches, 28 tenting pitches 

• 2 holiday flats 

• Owner’s 4 bedroom penthouse flat 

• Licensed bistro / takeaway 

• Planning for one more lodge unit 

• Shop / reception, launderette and 

shower / WC facilities 

• Circa 1.32 ha (3.27 acres) beside a 

fishing stream 

• Freehold 

Offers in the region of £1.2 million 


on 020 7911 2489 



Focus on Stubbers, Upminster 

Under offer 

Featured property Stubbers 

Adventure Centre, Upminster, Essex 

On behalf of the London 

Borough of Havering 

Stubbers Activity Centre, 

an educational and 

activity centre situated 

in the Green Belt to the 

south-east of Romford, 

represents a fine 

opportunity to acquire a 

significant landholding 

inside the M25 Motorway 

for continued leisure 

and recreation use, or 

long term alternative 

redevelopment (subject 

to planning permission). 

The property is currently operated under 

lease by Stubbers Adventure Centre Ltd, 

a private not for profit company and 

registered charity. The facilities, which 

are laid out over 47 hectares (117 acres), 

comprise: 

• 48 bed residential centre 

• Camping area 

• Two 3 bedroom cottages 

• Water sports lake (23 acres) 

• Sailing lake (18.5 acres) with boat 

storage area 

• 3 ponds 

• Climbing and abseiling tower 

• High ropes course 

• Motor sports area 

• Archery 

• Administration offices and 

ancillary facilities 

The primary objective of the company 

currently operating the Centre is ‘to 

develop by education, example 

and the provision of a disciplined 

environment, the physical, mental 

and spiritual capacities of children 

and young people to enable them to 

grow to full maturity as individuals and 

become respectable and responsible 

members of the community’. 

Stubbers typically attracts over 40,000 

visitors each year. Visitors are mainly 

from schools, youth organisations and 

the Essex Association of Boys Clubs, with 

the majority of visits occurring during the 

peak May to September period. 

Stubbers Adventure Centre Ltd occupies 

the property under the terms of a 

21 year FRI lease, granted on 25th 

September 1997 (6 years unexpired) at a 

rent of £1.00 per annum. 

Charlie Mason, who is handling the sale 

at GVA Humberts Leisure says ‘ Stubbers 

Adventure Centre is, locally, a much 

loved and highly regarded facility that 

offers year round indoor and outdoor 

adventure. It represents a rare and 

exciting opportunity.’ 

For further information on Stubbers 

Activity Centre visit www.stubbers.co.uk 

Contact: Charlie Mason 

on 020 7911 2488 

charlie.mason@gva.co.uk 


Focus on Kidspace expansion plans 

Kidspace plans further expansion 

Kidspace, the UK’s 

leading children’s play 

centre operator, has 

announced plans to 

open two new 

centres by 2012. 

The company’s existing centres in 

Romford (2006 - 20,000 sq ft) and 

Croydon (2008 - 30,000 sq ft) have 

attracted over 1.5 million visitors, held 

over 14,000 birthday parties and 

currently have over 4,000 annual 

pass members. Kidspace has 

continued to attract high customer 

volumes throughout the recession, 

demonstrating that the business 

is relatively immune to economic 

downturns. 

Gavin Brent, from GVA Humberts Leisure, 

comments: “The financial performance 

and sustainability of the Kidspace 

business model dispels the image 

investment institutions and landlords 

have of CPC’s being ‘Mom and Pop’ 

operations. It should also assist them by way 

of gaining planning consent for mixeduse 

schemes and acting as an anchor for 

attracting retailers to any given scheme.” 

The proven success 

of Kidspace reflects 

a growing appetite 

for superior children’s 

entertainment and exercise 

attractions in the UK. It 

follows the success of 

projects such as Go-Ape, 

Butterfly World and the 

Deep. CPC sector targeting 

children under 12 allows 

for a consistent flow of new 

customers each year. 

“With increased concerns towards 

child obesity prevalent in the media, 

the centres provide entertainment 

and essential ‘exercise in disguise’ 

for children who might otherwise not 

participate in physical activities either 

at home or school,” adds Brent. 

Kidspace requires new premises on 

a leasehold or freehold basis with a 

Gross Internal Area of 15,000 sq ft (D2 

use) with minimum eaves height of 

6.5m over circa 50%. 

Ideally sites are located in or 

adjacent to retail/leisure park units 

with high visibility and footfall. Car 

parking is essential. 

The leisure operator is urgently 

searching for new premises in 

Greater London, Birmingham and 

other major cities in the UK. 


on 020 7911 2228 



Focus on changes to the Licensing Act 

Half full 

or half 

empty? 

Licensing 

Act 

Last summer, the 

Coalition Government 

announced radical 

plans to overhaul the 

Licensing Act 2003. What 

many perceived to be 

a rushed consultation 

into its initial proposals 

has resulted in some 

initiatives being watered 

down and some 

abandoned altogether. 

Those that remain form Part 2 of the 

Police Reform and Social Responsibility 

Act (“the Act”) which received 

Royal Assent on 15 September. The 

Government has not yet announced the 

date for implementation of the licensing 

provisions within the Act, but many 

expect the changes to come into force 

on 1 January 2012. This article provides 

an update to that published in the 

Winter 2010/Spring 2011 bulletin. We look 

at the background to the reforms, which 

proposals were carried forward from the 

consultation and which were dropped, 

and what all this might mean in practice 

for the industry. 

Background 

On 21 July 2010 it was announced 

that the Home Office would be taking 

full responsibility for alcohol licensing 

and enforcement going forward, 

having previously shared this with the 

Department for Culture, Media and 

Sport. The move was aimed at reducing 

any duplication of effort, consistent 

with the current drive of cost-cutting in 

government and particularly with the 

stated aim of reducing the head-count 

at DCMS by a third. 

The alcohol licensing portfolio was 

handed to the Minister for Crime 

Prevention, James Brokenshire. At the 

time the announcement was made 

that he would be taking up the reins, the 

Minister issued a hard-hitting statement 

that harked back to the five pledges 

on alcohol contained in the May 2010 

Coalition Agreement. These were: 

• To overhaul the 2003 Act to give 

licensing authorities and police 

greater powers to refuse or revoke 

licences where premises are causing 

problems; 

• To allow licensing authorities and 

police permanently to close premises 

found to be persistently selling alcohol 

to children; 

• To double the maximum fine for 

underage alcohol sales to £20,000; 

• To permit licensing authorities to 

charge higher licensing fees for latenight 

licences, to pay for additional 

policing; and 

• To ban the sale of alcohol at below 

cost price. 

Brokenshire said: 

‘We continue to be concerned about 

the number of alcohol-related incidents 

and the drink-fuelled violence and 

disorder that blight many of our towns 

and cities. 



The Government believes that the power 

to make licensing decisions needs 

to be rebalanced in favour of local 

communities, so that they can decide 

on the night time economy they want.’ 

The proposals put out to 

consultation 

Only a week after this statement, 

the Home Office published its 

consultation paper, “Rebalancing 

the Licensing Act – a consultation 

on empowering individuals, families 

and local communities to shape and 

determine local licensing”, which 

contained the Government’s proposals 

for the promised overhaul of the 

system. Only six weeks were allowed 

for the consultation process, which 

closed on 8 September 2010. This in 

itself provoked fierce criticism, as the 

consultation period fell far short of that 

recommended in official guidance, 

particularly so when one considers 

that the exercise took place during the 

August holiday period. 

The proposals that went out to 

consultation certainly represented a 

radical overhaul of licensing law in 

record time. The main features were: 

• Making licensing authorities 

responsible authorities so that they 

can refuse and review licences 

themselves, even in cases where no 

representations have been made by 

residents or authorities such as the 

Police; 

• Reducing the evidential burden of 

proof resting on licensing authorities, 

so that they no longer have to 

demonstrate that their decisions 

are “necessary” for the promotion 

of the licensing objectives. Instead, 

they would be required to “consider 

more widely what actions are most 

appropriate to promote the licensing 

objectives in their area”; 

• Making it easier for licensing 

authorities to introduce a cumulative 

impact (or “stress area”) policy, 

whereby there is a presumption 

against granting new licences and 

extensions to existing licences; 

• Allowing residents to object to licence 

applications, regardless of where 

they live; 

• Designating health bodies as 

responsible authorities and making 

the prevention of health harm a new 

licensing objective; 

• Extending the category of “interested 

party” so that it includes bodies 

such as school governors, housing 

associations and registered social 

landlords; 

• Obliging licensing authorities to 

accept every relevant representation 

from police and to implement their 

every relevant recommendation; 

• Putting the burden of proof on to 

applicants to establish that their 

application will not have a negative 

impact on the area, or that any 

negative impact will be successfully 

mitigated; 

• Introducing a rule that magistrates will 

generally need to remit any matter 

that is appealed before them to the 

licensing authority for determination; 

• Stopping the practice whereby 

lodging an appeal suspends any 

measures that are imposed on 

a premises licence so that if, for 

example, a licence is revoked at 

review, the premises will not be 

allowed to trade unless and until an 

appeal succeeds; 

• Introducing a “late night levy” whereby 

premises trading after midnight pay a 

higher licence fee to contribute to the 

costs of extra policing, taxi marshals 

and street cleaning; 

• Allowing licensing authorities to 

increase their fees across the board 

and specifying that licences will 

automatically be revoked if the 

annual fee is not paid; 

• Publishing guidance encouraging 

licensing authorities to restrict licensed 

hours and use fixed and staggered 

closing times and zoning; 

• Encouraging licensing authorities to 

consult more widely when producing 

their statement of licensing policy; 

• Extending the use of Early Morning 

Restriction Orders (EMROs) so that they 

can be used at any time rather than, 

as currently, only between 3 and 6am; 

• Introducing stricter controls over 

temporary events: requiring a month’s 

notice to be given for a TEN; giving 

the police five days instead of two to 

object; allowing all the responsible 

authorities to object under any 

licensing objective; giving licensing 

authorities the discretion to extend 

any conditions on the premises 

licence so that they apply to the 

period of the TEN; limiting to 12 the 

number of TENs a personal licence 

holder can apply for in the course of 

a year and limiting each premises or 

vicinity, such as a field during a festival 

or fete, to one TEN at a time; 

• Doubling the maximum fine for 

underage sales to £20,000 and 

replacing the current maximum closure 

period under a closure notice of 48 

hours with a minimum period of 168 

hours; and 

• Requiring an automatic review of the 

licence of any premises that makes 

persistent (ie 2 in 3 months) underage 

sales. 

The revised proposals in 

the Act 

Some of the initiatives over which 

a question mark was raised, in the 

responses to consultation, in terms of 

their compatibility with human rights law 

have been scrapped. Perhaps the most 

significant example is the changes that 

were proposed to the appeals system. 

This is to be welcomed, since making 

the default position upon an appeal 

that it should be remitted back to the 

licensing authority would have had the 

effect of removing a crucial level of 

judicial supervision. Perhaps worse still, 

a situation where an appeal no longer 

has the effect of suspending a licensing 

authority’s decision would mean that, 

if a premises licence was revoked at a 

review, the premises would not be able to 

trade again unless and until the operator 

succeeded in an appeal – which rather 

begs the question of how that appeal 

would be funded! 

It seems, however, that in dropping its 

proposals for appeals, the Government 

has bowed to the advice of its lawyers, 

rather than experiencing some 

Damascene change of heart. It is 

pushing ahead with adding licensing 

authorities to the list of responsible 

authorities able to object to applications 

for premises’ licences and to call for 

reviews of existing licences. Some 

licensing authorities have been 

campaigning for this for some time, 

but the move will serve to blur the line 

between interested party and decisionmaker, 

which could cause bias, or at 

least give the appearance of such. An 

increase in the number of appeals and 

judicial reviews of decisions may be 

expected as a result, adding to the cost 

burden on operators. 



The Act also contains the proposal to 

make Primary Care Trusts and Local 

Health Boards responsible authorities 

under the Licensing Act, although they 

will need to found their arguments 

on the existing licensing objectives 

of preventing crime and disorder, 

preventing public nuisance, promoting 

public safety and protecting children 

from harm. The idea of creating a new 

licensing objective of the promotion of 

public health has been abandoned, 

although there was some debate in the 

Lords about making “protecting and 

improving public health” one of the 

general duties of licensing authorities. 

There seems to have been little appetite 

for making school governors, housing 

associations and registered social 

landlords responsible authorities – that 

proposal has also been dropped. 

Similarly – and perhaps, again, on 

the advice of lawyers specialising in 

human rights – the idea that licensing 

authorities should be obliged to accept 

the evidence and recommendations of 

the police unless these are manifestly 

irrelevant has not been pursued. 

The Act abolishes the concept of 

“vicinity”, meaning that, for example, 

residents will be able to make 

representations to applications for any 

premises, regardless of their geographic 

proximity. This is the stuff of nightmares, 

conjuring up images of a residents’ 

association making objection as a 

matter of policy to applications up and 

down the land. It must be said that this 

proposal met with some opposition in 

the Lords, with amendments tabled 

to reinstate a “vicinity test” that would 

only allow representations to be made 

by those who live or have a business 

interest sufficiently close to premises to 

be affected by them, or at least within 

the licensing authority’s area. However, 

these ideas have not been carried 

forward into law. 

The proposal to reduce the evidential 

burden by requiring licensing authorities 

to take action that is “appropriate”, 

rather than what is “necessary”, has 

survived. This departure from a strict 

necessity-based approach could 

lead to more speculation finding its 

way into decision-making, leading to 

more refusals of applications and the 

imposition of more stringent conditions. 

Again, this measure faced opposition in 

the Lords. 

The Government has departed 

significantly from its original proposals 

relating to TENs. The changes are now a 

bit of a mixed bag, but they will broadly 

be welcomed by the trade. Although 

Environmental Health officers, in addition 

to the police, will now be able to 

object, other responsible authorities will 

not. However, any of the four licensing 

objectives will be capable of forming 

grounds for an objection, as opposed 

to the prevention of crime and disorder 

only, as is presently the case. Issues of 

noise and nuisance will, for the first time, 

therefore have to be considered when 

applying for a TEN. 

In addition, licensing authorities will 

be able to impose one or more of the 

conditions that apply to the premises 

licence for the same premises on a 

TEN for those premises, where they 

feel it appropriate to do so for the 

promotion of one or more of the 

licensing objectives. The idea that any 

conditions on a premises licence will 

be automatically carried over to any 

TEN for the same premises has been 

dropped, although an amendment 

tabled for debate in the Lords aimed 

to reintroduce this. Another Lords’ 

amendment proposed that licensing 

authorities be allowed to have a 

“bank” of standard conditions that 

they can apply to any TEN. Again, this 

amendment has not been carried 

forward 

The watering-down of the proposals 

relating to conditions on TENs has 

provoked howls of dismay from at least 

one London licensing authority, who 

would like to be able to apply conditions 

on a premises licence wholesale to any 

TEN for the same premises and is also 

concerned that the Act will not provide 

any mechanism whereby conditions 

can be attached to a TEN applied for by 

premises that are otherwise unlicensed. 

At the time of the consultation, 

many voiced concerns that, if the 

Government’s proposals on TENs went 

unchecked, they would drastically 

reduce their flexibility and fitness for 

purpose. In this regard, at least, the 

Government appears to have listened. 

The Act introduces the possibility of 

a “short-notice TEN” (5 as opposed 

to 10 working days before the event), 

extends the maximum period which 

may be covered by a TEN from 96 to 

168 hours and increases the number 

of days during which TENs can be 

used by a single premises in a twelve 

month period from 15 to 21. However 

the time for objecting to a TEN has been 

increased, not to 5 days, as in the original 

proposal, but to 3. 

One of the Government’s main 

commitments was to tackle underage 

sales, and the proposal that it consulted 

upon, to double the maximum fine for 

persistent underage sales to £20,000, has 

been enacted. Closure notices imposed 

on premises that persistently sell alcohol 

to children will, once the Act comes into 

force, last for anything from 48 to 336 

hours. An amendment tabled in the 

House of Lords suggested that those who 

are guilty of persistent under-age sales 

be made the subject of a “training order” 

involving the re-training of all their staff 

by a certain date and the suspension 

of alcohol sales for a period of 24 hours, 

as an alternative to a closure notice. 

Another Lords’ amendment proposed 

also doubling the maximum penalty for 

the offence of purchasing alcohol for a 

child to £10,000. Neither of these Lords’ 

amendments has survived. The idea of 

introducing automatic licence reviews for 

those who persistently make under-age 

sales has also been scrapped. 

The EMRO has made its way into the law. 

These Orders will be available at any time 

between midnight and 6am, although 

certain classes of premises and certain 

days may be exempt. An amendment 

tabled in the Lords preferred that EMROs 

only be used after 1am but this has not 

been taken up. In any event, this debate 

might prove academic, as intelligence 

from licensing authorities indicates that 

they will be reluctant to embark on the 

highly bureaucratic and costly process 

that is likely to be associated with an 

EMRO. It could be, then, that the EMRO 

ends up going the same way as the 

Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZs), a white 

elephant which no licensing authority 

has ever taken up and which this Act 

abolishes. 

As far as licence fees are concerned, the 

Act allows individual licensing authorities 

to fix their own fee levels, based on full 

cost recovery. This proposal was omitted 

from the Act when first introduced in the 

House of Commons, but was introduced 

by James Brokenshire during the 

Commons committee stage. However, 

to reassure the trade, fee levels will be 

subject to capping and constraints from 

central Government and the new rules 

will not come into force until there has 

been full consultation with all the affected 

parties. This means that, in practice, the 

new fee levels will not apply until 2013. 

All of this notwithstanding, the trade, 



recalling previous fee levels for public 

entertainment licences under the 

previous legislation, has reacted with 

disquiet to the idea of locally set fees. 

No doubt there will be considerable 

wrangling over where the cap is set. 

The proposal contained within the 

consultation paper that licences be 

automatically revoked for failure to pay 

annual fees has been replaced by the 

sanction of suspension, with licences 

reinstated from a date to be specified in 

a notice, once the annual fee is paid. 

The Act is silent as far as the original 

proposals to make it easier for licensing 

authorities to introduce “stress area” 

policies are concerned. However, it 

does introduce a degree of greater 

flexibility for authorities in the preparation 

of their Statement of Licensing Policy 

generally. Instead of being obliged to 

review their policy once every three 

years, they will now have to do so only 

once every five, although they will retain 

the ability to revisit their policy more 

frequently than that. 

The Government is proceeding with the 

late night levy. It will be for individual 

licensing authorities to decide whether 

the levy will apply in their area and, if 

so, between what times, subject only 

to the fact that the “late night supply 

period” for these purposes may not 

begin before midnight nor terminate 

after 6am. 

Much of the detail of the calculation, 

administration, collection and 

enforcement of the levy has been left 

to regulations. Indeed, it is presently 

unclear whether the amount of the levy 

will be set by regulations or, instead, 

calculated by the licensing authority 

itself in accordance with regulations. 

The likely impact is, accordingly, difficult 

to judge at this stage. The Act does 

provide, however, for certain, as yet 

unspecified, categories of premises 

either to be exempt, or to pay the levy 

at a reduced rate. An amendment 

tabled in the Lords proposed a 50% 

reduction for premises participating in 

Best Bar None, Purple Flag, Pubwatch, 

Clubwatch or Shopwatch, and for 

premises in Business Improvement 

Districts. It remains to be seen what local 

authorities will make of their powers to 

award exemptions. 

Conclusion 

Many of the proposals that 

were put out to consultation 

last summer have been 

revised, watered down or 

abandoned altogether 

and the efforts of the trade 

in organising a coherent 

and robust response to that 

consultation process have 

undoubtedly had a part 

to play. 

In addition, it would app ear that the 

Government clearly had advice to 

the effect that some of its ideas were 

incompatible with human rights law. 

This explains, for example, the 

abandoning of its proposals to reform 

the appeals system. Whilst these 

changes are to be welcomed from 

an operator’s perspective, there is no 

denying that the measures that have 

made their way into the Act still amount 

to a far-reaching re-examination and 

reform of licensing law. There remains 

much for the trade to be concerned 

about, whether it be the abolition of 

the “vicinity” test, the involvement of 

licensing and health authorities as 

potential objectors, or the additional 

costs associated with locally set fees 

and the late night levy. If licensing 

authorities do decide to use EMROs, 

existing licensed hours will be eroded. 

We will need to await the publication 

of regulations prescribing the fine detail 

of aspects such as the levy, in order 

to be able fully to evaluate the likely 

consequences of the changes. The Act 

provides that there must be a review to 

assess the effect of the amendments 

five years after they come into force, so 

further reforms in the future cannot be 

ruled out. 

We will keep you updated in future 

editions of the bulletin. 

Contact: 

Anna Mathias, Barrister, 

Licensing and Gaming Team 

Joelson Wilson LLP 

on 020 7580 5721 

www.joelsonwilson.com 


Focus on hotels sector 

Five star 

planning 

and 

consulting 

advice 

30 I GVA Humberts Leisure 

30 I Summer 2011


Blairs College, Aberdeen 

GVA Humberts Leisure’s 

Planning and Consulting 

teams draw on proven 

professional expertise 

and hotel managerial 

experience to provide 

specialist business 

consulting and property 

advice. 

Hotel consulting 

GVA Humberts Leisure’s Consulting 

team comprises industry professionals 

who are able to combine operational 

and managerial hotel experience, 

together with analytical and consulting 

skills. Our consultants include members 

of the British Association of Hospitality 

Accountants (BAHA), as well as 

members of the Institute of Economic 

Development (IED), who work closely 

with our hotel commercial agents and 

other in-house specialists. 

The team provides a range of reports, 

viability/feasibility studies, financial 

and investment modelling to support 

hotel funding applications, valuations, 

hotel operator selection and planning 

assignments. 

A key aspect of our work is new business 

models and development proposals. 

This often includes the provision of 

detailed business plans for all types 

of hotels, including motorway budget 

hotels, luxury city centre hotels, 

international golf and leisure resorts and 

the country house hotel sector. 

A business plan we recently prepared 

related to a prestigious 200-bedroom 

hotel, leisure and championship golf 

resort at Blairs College in Aberdeen. 

Blairs College was recently described 

as the ‘hidden gem of the North 

East’, and is of significant historical 

importance, having been home to the 

world famous memorial portrait of Mary 

Queen of Scots. Together with Donald 

Trump’s proposed £1bn golf resort, Blairs 

College is set to transform the North East 

as a major international golfing and 

leisure destination. The team provided 

a business plan for the proposed 

development. 

Hotel planning 

Our dedicated team of experienced 

chartered town planners are all 

members of the Royal Town Planning 

Institute (MRTPI), and can advise on 

the best way to achieve planning 

permission. The team prepares and 

submits planning applications for hotel 

and leisure developments, including the 

co-ordination of supporting evidence. 

They also conduct appeals and expert 

witness assignments. 

The experience of a dedicated planning 

team dealing exclusively in hotels and 

leisure really can help developers to 

move projects quickly and successfully. 

We recently assisted the owner of The 

Hertfordshire golf club with supporting 

evidence for the development of 

a prestigious golf hotel. Given the 

sensitivities of new development in the 

Green Belt and due to the Listed status 

of the mansion (which is currently used 

as the clubhouse), our Consulting and 

Planning team was asked to identify 

and evaluate appropriate alternative/ 

complementary uses for the mansion. 

We concluded that the most 

appropriate use to complement the 

existing golf business, and to best match 

planning, design, market and financial 

requirements, was to convert the 

mansion to a luxury hotel with enabling 

development in the form of new hotel 

accommodation in the walled garden. 

In a second report, we examined 

the viability of the recommended 

development to demonstrate that the 

proposed golf hotel would secure the 

immediate restoration and the long 

term up keep of the Listed mansion. 

Both these reports have been used to 

support a planning application coordinated 

by the Planning team. This 

included a full Planning Policy Statement 

addressing national hotel policy in PPS4 

including the sequential test, in addition 

to several other reports to address 

sustainable transport, Listed Building and 

Green Belt issues. The application for 

95 bedrooms and a new gym has now 

been approved by the local planning 

authority subject to the signing of a 

Section 106 legal agreement. 

Contact: 

Nigel Mills 

on 020 7911 2233 

nigel.mills@gva.co.uk 

Martin Taylor 

on 020 7911 2220 

martin.taylor@gva.co.uk or 

Peter Sharp 

on 020 7911 2201 

peter.sharp@gva.co.uk 



A review of the hotel sector 

and looking to the future 

How is 2011 shaping up for the 

UK hotel market 

GVA Humberts Leisure’s 

hotel team look at 

the factors currently 

influencing the UK hotel 

sector, how the market 

is currently performing in 

comparison to the strong 

sales activity during 2010 

and what we can expect 

as we move towards 

2012. 

During the course of 2010, banks 

were actively working through their 

loan books, prioritising both portfolios 

and individual hotels that have found 

themselves in severe financial difficulties. 

Despite this, investors with money to 

spend have thus far expressed frustration 

at the lack of opportunities coming to 

market during 2011. However there has 

been a growing sense that as interim 

business plans begin to fail we may see 

more distressed product coming to the 

market and to an extent this is beginning 

to happen with more hotel product 

currently being marketed than at any 

time since the start of the recession. 

Whether a number of the hotels currently 

on the market are correctly priced is 

another matter and will only become 

clear in the fullness of time. Whilst 

there can be no doubt that the hotel 

sector still faces a significant amount 

of re-structuring, it is also inevitable that 

opportunities will arise. 

As the global economy continues 

to worsen with massive losses being 

incurred on the stock markets amid the 

growing threat of Eurozone contagion 

and the challenges faced by the US 

economy, many commentators are 

predicting a double-dip recession 

which will surely jeopardise the fragile 

recovery and inevitably lead to a new 

raft of business failures. There is a ‘wall 

of refinancing’ needed in the next two 

years and so any prolonged distress 

in the market could cause deep 

problems. 

Operating performance 

The UK hotel market recovery has 

been relatively strong although with 

significantly greater RevPAR growth in 

London than in the provinces driven 

by improving average room rates. The 

regional market does, however, seem 

to have stabilised. Hoteliers are reliant 

on the domestic leisure guest and are 

fighting hard to attract them. Hotels in 

attractive locations, particularly those 

driving strong leisure volumes such as 

Brighton, Bath, Cambridge and York 

have stood up well while those locations 



with more limited demand drivers have 

struggled. The competency of hotel 

management has also been tested with 

experienced hoteliers generally faring 

better than those who are relatively new 

to the sector, and perhaps have made 

a lifestyle decision to operate a hotel. 

London RevPAR growth for the year 

ending December 2010 was 11.4%, with 

the nominal RevPAR exceeding £100. 

In contrast, the provinces saw only 2.8% 

RevPAR growth. The outlook for 2011 

remains strong albeit London RevPAR 

growth is expected to show slightly 

lower growth than that in 2010 reflecting 

harder comparatives and the levels 

of new supply coming to the market. 

A recent PWC survey suggests RevPAR 

growth of 8.3% in London and 3.6% in 

the provinces. It will be interesting to see 

if the latter forecast for the provinces is 

achieved as the impact of public sector 

cuts and general economic lethargy 

may translate into muted levels of 

demand for hotels. 

The latest Visit Britain forecast for visitor 

numbers suggests a modest 1% 

increase in in-bound UK visitors for 2011. 

London received 3.11 million tourists in 

Q1, representing a 5% increase on the 

same period for 2010. Visits from China 

had nearly doubled and travellers from 

both Europe and America also enabled 

London to achieve an increase of 11.2% 

in tourism receipts in Q1 to £1.81 billion. 

This growth is expected to continue 

through Q2, which hosted the Royal 

Wedding, UEFA Champions League and 

the good weather over the bank holiday 

weekends. 

The potential “Olympic effect” on 

London and the surrounding areas 

in 2012 is still open to debate. The 

European Tour operators association 

(ETOA) predicts a fall of up to 50% in 

visitor numbers in London during the 

Games, with the knock on effects 

being felt across Britain. However, the 

report by ETOA goes on to confirm that 

London hotels should still be successful 

during the Olympic Games. The PWC 

mid-range scenario backs this up, 

suggesting an additional 1.8 million 

room nights due to the Olympics, giving 

rise to the possibility of Greater London 

hotels pushing rates and benefiting from 

any central London overspill. 

One of the major challenges for 

hoteliers is the continued inflationary 

pressure on costs. With inflation 

predicted to be around 5% for 2011, 

the benefit of any revenue growth 

is being eroded by rising operating 

costs. Therefore, profit margins and 

growth remain under pressure, which 

particularly impacts hotels that are trying 

to service a high debt level. 

The impact of lending 

Trading entities, such as hotels, have 

been particularly impacted by the 

relative lack of available debt finance 

with banks and other lending institutions 

currently very selective as to whom they 

will lend. 

A strong operational 

track record, 

good banking 

relationship and a 

robust business plan 

appear to be key 

components to the 

lending process. 

The sector is fortunate that there are 

a number of specialist lenders who 

understand hotels and are able 

to support both new and existing 

customers. Although, in common with 

the commercial property sector, there 

are currently far fewer active lenders 

in the market than compared to prior 

years. Debt is perceived as being 

expensive when compared with the 

last few years of the ‘boom’ period, 

although assessed over a longer period 

is probably at a fair level, albeit with 

the stakeholder having to inject more 

capital than they generally had to in the 

mid to late 2000s. 

Hotel development finance is 

particularly scarce given the high level 

of risk associated with a start up business 

entering into a relatively flat market. 

There is a higher level of appetite for 

hotel investments subject to leases 

with a rental income and strong tenant 

covenant, such as Premier Inn and 

Travelodge. This is primarily due to the 

resilience of completed investment 

values which in terms of prime hotel 

leases have been supported by the 

institutional funds drawn to relatively 

long 25 year plus leases with RPI review 

provisions. Prime yields of sub 6% are 

currently being achieved in strong 

locations, although the gap between 

prime and secondary locations has 

increased considerably. 

How is the transactional 

market doing? 

The transactional market stabilised in 

2010 following significantly reduced 

sales volumes in 2008 and 2009. 

Excluding hotel developments, we 

recorded approximately £1.75 billion 

of transactions in 2010 compared 

to around £400 million in 2009. The 

majority (80%) of this activity was in 

London with the £470million sale of the 

Grosvenor House in December 2010 

significantly contributing to the quantum 

of the sale levels. 

The sales volumes in 2010 do, however, 

mask the severity of the overall UK 

transactional market as there were very 

few sales outside of London and those 

recorded related predominately to the 

transaction of leased hotel investments 

as opposed to going concerns. 

The first half of 2011 has been relatively 

quiet with London in particular 

being significantly quieter in terms of 

investment activity. There has, however, 

been an increased level of activity 

in the provinces with one of the most 

notable sales being the acquisition of 

the Hilton Deansgate in Manchester 

by Loucas Louca. Other sales of note 

include the investment sale of the 

freehold interest of the Brighton Hilton 

Metropole to Topland Group for around 

£40million and the Ramada Plaza Royal 

Berkshire for around £15million. 

The impending sale of the Mint Hotel 

portfolio (formerly City Inn) to, possibly, 

Blackstone at a rumoured £575million 

would be the largest worldwide 

transaction of 2011 and would 

significantly improve the transaction 

volume statistics for 2011. This should not, 

however, fool anybody into thinking we 

are ‘heading out of the woods’. 

Distressed hotels 

Insolvency practioners have generally 

reported a lower than anticipated 

volume of hotel administrations, 

largely driven by the banks giving their 

customers as much opportunity as 

practically possible to try and resolve 

their financial issues. Where customers 

are under serious pressure, a number of 

the banks and funding institutions are 

resorting to a consensual sale process 

in order to try and maintain a degree of 

stability with the business. 

However, with the possibility of rising 

additional creditor pressure from the 

suppliers and HMRC, it is difficult to see 



that the current lower than expected 

level of administrations can continue. 

In addition, certain distressed situations 

have benefited from the current low 

level of interest rates. Whilst the Bank of 

England is not expected to increase 

rates in the foreseeable future despite 

continuing inflationary pressure, if they 

were to do so it is anticipated that this 

would be the catalyst to an increase in 

business failures. 

Indeed, it has recently been announced 

that Ernst & Young have been appointed 

adminstrators on behalf of RBS in respect 

of a 42 strong Marriott portfolio, which 

was acquired for £1.1billion at the 

height of the market. This follows the 

administration of the Von Essen Hotels 

Group earlier this year, which is currently 

being marketed. 

High profile assets such as the London 

Hilton Waldorf, Radisson Edwardian, 

Manchester and the Hyatt Birmingham 

have joined the ever growing list of 

administrations. Overall, due to the 

weakening economy, we anticipate 

an increase in the number of hotel 

administrations during the next 12 

months . 

Hotel operators 

The branded hotel operators continue 

to operate on an asset ‘light’ basis 

with a commitment only to leases, 

management agreements and 

franchise agreements. 

The recession appears to have 

potentially strengthened the market 

position of both Travelodge and Premier 

Inn, taking advantage of mid-market 

hotel guests downgrading to limited 

service accommodation, be it on a 

corporate or leisure basis. These two 

operators are engaged in an intense 

rivalry to expand with a particular focus 

to secure the most significant presence 

in London during the 2012 Olympic 

Games. 

Travelodge entered into a 25 year deal 

to operate 52 ex Mitchells & Butlers’ 

hotels (2,000 rooms) for real estate 

manager PRUPIM. It is also building 35 

hotels (3,667 rooms) in 2011 at a cost of 

£300 million, increasing its number of 

hotels to 495 and nearly 36,000 rooms. 

Its plan is to have 1,100 hotels and 

100,000 rooms by 2025. It also recently 

announced plans for new smaller 

metro sites. 

Premier Inn is to create an additional 

1,030 rooms at two new hotels at 

Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and Gatwick’s 

North Terminal. Whitbread plans to grow 

its Premier Inn portfolio across the UK to 

55,000 rooms. 

The likes of Hilton, 

IHG, Accor, 

Starwood, Marriott 

and Rezidor are 

also working hard 

to expand their 

portfolios across 

the UK. 

Hilton has the largest number of hotel 

rooms in construction in Europe: 

15,411 in the pipeline and 8,643 under 

construction (12.4% and 14% of the total, 

respectively). In 2007, Hilton launched 

its first Doubletree Hotel outside the 

Americas in Cambridge and has 

recently opened its eighth in London at 

the former Park Inn at Russell Square (214 

rooms). The new, £70 million, 137 room, 

five star Waldorf Astoria, developed by 

The Ability Group, opened in March 2011 

at Syon Park in West London. 

Hilton is looking to develop another 

Waldorf Astoria at the former Grade 

II Listed Martin Bank in Liverpool, with 

the announcement recently of the 

Caledonian in Edinburgh which is 

also set to become a member of the 

Waldorf Astoria brand. 

IHG is to refresh its Crowne Plaza brand 

and its second InterContinental Hotel 

in the UK is to open in Westminster 

in 2012. The company continues to 

seek strategic opportunities to infill its 

extensive UK hotel network. Accor has 

recently signed to operate three hotels 

owned by London Town House Group 

in London Paddington, Kensington and 

Nottingham under their Mecure brand. 

This will add an additional 240 rooms. 

Accor is aiming for 300 hotels by 2015. 

In summary 

During the course of 2010, many were 

predicting that by the spring of 2011 

the hotel market would begin to see a 

gradual recovery, with stronger trading 

results leading to an upturn in the 

number of transactions. This has so far 

failed to materialise with only a modest 

upturn in sales and certainly outside of 

London a very static level of operating 

performance. The government cuts 

announced in late 2010 has undoubtedly 

contributed to the expected growth 

stalling, although it is arguable that the 

full impact of the cutbacks has yet to be 

felt. The midweek corporate trade is likely 

to at best remain at similar levels and the 

domestic leisure sector may deteriorate 

as the UK tightens its belt. 

London, operating in its own micro market, 

should be able to withstand the difficulties. 

Regional hotels are more affected by 

national influences, and although no 

one knows how fiscal tightening will affect 

the economy and the hotel sector, the 

outlook is likely be challenging through the 

next 12 months. Low interest rates have 

enabled many operators to service their 

interest repayments (albeit not their capital 

repayments) and banks have been 

relatively content to assist rather than force 

disposals especially at the bottom of the 

market. 

We suspect however, that patience may 

be beginning to wear thin and where 

customers are failing to implement an 

appropriate recovery strategy, important 

decisions may be increasingly taken in the 

latter part of 2011 going into 2012. 

The ‘wall of refinancing’ which was 

predicted for the sector is still very real and 

many hotel owners could be faced with 

the prospect of going to market in the 

event that they fail to secure a suitable 

re-financing package. The big question 

will be whether or not there will be 

sufficient willing and able buyers to take 

advantage of these sales. 

As stated earlier, we have seen over the 

summer a significant increase in the 

number of hotel assets being openly 

marketed, but of course only time 

will reveal whether there are sufficient 

buyers. In our view, there are still some 

opportunities whereby there is a pricing 

mismatch between buyers and sellers 

and until either prices fall or the banks 

support transactions with a higher level 

of debt, it is unlikely that we will see a 

material improvement in the volume 

of transactions. 

Contact: 

Agency - James Williamson 

on 020 7911 2109 


Valuation – Ian Thompson 

on 020 7911 2962 

ian.thompson@gva.co.uk 


Focus on overage payments 

Overage payments explained 

The term ‘overage’ 

simply refers to an 

additional payment 

made by a purchaser 

of land, if and when 

the value of the land 

increases because 

of subsequent 

development. 

Why are they 

considered? 

In the current economic climate, 

with increased uncertainty regarding 

both residential and commercial 

property development, developers are 

increasingly seeking ways to acquire 

land for possible future development 

without paying a development 

premium up front. 

Likewise, sellers are increasingly looking 

for ways to maximise capital values for 

property whilst securing a share in any 

potential future development value 

of land. 

How are they 

achieved? 

They become payable, by agreement 

at the time of sale, when ‘trigger events’ 

occur, such as; 

• Grant of planning permission 

• Implementation of planning 

permission 

• Practical completion of 

a development 

• Further sale of the property (with the 

benefit of planning permission) 

• Disposal of the completed 

development 

The usual methods of 

securing payment 

• The seller takes a legal charge over 

the property which is registered at the 

Land Registry 

• A guarantee or bond, although this 

depends on the solvency of the buyer 

or the person providing the guarantee 

• Restrictive covenant protected by a 

restriction at the Land Registry 

• Personal covenant creating a 

direct contractual between the 

buyer and the beneficiary of the 

overage agreement. 

Case study 

GVA Humberts Leisure recently advised 

Cemex UK who, in 1989, sold 32 acres 

of former gravel workings, including a 27 

acre lake with an overage condition. This 

provided the seller with 75% of the increase 

in value of the property attributable to the 

grant of planning permission over its market 

value. The property adjoins a caravan park 

and the lake had been used for informal 

boating, wind surfing and water skiing. 

Alongside the property lies the River Stort 

Navigation which extends northwards to 

Bishops Stortford and southwards, via the 

River Lee Navigation to the River Thames 

at Docklands. 

The original sale price of the property 

reflected its informal use and the trigger 

event was the grant of planning consent 

in 2009 for a c. £3m development 

of a 315 berth marina, including a 

c.£400,000 lock to the canal under 

licence from British Waterways Board. 

GVA Humberts Leisure’s involvement 

centred on the specialist valuation 

of the proposed marina element. 

Following an initial offer for ‘overage’ 

of £150,000, the matter was recently 

concluded with a payment of £485,000. 

Contact: Martin Brister 

on 020 7911 2369 

martin.brister@gva.co.uk 


Planning 


Learn more about how 

localism will impact 

the hotel and tourism 

sector. Discover why 

we’re the only port 

of call you need on 

planning issues 

And why caravan 

developments are now 

more acceptable on 

Green Belt land 


Planning 

Power to the 

people 

‘Power to the People’ 

cried Citizen Smith of 

the Tooting Popular 

Front. Well it seems that 

30 years later Wolfie 

is getting his wish as 

the new coalition 

government starts to 

dismantle what it calls 

central government 

interference and return 

power to local people 

under the ‘Localism’ 

agenda. But what power 

is being devolved to 

whom, and what are 

the implications for 

planning? 

The new coalition Government has 

acted fast on its Localism agenda. 

Already, Government has attempted 

to revoke Regional Spatial Strategies 

(RSS), the Regional Planning Bodies have 

been abolished, Regional Development 

Agencies are being wound-up and 

Regional Government offices have all 

but disappeared. 

“Big savings”, say the Government, from 

unelected and unaccountable regional 

tiers. Local people should be free to 

determine their own futures without 

interference from central Government. 

With the abolition of Regional 

Development Agencies, local councils 

have been encouraged to form Local 

Enterprise Partnerships – joint local 

authority-business partnerships based on 

‘real functional economic and travel to 

work areas’. The Government envisaged 

that these partnerships will tackle issues 

such as planning, housing, transport, 

employment and the low carbon 

economy. The first tranche of LEPs were 

formed in October 2010 but they seem 

to have little power, little funding and 

little responsibility. Certainly, they do not 

seem to have been given any planning 

powers as this would be an affront to the 

Government’s Localism agenda. 

At the same time, the Localism Bill 

published at the beginning of the 

year appears to provide a new tier 

of planning powers at the sub-local 

community level. It offers parishes and 

neighbourhood areas Neighbourhood 

Forums, Neighbourhood Plans, 

Neighbourhood Development Orders, 

the right to call a referendum on almost 

any issue, and the right to be given 

time to purchase an important local 

community facility such as a pool, 

library or pub threatened with closure. 

With the impending loss of Regional 

Spatial Strategies, national planning 

policy becomes even more important 

in guiding local planning policy and 

development management. However, 

these are also up for review. The 

Government believes that the existing 

suite of planning policy guidance notes 

(PPGs), minerals policy guidance notes 

(MPGs), planning policy statements 

(PPSs) and minerals policy statements 

(MPSs) are too unwieldy running to more 

than 3000 pages. 

The Government plans to replace them 

with a single National Planning Policy 

Framework setting out their priorities for 

the planning system in England in a 

single, concise document covering all 

major forms of development proposals 

handled by local authorities. It is 

intended that the framework will also 

set out a strong basis for economic 

growth, a presumption in favour of 

sustainable development, as well as any 

further policy needed to establish and 

implement neighbourhood plans. 

So what does all this mean for planning 

in tourism and leisure? The abolition of 

Regional Spatial Strategies probably 

has less impact on planning policy for 

tourism and leisure as the RSS polices 

were not that strong in this area. 


Power to the people 

However, the abolition of the RSS 

has thrown the timetable for Local 

Development Frameworks into some 

turmoil as local authorities have had 

to stall the process, or withdraw plans, 

while they wait for more guidance on 

housing policy. After all, why upset your 

voters when you no longer have to meet 

a regionally imposed housing figure? 

With regard to the determination 

of tourism and leisure planning 

applications, the delay to local 

development frameworks could lead 

to a policy void with council’s relying on 

out-dated local plans, however, national 

planning policy on tourism and leisure 

is strong, supportive and up-to-date, so 

this could help such applications. The 

priority, therefore, must be to make sure 

that existing and supportive tourism 

and leisure policy in PPS4 and PPG17 is 

not left on the cutting room floor in the 

proposed new slimline National Planning 

Policy Framework and this is something 

we have been working on with tourism 

and leisure industry bodies. On the 

other hand, if the Government is true 

to it’s Localism agenda then there may 

be less interference in local decision 

making. Theoretically, therefore, less 

proposals should be called-in by the 

Secretary of State for determination and 

planning inspector’s may give more 

weight to local opinion rather than to 

national policy. 

Many commentators 

in the development 

industry have 

criticised the 

proposals in the 

Localism Bill which 

they believe could 

make it more difficult 

to drive through 

proposals that are 

unpopular with 

local people. 

Perhaps in response to this criticism, the 

Minister of State for Decentralisation, 

Greg Clark, released a statement on 

Budget Day 23 March 2011 stating 

that the Government’s top priority in 

reforming the planning system is to 

promote sustainable economic growth 

and jobs. There is a genuine belief 

among some Ministers that by devolving 

power to local people and giving 

them a greater say in the benefits and 

income arising from development that 

local people will be more supportive. I 

don’t think these Ministers have ever tried 

to submit a planning application in the 

leafy parts of the South East! 

Nevertheless, Clark’s statement said that 

the Government’s clear expectation 

in that the answer to sustainable 

development proposals should 

wherever possible be ‘yes’. Of course 

the perennial problem is defining 

and agreeing on what is ‘sustainable’ 

development. We are promised a 

definition of sustainable development in 

the National Planning Policy Framework, 

but none has emerged in consultations 

so far. 

At the same time the Government 

released its Plan for Growth. This 

included a commitment to 

allow businesses to bring forward 

neighbourhood plans and development 

orders. This may have been in response 

to criticism that businesses had no 

stake in the neighbourhood planning 

proposals in the Localism Bill. However, 

any neighbourhood plans prepared by 

businesses will still require the majority 

support of the local residents voting, so 

the business may still find that they are 

but one or two voices in a sea of local 

resident opposition. 

Plan for Growth also includes new 

Government proposals for a 12 month 

guarantee for the processing of all 

applications, including any appeals. 

This could be a tall order for more 

complex and controversial applications 

and we need to wait and see whether 

it is any more successful than the 

current 8 and 13 week deadlines for the 

determination of planning applications 

(without appeal). Experience suggests 

that without incentives, local authorities 

will not meet deadlines. Perhaps 

a solution would be for permission 

to be granted by default if it has 

not been determined within the 12 

month timeframe? Then there is the 

problem of the time it takes just to get 

an application registered these days. 

Shouldn’t that be included within the 

12 month period? After all, the council 

could just register that application and 

then refuse it if they decide there is 

insufficient information. 

The Localism Bill passed through its 

second reading in Parliament on 18th 

May 2011. The second reading included 

a number of new amendments, the 

most interesting of which, developers 

might find, is the new Clause 15. 

This states that the local planning 

authority should have regard to 

material considerations in dealing 

with applications including any local 

finance considerations, so far as is 

material to the application. Planning 

and countryside protection bodies have 

complained that this is tantamount to 

buying and selling planning permission. 

At GVA Humberts 

Leisure, we believe 

that Localism and 

neighbourhood 

planning is here 

to stay for the 

foreseeable future. 

No new government 

is going to come 

in on a mandate 

that seeks to take 

planning powers 

back from local 

communities. 

How many communities have the 

inclination, time and resources 

to take up these new powers is 

another question. It may be that 

neighbourhood planning becomes 

rather limited to areas of change and 

development pressure – rather like the 

Area Action Plans of the current LDF 

system one might say? 

Nonetheless, expectations have been 

raised and the Localism agenda does 

emphasize the need to work with 

local communities to generate an 

understanding and support for new 

development proposals. This, in turn, 

means that it will be important to design 

schemes that address local concerns 

and fill voids in local facilities. Tourism 

and leisure development can be well 

placed to support local communities 

either by the support they provide to 

local businesses or through the direct 

provision of facilities for local people. 

Contact: Martin Taylor 

on 020 7911 2220 



Leave the planning to us 

Leave the 

planning 

to us 

Wessex Lodge 

In this Leisure Bulletin we 

have often written about 

some of the important 

hurdles developers need 

to jump in order to get 

planning permission. 

It is true that obtaining planning 

permission does not get any easier, 

however, that doesn’t mean that we 

don’t have any success. Quite the 

contrary. 

We have recently reviewed the number 

of “units” the Planning team at GVA 

Humberts Leisure has gained permission 

for over the last couple of years. 

Since 2006, the team has gained 

permission for a total of 1602 units 

whether holidays lodges, static holiday 

caravans, touring pitches, park homes, 

holiday cottages, hotel rooms or houses. 

This could amount to an increase in 

property value of almost £30 million. 

In addition, at the time of writing, we 

currently have planning applications 

submitted and under consideration for 

a further 418 units with applications for 

a further 1212 units being worked up for 

submission. 

We think the secret is trying to work 

with local planning authorities rather 

than against them. Nevertheless we 

have also had considerable success 

at appeal. It may not be easy, but by 

working with other professions to bring 

the right package together we can 

certainly get planning permission. 

So, if you want help in getting planning 

permission please speak to anyone in 

our team. Martin Taylor on 020 7911 2220 


North England, North Wales, 

Scotland 

Rachel Whaley on 0113 280 8081 

rachel.whaley@gva.co.uk 

David Sweeting on 0113 280 8027 

david.sweeting@gva.co.uk 

Southern England, Midlands and 

South Wales 

Deborah Marriage on 020 7911 2241 

deborah.marriage@gva.co.uk 

Simon Davis on 020 7911 2230 

simon.davis@gva.co.uk 

Aimée Cannon on 020 7911 2143 

aimeecannon@gva.co.uk 


Caravan developments in the Green Belt 

Caravan 

developments 

in the 

Green Belt 


Caravan developments in the Green Belt 

Rachel Whaley and 

Deborah Marriage, 

Senior Planners at 

GVA Humberts Leisure, 

report on a recent 

Appeal decision which 

has led to greater 

acceptance of caravan 

developments in the 

Green Belt. 

Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 (PPG2) 

provides national planning policy for 

dealing with development proposal 

within designated Green Belt land. 

Paragraph 3.4 of PPG2 states that 

the erection of most new buildings 

in the Green Belt will be considered 

‘inappropriate development’ and 

require ‘very special circumstances’ to 

be justified unless they are ancillary to 

an agricultural or outdoor sporting use. 

Planners often rely on this to dismiss 

caravans as being ‘permanent 

development’ and therefore 

inappropriate in the Green Belt. 

However, it is clear that many planning 

authorities are too quick to dismiss 

holiday caravans as inappropriate 

development on this basis. The 

stationing of caravans does not 

constitute the erection of a building but 

change of use of land. Para. 3.12 of 

PPG2 states that 

...making material 

changes in the use of 

land are inappropriate 

unless they maintain 

openness and 

do not conflict with the 

purposes of including 

land in the Green Belt. 

little difference in terms of openness 

of the Green Belt between touring and 

static caravans, then the proposed 

development did not constitute 

inappropriate development. 

We have since presented this appeal 

to another council in the North West 

who had to back down on their stance 

that our client’s proposal for lodge 

development on a former touring park 

was inappropriate as new development 

in the Green Belt. They had to agree 

it was acceptable in principle and 

should be assessed on its own merits 

regarding impact on openness and 

visual amenity. 

When assessing the impact we drew 

attention to the fact that the site was 

already in use as a touring park, the 

proposed area for the lodges was to 

the rear of the site and well screened 

by the mature trees and hedges. We 

also noted the visual context of the site 

adjacent a major dual carriageway 

route. The council’s landscape officer 

concurred with this assessment noting, 

as the site is entirely visually contained, 

the proposed development would be 

concealed from view. 

When assessing impact on the 

landscape character she noted that 

the dominant activity already is use for 

caravan pitches and the proposal will 

entail only a slightly more extensive use 

of this activity. There are no objections to 

the proposal on landscape grounds with 

no harm to the character or openness 

of the Green Belt identified. We are 

still awaiting a final decision on the 

application but are encouraged by this 

more realistic assessment from a local 

planning authority of the impact on 

Green Belt, rather than seeking to resist 

development with no justification. 

We’ve also achieved Green Belt success 

in another project, with the granting of 

permission for twelve holiday lodges/ 

caravans in woodland previously used 

only for picnicking/occasional camping. 

The site is on the edge of an established 

touring holiday park in the countryside, 

just outside Poole in Dorset. This site is 

on Green Belt land, but the excellent 

screening given by the seclusion of the 

woodland ensured that the lodges would 

not impact on Green Belt openness. 

At the same time, provision of highquality 

leisure lodges in a very desirable 

setting promotes access to the 

countryside for recreation, which is one of 

the stated aims of designating 

Green Belts. These decisions show the 

importance of challenging assumptions 

that any caravan or lodge proposals 

are inappropriate development in the 

Green Belt. 

Contact: Rachel Whaley 

on 0113 280 8081 

rachel.whaley@gva.co.uk 

Deborah Marriage on 020 7911 2241 

deborah.marriage@gva.co.uk 

So this means that a proposal for siting 

caravans need not be considered as 

inappropriate development simply 

because of its location within the 

Green Belt. It is a question of assessing 

whether the development affects the 

openness or conflicts with the purpose 

of designating Green Belt. A recent 

planning appeal in the Rochdale area 

was allowed as the inspector agreed 

with us that the proposal amounted 

to change of use. As there would be 


Why choose GVA Humberts Leisure 

Specialist 

expertise 

and insight 

Hotels 

London and City Centre Hotels 

Resort Hotels 

Commercial and Business Hotels 

Country House Hotels 

Motor Lodges and Budget Hotels 

Golf 

Golf Hotels and Country Clubs 

Proprietary Golf Clubs 

Pay and Play Golf Centres 

Driving Ranges 

Golf Academies 

Golf Development Sites 

Holiday property 

Caravan Parks 

Lodge Developments 

Holiday Villages 

Cottage Letting Complexes 

Club Membership Resorts 

Park Home Estates 

Sports complexes 

and venues 

Racecourses 

Stadia 

Grandstand Hospitality Boxes 

Tennis Centres 

Squash Clubs 

Ski Centres 

Health and Fitness Clubs 

Playing Fields/Sports Grounds 

General Sports Complexes 

Shooting Schools 

Urban leisure 

Cinemas and Theatres 

Night Clubs and Discotheques 

Indoor Bowling Centres 

Snooker Clubs 

Integrated Retail and 

Leisure Complexes 

Children’s Nurseries 

Water-based leisure 

Coastal Marinas 

Inland Marinas 

Multi-use lakes 

Fisheries 

Visitor enterprises 

Theme Parks 

Tourist Attractions 

Heritage Centres 

Historic Buildings 

Factory Shopping 

Children’s Play Centres 

Public houses and 

licensed property 

Restaurants 

Theme Bars 

Public Houses (both tenanted and 

managed) 

Wine Bars 

Freehouses 

Funding 

Sale and leaseback 

Introduction to sources of 

equity and debt finance 

Specialist VCT Leisure Fund 

HLSF 

Institutional property 

Schools 

Colleges 


Why choose GVA Humberts Leisure 

What can we do for you? 

Valuations 

For all types of leisure property, for 

balance sheet purposes, purchases, 

sales and for raising finance for 

acquisition or further development. 

Professional services 

Rent reviews and lease renewals for 

both landlord and tenant, rating, 

litigation, dilapidation claims and all 

other professional matters for all types of 

leisure properties. 

Development/investment 

Arrangement of an integrated service 

including site acquisition, valuation, 

planning, funding and ultimate disposal, 

together with advice on the selection of 

other professional intermediaries. 

Agency 

Acquisition, sale and leasing of leisure 

related property in the UK and overseas. 

Consultancy 

Feasibility studies, viability testing and 

development option appraisal on 

a full range of leisure business and 

property proposals to ensure correct 

conceptualisation and successful 

implementation. 

Finance 

Funding for leisure industry schemes 

and advice on availability of funding 

packages, together with introductions to 

sources of equity and debt finance. 

Planning 

Planning appraisal, planning history 

research, planning applications and 

appeals, expert witness, enforcement 

notice, licensing and technical advice 

in the pursuance of leisure-related 

property development proposals. Site 

finding and assessment. 

Research 

Property market appraisal, leisure market 

research and trends monitor, competitor 

analysis, demographic catchment 

and visitor profiling, economic impact 

measurement. 

Make the most of your leisure property 

Planning and 

consultancy 

Martin Taylor 

020 7911 2220 

Nigel Mills 

020 7911 2233 

Peter Sharp 

020 7911 2201 

Aimée Cannon 

020 7911 2143 

Deborah Marriage 

020 7911 2241 

David Sweeting 

0113 2808 027 

Rachel Whaley 

0113 280 8081 

Simon Davis 

020 7911 2230 

Cherise Smith 

020 7911 2218 

Golf and golf hotels 

Ben Allen 

020 7911 2360 

Martin Brister 

020 7911 2369 

Licensed premises 

Peter Constantine 

029 2024 8932 

Andrew Moore 

0161 956 4024 

Monique Royle 

0121 609 8440 

Charles Kaminaris 

029 2024 8933 

Marcus Street 

029 2024 5204 

Anthony Miller Consultant 

Hotels 

James Williamson 

020 7911 2109 

Ian Thompson 

020 7911 2962 

Louise French 

020 7911 2479 

Ben Brown 

0121 609 8395 

Funding and HLSF 

Gavin Brent 

020 7911 2228 

John Anderson 

0113 280 8032 

Holiday property 

John Anderson 

0113 280 8032 

John Mitchell 

020 7911 2489 

Peter Smith 

0113 280 8075 

Martin Reed 

020 7911 2227 

Charlie Mason 

020 7911 2488 

Peter Boghurst (Consultant) 

General leisure 

Gavin Brent 

020 7911 2228 

Liz Crawford 

020 7911 2482 

Richard Baldwin 

0113 280 8039 

Nigel Talbot-Ponsonby Consultant 

Jonathan Marshall Consultant 

08449 02 03 04 

gva.co.uk/humbertsleisure 


London West End 

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London W1J 8JR 

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80 Cheapside 

London EC2V 6EE 

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Rose Building Third Floor 

16 Howard Street 

Belfast BT1 6PA 

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Liverpool L2 2QP 

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81 Fountain Street 

Manchester M2 2EE 

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Yorkshire Chambers 

112/118 Pilgrim Street 

Newcastle NE1 6LL 

Published by GVA 

10 Stratton Street, London W1J 8JR 

©2011 Copyright GVA 

GVA is the trading name of GVA Grimley 

Limited and is a principal shareholder of 

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of property advisers operating globally 

gvaworldwide.com 

08449 02 03 04 

gva.co.uk/humbertsleisure 

GVA Humberts Leisure is a trading name of GVA Grimley limited, conditions under which particulars are issued by GVA Grimley limited for themselves, for any joint agents and for 

the vendors or lessors of this property whose agents they are, give notice that: (i) the particulars are set out as a general outline only for the guidance of intending purchases or lessors and do not constitute, nor 

constitute part of, an offer or contract. (ii) all descriptions, dimensions, references to condition and necessary permission for use and occupation, and other details, are given in good faith and are believed to be 

correct but any intending purchasers or tenants should not rely on them as statements or representations of fact but satisfy themselves by inspection or otherwise as to the correctness of each of them. (iii) no person 

in the employment of GVA Grimley limited or any joint agents has any authority to make or give any representation or warranty whatever in relation to this property. (iv) all rentals and prices are quoted exclusive of 

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News Round Up - HLL Humberts Leisure

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