Commercial property team advises Gordon Murray Group on global HQ site acquisition

Posted: 23/12/2020

Commercial property lawyers at the Guildford office of Penningtons Manches Cooper acted on behalf of automotive specialist Gordon Murray Group on the acquisition of the site for its new global HQ in Windlesham, Surrey.

The business is led by Gordon Murray, the renowned Formula One car designer who was instrumental in 50 Grand Prix wins during a 20 year career at Formula One teams Brabham and McLaren, and the creator of the iconic McLaren F1 road car.

The redevelopment of the Windlesham site will provide facilities for automotive design, engineering and advanced vehicle development, as well as manufacturing. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 and will create 100 jobs.

The new technology campus will be built on the former 54 acre site of the British Oxygen Corporation and includes existing accommodation totalling 128,066 sq ft (11,898 sq) comprising offices, outbuildings, basement parking, garages, a clock tower and fields/open land. The group’s existing facilities at Dunsfold Park, Surrey, will be retained and used for manufacturing of the recently announced T.50 supercar.

Penningtons Manches Cooper’s commercial property practice and Gordon Murray Group have had a strong relationship since the company’s inception in 2007, providing support and advice on a variety of matters. The knowledge of the business and its people built up during this time helped enable a very quick turnaround on the purchase and the team was able to agree Heads of Terms and simultaneously exchange and complete within a few weeks earlier this year.

Commerical property lawyers David Graham Smith and Sam Davies led the transaction, with support from experts across the firm’s wider real estate department, which comprises more than a hundred lawyers. This included planning specialist Tim Johnson, who worked closely with Gordon Murray Group’s external planning consultants, real estate litigation specialist John Morrison, who advised on the rights of the various parties involved in the administration process, and tax specialist Stephen Goldstraw.

David Graham Smith said: “We are extremely proud to have worked closely with such a globally renowned and innovative company for a number of years, and now to have advised on the acquisition of the site of their new HQ at Windlesham. We look forward to working with the company as they continue to grow and break new ground in the future.”

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