Published on Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Simon Weightman, a specialist in Healthcare property, has been acting as Employers Agent on behalf of a GP Practice in the North East and construction works are now due to commence on substantially extending their premises on 26th July 2021. It has been a slow process to get here, having initially been instructed in September 2020. We have worked with the client and architect and have brought in the rest of the professional team so that the pre-construction process is now all properly concluded. This has entailed agreeing a purchase price for the acquisition of land adjoining the existing surgery premises and dealing with solicitors. Assisting with the Planning Application and feeding design information to the QS, Structural Engineers and M&E Consultants for their input and design, to allow for the proposed works to be competitively tendered.
The scheme is to be part funded by the Practice and 66% funded by NHS England under a Premises Funding Agreement. We have worked with the agent acting on behalf of NHSE and Newcastle & Gateshead CCG in order to ensure all relevant design and cost information is properly sanctioned and this was finally concluded in early June 2021. We have also dealt with the District Valuer in agreeing forecast Current Market Rents and the ultimate abatement period to cover those costs covered by the NHS England Grant.
The original Tenders were received in February 2021, with 5 local tenders in total being received. We were hoping to start on site earlier, with a view to complete the scheme before the Christmas break 2021. We couldn’t however confirm final instructions until all matters were finally concluded. We are now looking to complete the works by 15th February 2022. The JCT Intermediate Building Contract with Contractor’s design 2016 has now been signed off.
This has been another interesting instruction, to act again as Employers agent, having previously acted on behalf of other GP Practices and sometimes Developers to provide similar consultancy advice in this regard. We’re now looking forward to seeing this development through to completion. Simon Weightman is currently acting on behalf of many GP Practices and geographically he is advising clients in London, Basildon, Wolverhampton, Newcastle to name a few areas, along with acting on behalf of a number of local Practices in Hull, Beverley, Scunthorpe etc. He also acts on behalf of a number of NHS Trusts and NHS Providers within the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region.