Ian Rowson Email & Phone Number

Nottingham/London

Whilst at Freeths I have acted for private and public sector clients across a wide range of projects including advising a private sector developer regarding the Riverlights Scheme in Derby, advising M F Strawson Ltd regarding the redevelopment of Newark Town Centre and advising a developer on the development letting, funding and disposal of the Travelodge Hotel at London City Airport.For 14 years I have acted for Loughborough University on a number of major Real Estate projects including the strategically important acquisition of Holywell Park Business Park and associated funding arrangements, advising in relation to the development and letting of their prestigious SportPark Development anchored by the ASA and recently in relation to a highly complex pre-let negotiation with iCity/Delancey relating to the creation of new campus facilities on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.I am the client relationship partner for a major financial institution and manage a team of six lawyers who have over a period of six years acquired in excess of 400 sites and properties and also in recent times have undertaken extensive asset management work on this client's behalf whilst also acting on a significant number of major disposals including working co-operatively with large City panel firms on larger scale disposals of portfolios.I am currently advising two public sector clients in relation to a major shopping centre extension which has involved the creation of a highly detailed and complex Development Agreement and additionally I am advising another public sector client in relation to another major town centre retail development scheme.I recently headed a small team that was successful in winning a contract race to purchase the 200 acre Westwood Park Estate in Colchester from Administrators for Pigeon as well as dealing with the funding of the acquisition by a private City Bank and advising Pigeon in relation to a number of major ongoing development projects.

London, United Kingdom

I worked for seven years as an associate at BLP legacy firm, Paisner & Co. During that time I predominantly specialised on work within the leisure sector particularly for major clients such as the Forte Group and First Leisure Corporation.I ran the legal aspects of the planning appeal for the M40 services at Wheatley against five competing sites for Forte Group co-subsidiary, Welcome Break. In addition I was a member of the team that acquired the Crest Hotel chain for £300,000,000.00 within a timescale of one month and also acted as part of a core team on the contemporaneous financing of that transaction through a lease and leaseback deal with Barclays Bank.I also acted on the acquisition of various hotel and restaurant sites and as a member of a team on large acquisitions and disposals including the disposal of the Gardener Merchant, catering business and of the Harvester restaurant chain.

I was group Counsel for Brosely Estates Limited, a development subsidiary of Guardian Royal Exchange Assurance plc. As group head of Legal I was responsible for a team of six lawyers and total annual group turnover in the mid-1980s of £150 million. I gained particular expertise in relation to developments adjacent to the River Thames in particular many of the early Docklands developments.Amongst the major projects that I dealt with as an in-house lawyer were two £30 million schemes at St Katherine’s Dock and Prospect Wharf. Other note worthy projects included the redevelopment of part of Surrey Quays and the development of Norway Dock and South Quay in Wapping.