Underwoods advises on one of the most exciting projects in Northamptonshire - the development of a new energy efficient £170 million mixed use scheme in Rushden - comprising a 150 key 4* full service conferencing and banqueting hotel, associated bars and restaurants, wet and dry leisure, retail and some 500,000 sq ft of business accommodation. Belkin needed to expand its European HQ and Underwoods acted on its behalf in acquiring the additional land and advising on the expansion of the property to 312,000 sq ft. Underwoods then structured a sale & leaseback of the entire facility for £22 million, securing the operational function of the business and giving the client a significant financial gain. Following the sale of this 7.6 acre site, in Wellingborough, development has been completed for some 130,000 sq ft of non-food retail space including new stores for B&Q, Dunelm Mill, Pets at Home, Carpets 4 Less, Allied Carpets and Tiles R Us, together with a new outlet for Pizza Hut. Underwoods also remains fully committed to exploring opportunities available for clients for grant assistance and has worked closely with Invest Northants to progress ‘Fit for Market’ and Land Remediation Schemes across Northamptonshire. The value of these projects is estimated at close to £200 million.