Five members of staff at Cooke & Arkwright have been promoted in recognition of their hard work and professional contribution to their areas of expertise within the practice. Russell Davies has been promoted to Associate Director and Amy Thomas, Ian Hyman, Alan Jones and Tim Lawley have been made Associates.
Russell Davies leads the Utilities team working out of the firm’s Bridgend Office. He specialises in providing advice to clients on land entry and compensation and acquisition of sites for infrastructure and environmental works. “This is a busy sector of the business,” said Russell. “We are managing land agency for Dwr Cymru on schemes across South Wales dealing with capital maintenance and reactive works. It is a highly regulated industry focused on continuously improving water quality. We work closely with our clients and their engineers to deliver access to land in a timely way and deal with all land compensation issues arising.”
Amy Thomas is a Registered Valuer and predominantly works in the acquisition and disposal of residential land, working with some of the major housebuilders in and around South Wales and for both public and private sector clients. “We are now entering a busy time for land,” said Amy. “Many of the national and regional house builders have active requirements for land along the M4 corridor and coupled with issues regarding land supply and outdated local plans, there is a window of opportunity for land owners in South Wales.” Amy has a BSc in Planning and Human Geography and a Postgraduate Diploma in Surveying. She is a member of the RICS.
Ian Hyman specialises in Estate Management and has experience of managing a diverse range of property portfolios across all commercial sectors. “Although we are cautiously optimistic about the future, it has been and continues to be a challenging time for many Landlords holding provincial property.” said Ian. “Falling rents, tenant insolvency and costs associated with vacant property are unfortunate manifestations of the recent economic conditions. Prudent asset management and strategic advice to our clients has been imperative.” Ian has a BSc in Business Studies, an MA in Real Estate Management and is a member of the RICS.
Alan Jones works within the Professional Team at Cooke & Arkwright with specific responsibility for valuation. He undertakes valuations for a variety of purposes, including secured lending for all of the main banks and building societies, and also asset valuation for both private and public sectors in terms of financial reporting. “Even though the property market over the past 5-6 years has witnessed difficult trading conditions, as a department we have continued to be very busy. It appears that the lending institutions are now beginning to show an appetite to lend once again, which has been aided by initiatives from the Bank of England and the Treasury. With this in mind we expect greater market activity over the coming months with higher number of instructions.” Alan has a BSc in Valuation and Estate Management. He is a member of the RICS and is a Registered Valuer.
Tim Lawley is a Chartered Building Surveyor with a wide range of experience across the commercial sector, including Contract Administration, Building Conservation and Restoration, Design and Specification writing, Schedules of Dilapidations, Condition Surveys and Building Defect Analysis. “Despite a difficult economic climate, prudent clients still recognise that maintaining and developing their property portfolio is vital to enhance their investment,” he said. “We have seen an increase in the number of construction and refurbishment instructions over the last 12 months and we anticipate that this trend will continue.” Tim completed a Postgraduate Degree in Building Surveying in 2008 and became a member of the RICS in 2010.