The Crown Estate has reappointed Cooke & Arkwright as Managing Agents of its Coastal portfolio in Wales for a further five years. The firm has acted as The Crown Estate’s local representative within Wales since 1992, providing expertise in specialist areas and developing relationships with tenants and other parties with coastal interests in Wales, including environmental groups and regulatory bodies. This covers a substantial part of the Welsh coastline including ports, harbours, marinas, leisure boating; and also cables and pipelines – with a capital value of £19.3m.
Cooke & Arkwright is currently involved in the negotiation of the Regulating Lease at Saundersfoot Harbour, where a £4m redevelopment is under way. The scheme will see the historic harbour transformed into an international marine tourism destination and includes a new commercial slipway, an inner harbour landing pontoon and access bridge, as well as installation of decking over the existing sluice to enable open-air events to be held.
Gary Thompson, Asset Manager at The Crown Estate, said: “Cooke & Arkwright, assisted by Jones Peckover are both well established and respected within their respective markets and we are confident that both businesses will continue to positively contribute to the overall management of the Coastal Estate in Wales.”
Rod Perons, Director of Land Agency said, “We are looking forward to continuing our work as business partners with The Crown Estate across its coastal assets on a day-to-day basis, and to help deliver its long term commercial objectives.”
The Crown Estate is an independent commercial business, established by Act of Parliament to commercially manage a diverse £11.5bn portfolio of assets. 100 per cent of the profits generated are returned to the Treasury for the benefit of the nation’s finances; over the last ten years this has amounted to over £2bn. As one of the UK’s biggest rural and coastal landowners, owning almost half the UK’s foreshore and the seabed, The Crown Estate actively supports important industries such as marine aggregates, cables and pipelines, and offshore renewable energy.
The Crown Estate’s commitment to environmental sustainability includes stewardship, with its Crown Estate Stewardship Fund supporting a number of projects around the Welsh coastline.
Ryan Pratt, Senior Surveyor with Cooke & Arkwright’s Land Agency said, “The most recent example of stewardship is the newly opened £100,000 landing stage at Parrog, Newport in West Wales, which was part funded by The Crown Estate. Funds were also provided for an Observation hide at Conwy Nature Reserve, the funding of a portable slipway at Pwllheli and a landing stage and improved access at Skokholm Island.”