Scotland

Delivering the largest urban regeneration project in the UK

St James Quarter, Edinburgh demonstrates CMS’s position as key adviser on one of the largest and most challenging urban regeneration projects in the UK. 

This retail led, lifestyle district provides a mix of restaurants, cafés, bars, shops, public spaces and leisure venues covering 1.7 million square feet alongside Scotland’s first W Hotel, a Roomzzz Aparthotel and 152 residential apartments all of which further strengthens Edinburgh’s position as one of the most popular cities to visit in the world.

The regeneration project has been highly sensitive as it is located in an UNESCO World Heritage Site and involved demolition of a 1970s centre in the middle of Georgian Edinburgh and its replacement around a (remodelled and retained) John Lewis store.

CMS has advised Nuveen on the project since 2006. Over 200 CMS lawyers have now advised on different aspects of the project, delivering a seamlessly integrated service. With all of the development now open, teams across CMS continue to work on this complex mandate.

The CMS team has created and applied many innovative solutions as part of this project. Just a few of these have enabled:

• The demolition of the centre around the existing John Lewis store, ensuring it stayed open throughout and could be remodelled at the same time.
• Achieving occupancy of approx. 97% of lettable space.
• A first of-its-kind Growth Accelerator Model Funding Agreement with The City of Edinburgh Council to enable public sector funding to be part of the project.
• The creation of a bespoke digital strategy for the centre to bolster the centre’s online presence and enhance the customer’s experience whilst visiting.

A Transformational Campus

The University of Glasgow’s (UOG’s) Campus Expansion Project, launched in around 2008, is a transformative £1 billion initiative to enable the University’s ambition as a world-class learning and research institution and UOG have been clear on their ambition for a holistic campus development, creating a place that is woven into the wider west end and ensuring the best experience for our students, staff and wider community. A place to learn, work, live, play. The Western Campus is the physical embodiment of this ambition.

A key element of the project was the acquisition, planning and redevelopment of a c.14-acre site, formerly the Western Infirmary Hospital, acquired from NHS. CMS is providing Real Estate and Construction advice for this ambitious project, working closely with UOG’s Estates team and external partners. Additional specialist advice includes Procurement, Environmental, and Planning, in particular on the site’s historic listed buildings.

Key milestones in the Project include:

• Negotiated with NHS to acquire a working Hospital adjacent to UOG’s campus, which continued to operate under a leaseback arrangement during its transition to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Govan.
• Worked with UOG on creation and Implementation of an innovative, flexible phased development strategy for the extensive site, ensuring that diverse end-user needs could be achieved, as each separate building was designed and constructed over time.
• Drafted and negotiated on UOG’s behalf contractual frameworks for four state-of-the-art academic buildings which have now been completed, alongside extensive public spaces, bringing UOG and local communities together.
• Advising on additional planned facilities, including a 460-bed student residence, an innovation hub, a hotel, and leisure/retail spaces, with potential private sector partner/funder involvement.

Reducing emissions of offshore oil and gas operations

The Culzean Floating Wind Pilot Project aims to reduce emissions associated with offshore oil and gas operations through the provision of renewable electricity from a 3MW floating wind turbine directly connected to the Culzean platform. The project is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025, supplying around 20% of Culzean’s power requirement, thereby reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. The turbine will be installed on a modular, light semi-submersible floating foundation, allowing for fast assembly and optimised costs.

CMS has advised TotalEnergies, who operate the Culzean field, on this innovative project. TotalEnergies, a longstanding oil and gas client, selected CMS as part of its panel of trusted advisers. This instruction demonstrates the confidence that the in-house team have in CMS to deliver a strategic decarbonisation project. The project required careful consideration of how standard practices in oil and gas project agreements could align with offshore wind generation projects.

As a pilot initiative, the Culzean Floating Wind Pilot Project is seen as an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of decarbonising offshore oil and gas operations by integrating renewable electricity generation. It represents an important initial step towards larger scale reduction in offshore emissions through the electrification of oil and gas assets,-consistent with the targets of the North Sea Transition Deal and the UK’s net zero targets.

CMS advice includes:

• Oil and gas project agreements
• Power purchase agreements
• Crown Estate Scotland lease
• Electricity regulation
• Environment, health and safety regulation