Tees Business Tees Business issue 19 | Page 53

The voice of business in the Tees region | 53 THREE CHEERS Trio of reasons why leading law firm is feeling positive By Joanne Barrett Simon Wake, Endeavour Partnership’s head of commercial property. A trio of positives will help secure Teesside’s commercial future according to a specialist at one of the region’s leading law firms. The availability of land at the former steel site at Redcar, the lead Teesside is taking in the renewable energy sector and the fact that Teesside International Airport has been taken back into public ownership could cement the way forward, says Simon Wake, head of commercial property at Stockton- based Endeavour Partnership. The firm acts on behalf of some of the region’s most prominent commercial property developments and specialises in business law serving all sectors of enterprise across the Tees Valley. Partner Simon has more than 30 years’ experience and tailoring expertise to represent the interests of his many and varied commercial clients is something that comes as second nature. “There are a lot of positives here,” says Simon. “The fact that we have the steel site and a lot of land available there – if we can persuade people to come and use it – is one of them. “Another is the airport coming back into public ownership, which may make a difference and have a positive effect on business generally. “There’s also the renewable/green energy sector where important moves are already being made.” Endeavour Partnership acts for a number of Teesside’s best-known regional brands as well as for multi-national clients based in the UK. Core clients for major commercial developments in particular are generally based in and around the North-East. Simon’s department is leading the way in some instantly recognisable projects which have levels of legal complexity Endeavour’s experts are perfectly placed to address. One of the biggest has involved acting for the developer behind the multi-phase The Sands development on Scarborough’s North Bay. Visitors to the popular coastal resort will know the prominent project includes flats, beach huts and a retail offering as well as the largest indoor water park in the country, Alpamare. A new hotel is currently under construction and further phases of the project are to come. Simon started work with his client on the project in 2006 and continues to steer its legal requirements. “It has been a long and complex project and is not finished yet,” he says. “Seeing the water park open to the public was one of the key points in the whole development for me. “The project isn’t finished yet though, as the building of the hotel is ongoing. “We operate on the basis of our client’s needs - it is very much their project and we are guided by what they want. The Alpamare water park, part of The Sands development in Scarborough, which is an ongoing project for legal firm Endeavour Partnership. “The commercial property department covers almost anything you can imagine. Bigger developments are often closer to home, but our clients might have business interests anywhere in the country which we are happy to help meet.” Simon and his specialist team are also acting for the developer in relation to the proposed snow centre planned for a brownfield site at Middlehaven in Middlesbrough; acting for clients Ryedale Estates in Guisborough in the acquisition, development and letting of retail and light industrial units on the site of the former Blackett Hutton/Esco foundry and are acting for Teesside University in relation to its expanding property estate, to name just a few valued clients. Endeavour also acts on behalf of GP surgeries moving to purpose-built practice buildings; schools and academy trusts; housing developers; restaurants and coffee and pizza franchises. It is quite a brief, but one thing remains clear. Endeavour Partnership’s focus has always been on delivering top quality legal services with an innovative and modern approach. Find out more about Endeavour Partnership and its services at endeavour.law