Client: English Benedictine Congregation
The Benedictine Monks at Douai Abbey in Berkshire found the upkeep and improvement of the day and boarding school beyond their means. They had run a successful school adjoining their monastery for about a hundred years, but latterly numbers had fallen under intense competition and it became unviable. Reluctantly the monks closed the school.
They approached a number of well-known firms, including Gerald Eve, to pitch for the instruction to lease or sell the former school premises. Unlike our competitors, we recognised there were real issues and sensitivities around the sale of the property and their needs to protect the adjoining monastery, whilst at the same time achieving best terms as required by charity law. We are able in this context to provide independent advice unfettered by the competing interest of later residential sales. It was that combination of impartiality, plus our breadth of experience and our empathy for the client's circumstances that won us the job.
Our marketing and selection process was determined to maximise value within the constraints of onerous planning restrictions whilst also ensuring a development sensitive to the needs of the monks and the architectural quality of the estate. We were rigorous in our epresentation of the monks and asked each bidder to demonstrate how they would respond to the demands of this unusual instruction. Bewley Homes came through our meticulous assessment process successfully, and we are currently in the process of securing planning permission for a 75 unit scheme.
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