Gareth Baker

Gareth Baker

Senior Partner

Real Estate Team

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Gareth Baker leads Acuity’s award-winning Cardiff Real Estate team, Real Estate Finance team and Construction team. He is also a shareholder and a member of our senior management team.

He has significant experience in leading high-profile real estate development projects, and specialises in the acquisition, disposal, letting and funding of real estate, including retail, industrial and office properties.

Gareth is an expert in strategic land acquisition and disposal, particularly acting for landowners and developers in joint venture and collaboration agreements across England and Wales.

Gareth has been the lead lawyer on Cardiff’s Central Square regeneration scheme since 2014. He initially assembled the entire site for client Rightacres, an innovative commercial property developer specialising in occupier-led property solutions for business, which recently won an award for its “Outstanding Contribution to Cardiff”.

Gareth Baker is the key partner responsible for the development and disposal of Central Quay over the next five years and is the key partner contact for several major clients including Rightacres, PMG Group, Jones Bros, ABP, Wild Water Group and South Wales Land Developments Limited.

 

Expertise
  • Real estate deals and transactions – acquisitions, disposals and lettings in particular inner-city redevelopment and regeneration
  • Complex forward funding deals with institutional pension funds and other real estate finance structures
  • Joint venture and land assembly transactions involving numerous multiparty agreements
  • Build-To-Rent

Work Highlights

Acting for Rightacres Property Co Limited, an innovative commercial property developer specialising in occupier-led property solutions for business, in connection with the £45 million funding (Cardiff Capital Regional Fund) to develop the Brew House, Central Quay, Cardiff buildings into office and leisure use. Acuity acted on the purchase of the wider site and act for Rightacres in the funding, leasing and eventual sale of the development, set to be the centre piece for the wider quay.
Acting for Rightacres Property Co Limited in connection with the former Brain’s Brewery site Cardiff known as Central Quay. This included a transaction for the waterfront residential scheme comprising the development of Plots 1 and 2 Central Quay to create approximately 700 new residential units, from studios to three-bedroom penthouse apartments, which has now been completed by long leasehold disposal to L&G.
Acting for Royale Life/Time GB group in the acquisition of assets with a deal value of circa £750 million and for several further deals totalling a further £550 million. Assets include leisure and caravan parks all over England and Wales with a focus on the South Coast and South West.
Successfully led Cardiff city centre’s Central Square regeneration project since 2014, having initially assembled the entire site for client Rightacres Property Co Limited.
Advising Rightacres Property Co Limited on the strategic acquisition of land at Central Square Cardiff into one unified ownership to facilitate redevelopment and regeneration of the site.
Advising developer PMG in the acquisition of 140 acres of land for residential development through collaboration agreements and multi-party joint venture agreements in a land disposal worth £70m.
Advising a JV set up between Maclaren Construction and PMG in the acquisition and development of a student accommodation project with a GDV of £50 million.

Accolades

Gareth is listed as Leading Partners by the Legal 500 for their work in Commercial Property

Legal 500

Gareth is ranked Band 2 by Chambers and Partners

Chambers & Partners

The Real Estate Team is ranked Band 1 by Chambers and Partners

Chambers & Partners

The Commercial Property Team is ranked Tier 1 in the Legal 500

Legal 500

Testimonials

Gareth is excellent at covering all of the meticulous detail on a matter and seeing it through to completion.