J&E Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, one of the largest independent firms of chartered surveyors in the UK, has been appointed by Chap Group to market nine acres of land at Silvertrees, Westhill with a view to securing commercial and industrial tenants for bespoke design and build packages on long-term leases.

The area is currently undergoing significant development, with over 330,000 sq ft of speculative office space presently being constructed on a site immediately adjacent to the new Acergy and Subsea 7 headquarter facilities. Design and build packages will be available at the development for sites ranging in size from two to nine acres.

Scott Forsyth, associate at J&E Shepherd, said, “The acquisition of the Silvertrees site shows our client’s continued commitment to developing its commercial property division. The ongoing developments at Westhill demonstrate the continued confidence within the commercial property sector in Aberdeen.

“The Silvertrees site is strategically located within an area which has undergone rapid expansion over the course of the last two years and the reputation of Westhill as a business destination has been greatly enhanced by the location of the Acergy and Subsea headquarter facilities which are currently being constructed. Significant interest has already been secured for the site with high quality buildings being proposed which can be tailored to the needs of individual occupiers.”

Alasdair Craigie, chairman and chief executive of Chap Group, a multi-faceted construction company encompassing everything from general contracting, house building, utilities to the manufacture and sale of kitchens, said, “Silvertrees represents a new chapter for Chap insofar as it represents our first venture into buying land with a view to speculatively building bespoke office and warehouse accommodation to bring to the market.

“The unique opportunity presented by the location of the Silvertrees site, nestled as it is between the neighbouring operations of Subsea and Acergy, made the decision to embark on this new chapter for Chap easier than it might otherwise have been. We believe the site, which had previously been overlooked by both planners and other property developers due to the fact that it had been hidden from view behind a forest of trees, will attract the attention of major employers within Grampian. Indeed, we are already receiving enquiries from several sources which we hope to progress in the first quarter of this year.”

Silvertrees is the latest in a number of transactions and instructions that J&E Shepherd has undertaken on behalf of Chap Group over the course of the last year.

Indeed, at the end of last year, J&E Shepherd, acting on behalf of Chap Group, secured a letting of the former Northern Timber Products (a company within Chap group) premises at Denmore Road, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, following its relocation to larger premises at Broadfold Road, Bridge of Don. The property was let to Craig International Supplies for 15 years.

As part of this transaction, the landlord will upgrade the existing office space and introduce an additional 2,000 sq ft of offices to the premises with completion anticipated during the first quarter of 2008. 

Meanwhile, last year J&E Shepherd also concluded the letting of 35,000 sq ft of workshop and office space to Varco for a substantial office, workshop and yard facility at Enterprise Drive, Westhill. The premises were leased for a period of 11 years and included a full refurbishment of the premises by Chap Construction.