Construction documentation for redevelopment of former commercial garage

We procured, negotiated and completed the full construction documentation for two phases of the reconstruction, conversion to mixed-use and fit-out of a large building in central Maidstone, a riverside former commercial garage. As part of the development conditions, it was important for the end result to capture the historic character of the building and to meet relevant heritage requirements.

The construction was procured via traditional procurement (JCT Standard Building Contract 2016 with amendments) for the shell and core phase and design and build procurement (JCT Design and Build 2024 with amendments) for the fit out phase. Separate contractors were appointed for each phase. The fit out phase was subject to lending requirements from external investors, meaning that in addition to the conventional collateral warranties from sub-contractors in favour of the employer, collateral warranties needed to be procured from the contractor, sub-contractors and the whole professional team in the lender’s favour. This entailed a complex network of documents needing to be drafted, negotiated and completed successfully in order for the project to proceed and the client (as employer) to be protected.

There were a number of difficulties on the project including completion/defects concerns between stages, strong negotiations required over a performance bond and onerous lending requirements proposed some serious challenges for Caroline and her team. A thorough, sensible and organised approach was required, which the team adopted and delivered to the client’s needs.