High-level strategic Code Advice brings success
As a global investment management company with a commercial property portfolio in excess of £200m.* Federated Hermes are incredibly successful in their many areas of expertise but when it comes to telecoms, they often require the specialist expertise of Telemaster.
The Opportunity
In 2020, Federated Hermes were approached by a mobile phone mast operator regarding one of their multi-let commercial buildings in Central London, to install large amounts of equipment on the rooftop.
There was no existing telecoms equipment on the rooftop. Just the usual array of tenant aircon equipment and other non-telecoms plant. Federated Hermes had medium term outline redevelopment plans for the building and were concerned that the telecoms mast installation could negatively impact their proposals. The development programme had not been set and therefore it was difficult to object to the operator’s proposals.
The new Code affords telecoms operators greater powers to install equipment on land and it is often difficult for landowners to navigate the process without incurring substantial costs. Federated Hermes instantly realised they required the specialist support of Telemaster to manage the proposal for and on their behalf.
"Haymarket House, Central London"
Photo © Stephen Richards
What did we do?
We quickly realised that whilst we couldn’t object to their proposals, we could at least attempt to achieve the best possible outcome for the client. We successfully managed our client’s expectations and mitigated as much risk as possible within the constraints of the Code operator’s statutory rights.
We ensured the operator and their many contractors and service providers followed every protocol set out in this new Code era and the associated case law, ensuring the client’s exposure to costs we kept to an absolute minimum, and any risk of litigious action by the operator was mitigated.
The Result
The high-level strategic advice proved to be a wise investment for Federated Hermes. Our insistence on following the strict protocols for accessing the building, mitigating every aspect of risk for the landlord and ensuring the telecoms provider adhered to all the necessary protocols proved very fruitful and the operator chose to pursue a different cell site option in the area.
There may have been other factors outside our control that resulted in this outcome, however our determination to ensure the operator acted prudentially and professionally throughout their due diligence / new site feasibility stage most certainly contributed to the very best outcome for our client. Federated Hermes didn’t want anything to impair their medium term redevelopment plans and through Telemaster’s pragmatic approach over the past two years, the best possible result was achieved.
We are now representing the Hermes Group on several other sites and many new clients with similar issues. The operator has a degree of compulsory purchase rights; however, we have proven strategies to manage this for landowners. If you find yourself in a similar situation and need advice from the experts, please get in touch.
*As of December 2021