The new office, which is Bruton Knowles’ ninth office in the UK, is headed by partner James Bailey and is set to capitalise on opportunities in the city’s commercial property market.

James Bailey, who is also head of the firm’s Nottingham office, will be supported by partner Nigel Billingsley as they build on their existing north west client base. The primary focus for the team based at its new office in Manchester’s Oxford Street will be to provide core commercial property and leisure services, CPO and compensation advice for clients across the public, private and utility sectors.   

James comments: “Our move into Manchester is a challenging but logical next step. We already work for a number of clients in Manchester and across the region and by having a permanent presence here we will be able to capitalise on opportunities presented by the upturn. Manchester is the engine room of the north west and the recent flurry of high profile moves and investments in the city highlights the underlying strength of its economy.”

James and Nigel bring a combined 44 years’ of property experience to the Manchester market. James has amassed considerable core commercial property experience, working with developers, investors and landowners across all key sectors and has been instrumental in the growth of Bruton Knowles’ Nottingham office which opened in 1997 with a team of three. Today, this office boasts specialist commercial, leisure, rural, utility and compensation teams and employs 18 staff. Recent wins for the Nottingham office include the major contract to support Greene King’s national acquisition drive for its Hungry Horse pub restaurants. 

The launch of the new office in Manchester sees the return of Nigel Billingsley to the city. Originally from Oldham, Nigel worked at Peel Holdings in Manchester and Scottish Power in the Wirral prior to joining Bruton Knowles’ Nottingham office six years ago. As a compensation specialist, Nigel spearheads the firm’s compensation work for infrastructure and regeneration schemes and recently won the contract with Nottingham City Council for the extension of Nottingham Express Transit (NET), the Nottingham light rapid transit system. He has also worked for Sheffield City Council, The Coal Authority and for a major housing renewal scheme in Hull.

Nick Millard, chairman of partners at Bruton Knowles comments: “This new office in Manchester is an important addition to our regional network. We have a number of clients in Manchester already and we recognise the scope and scale of the market and Manchester’s status as a strong economic base. We want to start leveraging our depth and breadth of skills and services so that we are in a strong position when the upturn materialises.”    

New office contact details: