Wokingham: History and regeneration
It was in 1219 that the right to hold a market was granted in Wokingham, the very same year China took delivery of some new technology – the windmill.
Wokingham has stood as a historic market town for many years, but a market town isn’t a true reflection of how the town has continued to develop and how it functions now. New technology is changing the way we all work, writes Dan Reeves of Herrington Carmichael LLP.
Wokingham is a unique town, benefiting from the surrounding areas. It fits both the modern consumer and modern business approach. The town is not too big or too small: seven miles from Reading and 39 miles from London. Agile working and smaller, more compact retail space is starting to see towns such as Wokingham become more popular, particularly with the increased demand for mix-used residential units near to key stations. It’s another of those ‘just out of town’ towns in the middle of a regeneration project, which will help with the town’s profile and continue to create an attractive retail mix.
Herrington Carmichael has been ever-present in Wokingham for over 175 years now. We have a history of offering legal services to Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire and it is part of our long-standing commitment to the local area. We are proud of the strong relationships we have built with individuals and businesses over many years. As our local roots have grown, so have our services, our clients and office locations – Wokingham, Camberley and a new London office in 2018. Our membership of the IR Global network enables us to provide our clients with a high level of service in over 155 countries around the world.
We are a full-service firm and although we work with many private clients and families, our recent success as a business has been due to our corporate and commercial teams, which have thrived in the Wokingham area.
In 2017/18 the corporate team worked on merger and acquisition transactions with a combined value of over £200 million and were instructed to provide advice by clients with combined turnover of £640m+. Our employment and immigration team has gone from strength to strength, with Alistair McArthur recently ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ within The Legal 500 in 2019 and our property team, one of the largest property law teams in the region, has just been nominated as finalists for the ‘Law Firm of the Year’ award at the 2019 Thames Valley Property Awards, for the second year running.
Yavan Brar, head of corporate and commercial, says: “Herrington Carmichael aims to continue building our reputation as one of the fastest growing law firms in the region after another record year of growth for the firm. Our recent success via our new international relationships, acquisitions and setting up European headquarters for clients, despite the uncertain economic times for the UK, shows that we are well placed to continue delivering the services our clients need.”
Wokingham Regeneration
The regeneration of Market Place, Peach Place and Elms Field within Wokingham is already providing new opportunities for Herrington Carmichael.
Our commercial property team has been advising owners looking to take up space in the new Peach Place development. Units are being snapped up for bakeries, bars, restaurants and record shops as the development nears a finish. Market Place, Peach Place and Elms Field are all undergoing regeneration with the aim of improving the town centre and further making Wokingham a more attractive place for investment and to do business.
