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Saji is a Partner in the Property Team at Ward Hadaway specialising in public sector work.

She has worked in the sector for over 25 years and provided advice on property-related matters to NHS organisations, Local and Fire Authorities, education bodies, central governments, other public sector bodies and those contracting with the public sector.

Saji is part of a dedicated team at Ward Hadaway who work on public sector transactions and she has particular expertise in projects for the public sector such LIFT, PFI and PPP and has acted on both sides of such transactions, giving a wide perspective on issues for both parties involved.

Experience

Her extensive experience includes advising public bodies on the acquisition, disposal and management of sites and portfolios, complex regeneration and development work, landlord and tenant matters, including option agreements and overage and secured lending, as well as sales of dental and GP practices.

She has worked on many Joint venture transactions. These have included regeneration agency PPP schemes; schools, waste and housing schemes for Local Authorities; hospitals, primary and leisure/library facilities; and police, fire and ambulance stations.

Below are some examples of experience within the various public sector organisations:

NHS Experience

  • Acting for an NHS Trust on the acquisition and development of a new £12m in-patient mental health facility.
  • Acted for a mental health Trust in connection with their provision of community services across the county, involving from a property perspective, acquisition of interests in various premises from which the services were previously provided, advising the client in connection with condition and compliance risks as well as Landlord and Tenant risks.
  • Acting for GPs and dentists on taking leases in health centers, including new developments and LIFT buildings, mergers and reconfigurations and GP companies as well as taking and varying mortgage arrangements and advising on GP rent reimbursement/the Premises Directions and NHSPS/CHP leases.
  • Acting for NHS Trusts in the sale of surplus sites e.g. to a house builder with various conditions to deal with site conditions and works to benefit the Trust’s adjoining site.
  • Acted for an NHS Trust in connection with their procurement of a new diagnostic facility on terms incorporating services and lease
  • Acted on the original LIFT transactions where LiftCos were set up and granted leases or freeholds pursuant to the partnership agreements and then leased and developed pursuant to Lease Plus Agreements. Since then she has acted for PCTs, Mental Health Trusts, hospital trusts and local authorities in LIFT projects.
  • Acting on PFI projects for new hospital and on PFI Projects involving leases to trusts pharmacies and GP practices.
  • Acted for both PCTs as commissioners and for providers in the Transforming Community Services transactions which involved staff transfer to newly created community interest companies and granting of leases of facilities needed for health services.

Local Authority Experience

  • Acted for a Local Authority and PCT on taking premises for leisure, library, social care purposes within LIFT buildings.
  • Acted on BSF schemes for both local authorities and LEPs involving development agreements for freehold sales and leasehold disposals, with lease backs of IT, sports and community facilities with Joint use and community use arrangements, overage and grant funding novations.
  • Acted on procurement of services/works for local authorities (e.g. IT procurement) and providers (e.g. Housing PFI).
  • Acted for a London Borough in connection with a joint education development with a College for the development of a new college facilities and two new schools, involving conditional contract and complex infrastructure, demolition, alternative accommodation and staged decant provisions as well as documentation with EfA for the free school development and leases back of sports facilities.
  • Acted for a council in connection with their sale of a flagship site to the police authority for the development of new police facilities including infrastructure to serve the Council’s retained land with works obligations on both parties in connection with the infrastructure.
  • Acted for a Council in connection with the grant of a building lease to facilitate the development of a listed building with provisions for contributions to works and obtaining grant funding from third parties.

Blue Light

  • Acted for a fire authority on the development of innovative emergency training facilities
  • Acted for a fire authority in connection with their development of a new facility for joint emergency services provision for the police, the mountain rescue and Ambulance Service including land assembly and leases to all the occupiers.
  • Acted for police authorities, including on PFI provision of new police stations.
  • Acted for an Ambulance Trust on a disposal of site, involving overage, which did subsequently yield the Trust a payment of over £300K.

Education

  • Acted for both public and private sector clients, in the Education sector on schemes for Academies, Colleges, Universities, Local Education Partnerships and Local Authorities.
  • Worked with various parties involved in schools converting to foundations, trusts, academies and set up of free schools including colleges sponsoring new academies and free schools.
  • Worked with several Multi-Academy Trusts on set up and subsequently as new schools have converted into the Trusts (where the sponsors include Dioceses), schools, colleges spanning many phases and types of academy including Church, primary, secondary, free school and technical colleges and Co-operative academies and on schemes involving PFI arrangements and multi academy and umbrella trust arrangements.
  • Acted for Foundation Trusts where the schools are converting into the Multi-Academy Trust and therefore has experience of both perspectives.
  • Developed excellent relationships with all parties involved and recently was described by a head teacher as “phenomenal” where the head teacher “couldn’t give any higher praise”.

What people say

  • ‘Working with Ward Hadaway is more of a collaborative experience, which sets them apart from their competitors. They are always willing to take ownership of issues and offer solutions, rather than pass the issue over to ‘discuss internally’. In Saji Bratch we have a Partner hugely experienced, readily accessible who provides clear and concise advice.

    Legal 500

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