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Nicholas assists clients on direct and indirect real estate investments and developments.

Nicholas specialises in structured direct and indirect real estate, business asset and property trust acquisitions, financing and disposals; tenders, property development, due diligence; commercial, retail and industrial leasing (both landlord and tenant); property and development management, co-ownership and other commercial agreements. He has been recognised as:

  • one of Australia’s best real estate lawyers in Best Lawyers International 2009-2022;
  • a leading real estate lawyer in the Chambers Global Guide 2006-2016 and 2018-22; and
  • top 10 Australia in Who’s Who Legal 2013-2022.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

  • currently advising Greenland on the sale of the Primus Hotel to a new Singapore-listed REIT, including arrangements for separation mid-development from the adjoining Greenland Centre residential development
  • assisting a multinational real estate company on its innovation space lease to Sydney City Council at the under-development Circular Quay Tower
  • advised GPT on the sale of its half interest in the iconic MLC Centre in Sydney to Dexus for $800 million
  • advising Vopak Australia on the expansion of its bulk liquid handling facility at Port Botany
  • assisting Bingo Industries on the structured property arrangements for the acquisition of the Dial a Dump waste facility and expansion land at Eastern Creek
  • assisting Genesis Care as tenant on an expanding portfolio of purpose-built healthcare and oncology developments around the country
  • Poly Real Estate on the acquisition of a commercial site at Bankstown for, and the launch and subsequent sales of, a mixed-use residential and retail development, including off-the-plan master contracts, titling structure, stratum subdivision, building management statement, strata title subdivision, strata management statements, strata by laws, resolutions and strata establishment
  • Country Garden (now Risland) on the structuring and document negotiation for the multi-staged acquisition of over 1,400 hectares of priority growth land south west of Sydney for master planned residential, commercial and educational uses for over $575 million
  • Greenland Australia on its residential developments at Bathurst Street, Sydney, Leichhardt Green, North Sydney and, most recently, its six-stage residential, retail and mixed-use development Park Sydney, at Erskineville, including off-the-plan master contracts, stratum subdivision; retail stratum sale; strata title subdivision, strata management statements, strata by laws, resolutions and strata establishment and management of developer rights and obligations during the initial period
  • Poly Real Estate on the development and sale of Tilia by Poly at Lindfield, NSW, including master off-the-plan contract and strata title by-laws
  • Shokai Ausbao and Develotek joint venture on preparations for and launch of its three-stage, mixed-use strata title project at Granville Place, Granville, including title structuring, strata management statement and creation of various easements and strata by-laws
  • China Overseas Land Australia on launch of its new residential project at Macquarie Park, North Ryde including off-the-plan contracts, strata title subdivision and strata by-laws
  • Aqualand Australia on the acquisition of a commercial office tower in North Sydney, its bid for another North Sydney tower and its bid for the Australian Technology Park in Redfern
  • Aqualand Australia on the structuring and early stages of its consortium bid for Central Barangaroo
  • GIC Real Estate on the establishment of two countercyclical office joint ventures with Primewest and Charter Hall with mandates approaching $1 billion, including fund establishment, joint venture documents, investment management, development management and property management agreements
  • Charter Hall and Morgan Stanley on the acquisition of Macquarie Bank's Sydney head office, One Shelley Street, King Street Wharf for $525 million
  • BlackRock and Centuria Funds Management on the joint venture acquisition of the iconic Zenith towers, Chatswood for over $279 million
  • GIC Real Estate and Frasers Property Australia (formerly Australand) on the international marketing campaign and sale of trusts and real estate comprising a portfolio of 26 industrial logistics centres around the country for over $1 billion
  • Mapletree on its first direct Australian investment, the acquisition of a commercial office tower in Brisbane
  • Mirvac on the sale of trusts owning two commercial office towers in Sydney and on the direct land sale of two office towers in Canberra
  • GIC Real Estate on:
    • its joint venture investment with Macquarie in a portfolio of student accommodation projects and the manager of the projects, Iglu
    • an industrial joint venture with Australand and the acquisition of trusts owning seven industrial properties, as well as a number of subsequent add-on purpose-built and fund through developments
    • acquisition of a portfolio of eight industrial properties around the country from the Salta Property Group and subsequent additions to that portfolio and property and asset management arrangements
    • staged acquisition of interests in trusts and sub trusts owning 50% of Westfield Parramatta, including all joint venture and operational agreements and a myriad of agreements with third party landholders and tenants for over $700 million
    • consortium arrangements for the acquisition and development of Myer's iconic new Melbourne department store
    • acquisition of Chifley Tower and Chifley Plaza in Sydney for over $700 million