Simon Shires

About Simon

Simon is a Commercial Property Solicitor within the Commercial Property Department. Having joined Holden Smith Law in 2022.

Simon can assist in most areas of Commercial Property work, including:

• Site acquisitions and disposals

• Commercial leases

• Forfeiture of leases

• Grant of easements

• Overage agreements

• Statutory agreements, including section 106 agreements, section 38 agreements and section 104 agreements

• Diversion of public highways under section 247 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990, and under section 116 of the Highways Act 1990

• Applications for certificates of lawful use/development

• Enfranchisement applications under the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 (as amended), and also enfranchisement for flat owners under the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (as amended)

• Provision of property law support to the litigation department

Simon has worked on many cases over the last 40 years involving multi-million pound transactions, as well as some “not so large” transactions. One particular transaction is recollected for the considerable percentage saving in costs to the client, a lessee of a mixed-use property, and successfully argued in the First Tier Property Tribunal that the property qualified as a whole as a “house”, meaning that the lessee could compel the freeholder to sell their reversionary interest for £400.00. This was significant due to the freeholder originally demanding a sum of £40,000.00 from the lessee to give them consent to construct a separate dwelling in the yard to the rear of the mixed-use property. The successful outcome for the client led to a cost saving of £39,600.00 or 99% of the original sum demanded.

Simon studied at Leeds University and went on to qualify as a solicitor in 1983 after working with a high street firm. He then completed his Advanced Diploma in Planning and Environmental Law in 1993. Simon has worked across both corporate and high street law firms throughout his career before joining Holden Smith in 2022.