Rapleys appoints a new head to lead its Automotive & Roadside team

Property and planning consultancy Rapleys has announced that partner Daniel Cook has been appointed as head of the firm’s Automotive & Roadside team.

Cook has been with the firm for 16 years and provides clients both agency and professional advice including on acquisitions, disposals, rent reviews, lease renewals other landlord and tenant matters and valuations.

Cook takes over the role from Phil Blackford who, after 37 years of service, will be retiring from the partnership.

Cook commented: “I would like to offer both our thanks and best wishes to Phil, who has been an incredible mentor for me throughout his time at the firm. The growth and success we have seen over the years is in no small part due to his leadership and, from a personal perspective, I am incredibly grateful for the support he has provided me since I first joined the firm back in 2005. I am proud to be taking over this role and looking forward to working with colleagues from right across Rapleys’ sector teams and professional disciplines to continue to provide our clients with a genuine one stop shop for their property needs.

“Rapleys has been synonymous with the automotive and roadside property market for over 40 years and, as we look ahead to the next 40, significant changes, and opportunities, lie on the horizon for our clients. The government’s ambitious 2050 carbon neutrality targets and the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales looks set to have a transformative effect in the industry. Many forecourt operators are already looking at repurposing fuel filling sites to prepare for a ramping up of demand from electric vehicles. At the same time, there continues to be high demand for prominent automotive sites, including from other commercial uses, while many dealership groups who have been sustained through the pandemic by government support schemes are now looking to the future and seeking to expand – both organically and through business acquisitions. We expect further consolidation in the market and that to generate new property-related challenges and opportunities for businesses.

“With our breadth of experience and depth of expertise in the sector, drawing on the specialist advice of our professional teams including Planning and Building Consultancy, Rapleys continues to be well placed to support automotive and roadside businesses through this moment of change in the industry.”