Governance

• Overview
• Statements
• Operating & Financial Review
• Corporate Responsibility
• Portfolio Highlights
• Governance
  • Directors and Officers
  • Corporate Governance
  • Remuneration Report
  • Financing Policy
  • Principal Debt Instruments
  • Report to the Directors
  • Valuation Certificate
• Financial Statements
• Financial Calendar
• Shareholder Information
• Download Centre

• Print page
• Email page

• Home
• Governance
• Valuation Certificate

The Directors
The British Land Company PLC
York House
45 Seymour Street
London
W1H 7LX
24 April 2007

Dear Sirs

The British Land Company PLC
Valuation as at 31 March 2007

Basis of Instruction

In accordance with the terms of our appointment as External Valuers to The British Land Company PLC, we have valued the freehold and leasehold properties detailed below, as at 31 March 2007, for balance sheet purposes and inclusion in your financial accounts. The properties are predominantly held for investment and in some instances held for development or in the course of development or occupied by the Company.

We have excluded from this Report those properties held by way of Joint Ventures or through Limited Partnership arrangements.

These valuations have been prepared in accordance with the RICS Appraisal and Valuation Standards, Fifth Edition, issued by The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Compliance and independence

We can confirm that:

• Knight Frank LLP is appointed by The British Land Company PLC as External Valuers, as defined by the RICS Appraisal and Valuations Standards.
• Knight Frank LLP was appointed in the role as valuer in September 2005. These valuations have been undertaken under the overall supervision of the joint signatories, who have been responsible for this instruction since that time.
• In relation to Knight Frank LLP's preceding financial year, the proportion of the total fees paid by The British Land Company PLC ('the Company') and its joint venture partners to the total fee income of Knight Frank LLP was substantially less than 5%.
• We recognise and support the RICS Rules of Conduct and have established procedures for identifying conflicts of interest.

Valuation

The Properties have been valued on the basis of Market Value in accordance with the RICS Appraisal and Valuation Standards.

This is an internationally recognised basis and is defined as:

“The estimated amount for which a property should exchange on the date of valuation between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm's-length transaction after proper marketing wherein the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion”.

No allowance has been made for expenses of realisation or for any taxation which might arise, and our valuations are expressed exclusive of any Value Added Tax that may become chargeable.

Our valuations reflect usual deductions in respect of purchasers' costs and, in particular, full liability for UK Stamp Duty as applicable at the valuation date.

The properties have been valued individually and not as part of a portfolio.

We are of the opinion that the aggregate Market Value of your interests in the properties, as at 31 March 2007, was:

£14,014,772,070
(Fourteen Billion, Fourteen Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Two Thousand and Seventy Pounds).

The valuations are categorised as follows:

	Freehold	Long leasehold	Part freehold/ part leasehold	Short leasehold
A Held as investments/owner occupied	£12,132,654,220	£856,385,000	£22,800,000	£6,540,000
B Held for development	£147,867,850	£75,300,000
C In the course of development	£773,225,000
Total value	£13,053,747,070	£931,685,000	£22,800,000	£6,540,000

Included within the aggregate are a number of negative values amounting to minus £260,000 (Two Hundred and Sixty Thousand Pounds). These have been deducted from the positive values to arrive at the net aggregate figure.

Certain properties are held on very long leases, for terms of approximately 999 years at fixed peppercorn or nominal rents. For categorisation purposes these have been included in the freehold categories. Short leasehold properties are classified as having less than 50 years unexpired.

Valuation procedures and assumptions

The properties were inspected during the last six months.

As agreed, our valuations are based on measurements which have been provided by the Company and which were carried out in accordance with The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Code of Measuring Practice. In some cases the areas provided are as agreed with the tenants following rent review or letting.

Our valuations assume that the properties have good and marketable titles and are free of any undisclosed onerous burdens, outgoings or restrictions. We have not seen planning consents and, except where advised to the contrary, have assumed that the properties have been erected and are being occupied and used in accordance with all requisite consents and that there are no outstanding statutory notices.

We have not read all documents of title or leases and, for the purpose of our valuations, have accepted the details of tenure, tenancies and all other relevant information with which we have been supplied by the Company. When considering the covenant strength of individual tenants we have not carried out credit enquiries but have reflected in our valuations our general understanding of purchasers' likely perceptions of tenants' financial status. We have, in addition, discussed with the Company any bad debts or material arrears of rent and have considered this information in arriving at our valuations.

We were not instructed to carry out structural surveys of the properties, nor to test the services, but have reflected in our valuations, where necessary, any defects, items of disrepair or outstanding works of alteration or improvement which we noted during the course of our inspections or of which we have been advised. Our valuations assume the buildings contain no deleterious materials and that the sites are unaffected by adverse soil conditions, except where we have been notified to the contrary.

We have not carried out any investigation into past or present uses of either the properties or any neighbouring land to establish whether there is any potential for contamination from these uses or sites to the subject properties. We understand that the Company has established procedures for the inspection of newly acquired properties to be carried out with particular reference to environmental matters, and that any such matters identified receive appropriate attention. Unless we have been provided with information to the contrary, we have assumed that the properties are not, nor are likely to be, affected by land contamination and that there are no ground conditions which would affect the present or future uses of the properties. Our valuations assume that the properties would, in all respects, be insurable against all usual risks including terrorism, flooding and rising water table at normal, commercially acceptable premiums.

For properties in the course of development, we have reflected the stage reached in construction and the costs remaining to be spent at the date of valuation. We have had regard to the contractual liabilities of the parties involved in the developments and any cost estimates that have been provided by professional advisors to the projects. For recently completed developments we have taken no account of any retentions, nor made allowance for any outstanding development costs, fees or other expenditure for which there may be a liability.

General conditions

This Report and our valuations therein have been prepared on the basis that there has been full disclosure of all relevant information and facts which may affect them.

Our Report and valuation is for the use only of the party to whom it is addressed and no responsibility is accepted to any third party for the whole or any part of its contents. If our opinion of value is disclosed to persons other than the addressees of this Report, the basis of valuation should be stated. If it is proposed to publish the figure, the form and context in which the figure is to appear should be approved by us beforehand.

Yours faithfully

R J S Johnson BSc, MRICS
Partner
Commercial Valuations

R D Norman MRICS
Partner
Commercial Valuations

For and on behalf of Knight Frank LLP
20 Hanover Square, London W1S 1HZ

Back to top

---