This week was the Lawson Commercial Team Annual Christmas outing to France for lunch.

We had a very smooth trouble free trip via Le Shuttle to Calais. Claudia thought she had found just the restaurant for us.

However we went to Le Chanel, one of our favourites in Calais and thoroughly to be recommended.

We had a superb meal including great seafood.

This was followed by a trip to Auchan supermarket to stock up on supplies of wine & cheese + other french goodies.

A great day out.

Lawson Commercial now have available semi serviced office suites, in two locations in Crowborough town centre, which have been refurbished to a very high standard.

There are two suites available in Crowborough Business Park just off Park Road. Suite 2A is 424 sq ft with a rent of £8,000 pa and Suite 2B is 168 sq ft with a rent of £4,850 pa. These rents include service charge. Both suites have car parking and are in a modern environment with shared kitchen facilities.

Also available in Croft House in Croft Road, almost opposite Waitrose and above Mister Smith Interiors, is a most delightful 2-room, air conditioned suite of 302 sq ft which is available on an annual licence at a rent of £1,250 per calendar month.

These suites offer first class accommodation for a small business who does not want to work from home and are well worth viewing.

Lawson Commercial was delighted to attend the Uckfield FM Community Awards last Friday 8th November at the East Sussex National.

It was a fantastic evening with over 250 attendees at this uplifting ceremony. Lawson Commercial sponsored the Award for a Business Giving Back to the Community.

There were quite a few nominees for this category with the three finalists being Ashdown Audio Visual, C J Thorne and Dawson Hart.  A difficult decision but the ultimate winner was C J Thorne.

The Lawson Commercial contingent, in addition to Chris and Julia Lawson, included negotiator Steve Campbell and surveyor Claudia Grattarola along with guests for the evening   Town Clerk Holly Goring, Father John Wall Rector of Holy Cross plus Councillor Chris and Maureen Macve. Also on the Table were Steve and Debbie Lynam of Garrison Roofing who sponsored the Charity of the Year Award.

Nearly £1,000 was raised for Uckfield FM from the raffle on the night which will go towards their project to purchase a new transmitter which will enable them to increase coverage following OFCOM’s decision to allow them a power increase.

As President of Uckfield Chamber of Commerce Chris Lawson, together with wife Julia, was pleased to attend the Remembrance Service at Holy Cross Church in Uckfield last Sunday 10th November and honoured to lay a wreath at the memorial after the Service.

 It is so important to remember those that gave their lives for our future and we were pleased and proud to join in the procession and to lay the wreath.

What was especially good was to see the number of young people taking part. Often it seems today history is considered to be of no relevance but without the sacrifices made in the past things today might be very different.

Lawson Commercial have just been instructed to market the old NatWest Bank in High Street, Crowborough.

This is a amazing building which has a fantastic frontage and planning consent has been granted to improve the frontage for more general retail/office use. This includes dropping the 4 windows to the lower stone plinth which will let much more light into the premises and, in addition the rather solid looking door which is the main entrance into the building is to be replaced with an aluminium glazed door plus what formed the original cashpoint machine lobby behind will be removed.

This is a real landmark building in the High Street and would make a great office for someone in financial services, accountancy, estate agency etc. The Landlord is carrying out various refurbishment works to the building and the front area has been opened up and is now just under 850 sq ft plus a rear office which could be incorporated as well if required. There is additional storage/staff accommodation to the rear together with a small basement giving a total of some 1,415 sq ft.  It looks a bit raw at the moment because refurbishment works are ongoing inside and that rather depends on what an incoming occupier wants. However it is a great opportunity to occupy a landmark building.

The premises are available to rent and offers are being sought in the region of £22,000 pa. The Landlord is prepared to discuss with an incoming tenant any fitting out works that may be required. Alternatively the freehold could be purchased subject to the leases on the upper part which has been sold for residential use.

Unexpectedly available again is Broadway House, a former estate agents in The Broadway, Crowborough.

Ideal either for retail or as an office this property occupies a nice corner position.  It comprises ground floor space with a basement totalling just over 800 sq ft. and is available on a new lease at a rent £16,500 pa.

It also comes with the benefit of 2 car spaces.

Just on the market is Dray House in Olives Yard which has to be Uckfield’s smallest retail building.

This delightful single storey building with a pitched roof is situated in an attractive courtyard area just off the middle of the High Street opposite NatWest Bank. It would be ideal either as a small office or a bijou retail shop.

It comprises some 192 sq ft with a small cloakroom and has a feature bay window.  It also comes with a car space.  The property is available on a new lease at £6,000 pa.

Now available is a refurbished former farm building of steel frame construction ideal for low cost storage.

The building has an overall size of 5,636 sq ft with plenty of natural light from translucent panel.  There are 2 good sized loading doors + new strip lighting and 3-phase power.

A rent of £25,250 per annum is sought and the Landlord would consider splitting into 2 units.

Just on to the market is a delightful serviced office suite in Crowborough town centre.

Situated in a great location over the top of Mister Smith Interiors and virtually opposite Waitrose. This 1st floor office suite comprises 2 rooms, one of which is 263 sq ft and other 175 sq ft.

An annual licence is available, which includes water, electricity, air conditioning, repairs, cleaning, tea & coffee, building insurance and alarm maintenance, for £1250 per calendar month.

Viewing is strongly recommended.

The former Bishops Home Hardware property in Hillside , Forest Row has been sold by Lawson Commercial as an investment to a local East Grinstead based investor.

It was quite a complex property transaction because the investment comprised 3 shops, one of which was vacant, plus 2 flats one of which was vacant and a small rear warehouse.

New leases had to be put in place for the Room on the Row interior furnishing shop and the Lily & Grace lingerie shop as well as renewing one of the shorthold tenancies in the flats.

The investment generated a huge amount of interest and there were several offers for the property. The successful company has some innovative ideas for how to use the retail space in the former hardware shop and hope to have this new facility open and trading by Christmas.