- 15 years qualified
- Active on LinkedIn
Richard Nixon
Partner and Head of Natural Capital | Real Estate
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Susan Smith is Richard's PA
About Richard
Richard is recognised by Legal 500 UK as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ within our top-ranked real estate team. He handles land acquisitions and development transactions for major developers such as Persimmon Homes and Gentoo Group in both the housebuilding and commercial sectors.
Legal 500 UK notes Richard’s clients call him "exceptional in all of our dealings”.
He works with clients across the North East and Cumbria, representing large landowners, including charitable bodies, on their portfolio management work and natural capital schemes.
We have used the services of Richard Nixon and his team for the last five years. Muckle provides a full range of services when dealing with land issues. Despite a complex case involving easements and drainage, the team managed the situation from start to finish with a result that kept our reputation in tact yet achieved a fair outcome for all.
Natural Capital
Richard heads up our natural capital team and has a keen interest in conservation land use, biodiversity and nutrient neutrality schemes. He handled the first BNG creation s.106 agreement in the North East and has acted for several landowners since, for both on and offside BNG. He is currently working with landowners in Cumbria on the Nutrient Neutrality scheme for the Eden River catchment, plus BNG stacking on that land. Richard and the team are also actively involved in advising relevant bodies on Defra’s Round 2 Landscape Recovery Projects.
Legal 500 UK notes that Richard is “very knowledgeable on property matters and easy to access and contact.”
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“We chose to work with Muckle due to their experience in working with Northumberland County Council and their pragmatic approach to the application of this new legislation. BNG is new for everyone, but Muckle was able to work quickly and was extremely responsive throughout. Richard and the team recognise the long-term possibilities of BNG and were hands-on in their approach, with Richard coming along to help plant the first hedge.”
Landowner
Education
Richard has been involved in the education sector for over 15 years, advising numerous academy trusts across the region on academy conversions, trust mergers and ongoing estate work, including relocations and site development. His clients include Hadrian Learning Trust, Pele Trust, Church of England and Catholic Multi Academy Trusts.
Richard was heavily involved in many ‘firsts’ for academy conversions: first PFI conversion, first mixed MAT (church and non-church schools), first Catholic conversion, and handling a majority of conversions in the region. He has personally walked the sites and boundaries of over 450 schools from Teesside to the border. Clients comment that “he will visit each of the sites where we request detailed work and ensures he fully understands our needs in great detail. We have found this to be vital for us with academy conversions.”
Richard has also dealt with college mergers, university estate management, and disposals of school sites.
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I would like to give a particular mention to Joanne Davison and Richard Nixon who have been exceptional in all of our dealings.
Social Housing
Richard is a go-to real estate advisor for registered social housing providers.
He regularly carries out site acquisition and development work for Home Group, Castles and Coasts, Gentoo, Believe Housing, and Livin Housing Limited.
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Sports
Richard’s extensive real estate experience has been called on by many of the firm’s sports clients, advising numerous sports clubs nationwide regarding leases, site acquisitions and funding. He also works with numerous sports clubs and FA County bodies on grounds acquisition and relocation, lettings and management, ncluding via the FA’s Home Advantage Programme (HAP) funding scheme.
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