Luke Ayres

Expertise

Luke’s experience in in-house roles with major property industry players and top-tier private practice law firms gives him a rare and well-rounded perspective and insight in managing the key issues in complex property projects and transactions.

Over Luke’s 20 years’ experience as a real estate lawyer he has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in: commercial, industrial, retail, residential and multi-use property development and titling matters; sales and acquisitions (including conduct of due diligence); development management and project delivery agreements; joint ventures; complex commercial, industrial and retail leasing; asset management; facilities management and the property related aspects of corporate and financing transactions and general property advice.

Complementing Luke’s real estate experience, he also has significant knowledge and a keen awareness of the relevant issues potentially impacting AREITs, including corporate governance, tax, compliance and foreign investment rules.

Experience

Some of the more significant and recent matters Luke has advised on include:

• the sale of The Pines shopping centre in Doncaster East, Victoria and Caloundra shopping centre and adjacent development land in Caloundra, Queensland 
• the sale of an industrial site and adjacent development land in Balcatta, Western Australia leased for a dairy distribution centre
• the acquisition of a significant Sydney CBD hotel development site from a consortium of vendors including lease-back arrangements with a major Australian financial institution
• negotiating and documenting the triple-net lease (including redevelopment rights) of a Parramatta CBD commercial building
• the sale of the first five superlots in the first 95-hectare stage of a 260-hectare industrial development in Melbourne’s West
• development, anchor-tenant agreement for lease negotiation; sell-down/fund-through and co-ownership arrangements for EY Tower, 200 George Street Sydney
• acquisition of Harold Park, Glebe, NSW
• development, anchor-tenant agreement for lease negotiation; sell-down/fund-through and co-ownership arrangements for 8 Chifley Square, Sydney
• negotiation of the joint venture arrangements and the development agreement with Landcom for Green Square, Sydney
• acquisition of the Olderfleet buildings, 477 Collins Street, Melbourne
• sell-down and co-ownership arrangements for one of Australia’s largest industrial developments (in excess of 130,000m2) in Hoxton Park, NSW 
• (in the sub-regional and neighborhood shopping centre space) advising on the development of a number of shopping centres, mixed-use and strata developments; the sale and partial lease-back (including development management arrangements) of several new retail centres; the acquisition of new sites; and the disposal program for a number surplus development sites and non-core assets.

Membership

NSW Law Society