Tribunals · London Borough of Southwark · 2017 rating list

Meeting Room 06 Level 24 The Shard 31, St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY

Serviced offices and premises Decided 1 April 2025 CHG101088257 Avison Young (UK) Ltd

OutcomeAllowed in partThe tribunal reduced the rateable value, but by less than the ratepayer sought.
Original RV£8,800£550/m²
Ratepayer sought£500
VO conceded first—
Tribunal decided£8,300£500/m²

Figures are as stated in the decision; a dash means the document does not state that figure. This decision covers 50 properties; the figures shown are for the first listed.

What was argued and what the tribunal found

The appellant challenged the rateable values of 50 serviced office units across Levels 24 and 25 of The Shard, seeking reduction from a base price of £550/m² to £500/m² and removal of a 10-11% "Tower uplift" for south-facing suites. The tribunal upheld the original base price of £550/m² as supported by direct rental evidence from 1 April 2015 and the binding principles in Acenden regarding amortisation of rent-free periods over the full lease term. However, it allowed a 5% end allowance for material change of circumstances (demolition of adjacent Fielden House and reconstruction) for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 January 2022, with the exception of two suites which had already benefited from this allowance. Two appeals were dismissed entirely.

Summary generated from the decision text and checked against it. The appellant was The Office Group Holdings Ltd, represented.

Grounds argued

  • Comparable assessments (tone)
  • Rental evidence · decisive
  • Change of circumstances
Change of circumstances
demolition and reconstruction
Evidence
Rents, Measurement survey, Photographs
Cases cited
Lotus and Delta v Culverwell; Bunyan (VO) v Acenden Limited; Specialeyes Plc v Felgate
Hearing
5 March 2025

Similar decisions

All decisions in London Borough of Southwark · Offices nationally

Is your own rateable value in line?

A free check compares a property with the assessments around it and says plainly whether there is anything worth pursuing.

Check a property

The tribunal’s decision in full

Download the PDF · Find it on valuationtribunal.gov.uk

Decision © Crown copyright, published by the Valuation Tribunal Service under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and reproduced unaltered. This site does not index the names of private individuals that appear in decisions. Information, not advice.