AIRSPACE -TopHuis®
In London and the South East commuter towns, the most valuable land is often not what you can see at ground level, it’s the air above it.
​
Airspace development via TopHuis® unlocks a hidden asset class: building high-quality new homes above existing buildings, car parks, or commercial sites, without demolition or tenant disruption.
​
This is a smarter, more sustainable way to create value:
​
​
No demolition — existing tenants remain, income is preserved.
​​No downtime — leases and operations can continue throughout construction.
Pure uplift — value is created from space that, until now, delivered nothing.
​
​
At Rowan Edward Land, in partnership with Urban View, we specialise in identifying and delivering these opportunities. Using modern methods of construction, we can add several storeys — in some cases up to 25 — above existing assets, turning rooftops into extremely valuable development sites in their own right (subject to planning permission).
​
It’s an approach that delivers for everyone:
​​
​
Landowners unlock value that was previously invisible.
Local authorities support it as a sustainable form of intensification.
Communities gain new housing without losing existing uses.
​​
​
We don’t just find land. We create it.
​ Breeden House Crewe, 117 new homes, Source: Urban View
Source
Airspace for Asset Managers
​
For funds, REITs, and institutional landlords, airspace development is one of the most exciting asset management opportunities of the decade.
​
The challenge has always been the same: how do you capture development value without disrupting the income, tenants, and stability that underpin asset performance and value? Traditionally, the answer was wholesale redevelopment — expensive, disruptive, and often commercially unviable. Unless residual land value far exceeds EUV.
​
In partnership with Urban View we offer a different solution.
​
By building above existing assets, supermarkets, retail parks, car parks, shopping centres, offices, mixed-use buildings — we enable you to:
​
Preserve income — tenants can stay, leases can remain intact.
Unlock hidden value — monetise the air above your assets.
Future-proof portfolios — diversify into residential value streams.
Deliver ESG goals — avoid demolition, cut carbon, align with planning policy for urban intensification.
Scale across estates — once proven on one asset, roll out across your portfolio.
​
And crucially:
​
We take on the planning risk and cost.
​
Once planning is achieved, outcomes are structured around your objectives: joint venture, outright sale, or capital recycling.​
​
This is more than a development strategy, it’s a scalable asset management play. It means enhancing NAV, recycling capital, densifying intelligently, and securing long-term growth without sacrificing current performance.
​
At Rowan Edward Land, together with Urban View TopHuis®, we deliver the complete solution: planning, design, strategy, and exit. For forward-thinking asset managers, the future of growth isn’t just at ground level.
​
It’s above it.
​ Cotton Lane Ex-Police Station, Derby, 102 new homes, Source: Urban View
Source