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
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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
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