Gordon McMillan
Gordon McMillan
Gordon McMillan
Biography
Gordon is a Partner in the real estate finance team and his principal area of practice is focussed on debt financings secured on real estate in the UK and Europe.
Gordon advises both sponsors and lenders and has advised on the full spectrum of real estate finance transactions from build to rent residential development to senior/mezzanine structured debt transactions to debt portfolio sales and restructurings.
Gordon has spent time on secondment in the structured property debt finance team at Barclays Bank PLC and is recognised as a next generation partner in Legal 500 2025 UK and a leading individual in Chambers & Partners 2025 UK for real estate finance.
Areas of Focus
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Logistics & Industrial
Admissions
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England and Wales
Related Capabilities
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Build to Rent/Multifamily
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Logistics & Industrial
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Financial Institutions
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Sustainable Real Estate
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Real Estate
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Real Estate Finance
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Finance
Experience
- Advising AXA IM as borrower on the c.£500m construction financing of its office development at 50 Fenchurch Street.
- Advising South African property company Burstone on the whole investment life cycle in respect of its European property portfolio. The portfolio consisted of assets in Italy, Belgium, France, Spain, Netherlands, Germany and Poland incorporating multi-year advice including the acquisition financing of its acquisition of the portfolio from Ares, a c.€500m portfolio refinancing to stabilise the portfolio (arranged by Citi and Aareal) and subsequent advice on all aspects of the sale of an 80% stake in the €1.1bn business to Blackstone and its c.€600m refinance of existing indebtedness.
- Advising Tristan Capital Partners’ debt fund as lender on several transactions across self-storage, BTR, office, education and hotels including its c.£180m financing of three BGO and Mission Street owned life sciences developments, the €110m refinancing of Volta/1Box’s Dutch self-storage platform, the development financing of an educational property in Paris and the c.£110m refinancing of Moda and Apache’s Broad Street BTR asset in Birmingham.
- Advising KKR & Co as borrower on a number of transactions across BTR, hotels, office and logistics both in the UK and in Europe.
- A major global private credit institution as lender on a number of transactions lending to European private equity companies’ logistics platforms in both the UK and the Nordics.
- Advising Northwood Investors as borrower on the c.£165m refinancing of its BTR joint venture platform with Platform_.
- Advising Cheyne Capital Partners (as investor and lender) on a number of their debt and equity investments in co-living and housebuilding platforms including in respect of Taxi House, Maida Vale.
- Advising Crosstree Real Estate Partners as borrower on its c.£400m refinancing of the Berkeley Estate (including the One Hotel) with a club of lenders.
- Advising a major European private equity house on its c.£350m refinancing of its stabilised BTR platform with a European investment bank.
Related Insights
Insights
Nov 03, 2025
Nov 03, 2025
Financing data centre developments: Balancing risk and opportunity in a capital-intensive sector
This is the third in a ten-part article series on the legal strategies shaping the future of data centre development in the UK.
The United Kingdom’s data centre sector is built on a striking paradox: demand for digital infrastructure seems limitless, but building it requires eye-watering amounts of capital. A hyperscale facility can cost more than £500 million, putting data centres among the most capital-intensive real estate assets in the world.
In this high-stakes environment, financing is not just about securing capital. It’s about designing the right capital structure – balancing debt and equity in a way that reduces risk, satisfies lenders, equity partners and tenants, and still delivers long-term returns.
In this third instalment of our Insight Series, we look at how sophisticated financing structures are used to balance risk and opportunity in the UK data centre market and share practical advice to help developers navigate complexity with confidence
Insights
Oct 23, 2025
Oct 23, 2025
Structuring shell and core data centre developments: Legal strategies for scalability and flexibility
This is the second in a ten-part article series on the legal strategies shaping the future of data centre development in the UK.
The UK data centre sector’s expansion is increasingly dominated by the shell and core development model. Hyperscale and major colocation tenants are seeking to deploy capital efficiently, accelerate their time-to-market, and retain maximum control over their proprietary technical environments. In response, developers are delivering powered shells – buildings with foundational power and cooling infrastructure but without tenant-specific fit-out – as the market standard.
This approach provides tenants with the freedom to customise their IT architecture. But it also presents developers and investors with complex legal and commercial challenges. The core objective is to create a flexible, scalable asset while ensuring a secure, bankable investment that meets the stringent criteria of institutional finance.
The success in shell and core projects depends on the seamless integration of planning, development, construction, leasing and regulatory strategies. A misstep in one area can cascade through the project, affecting finance, tenant relationships and operational performance.
This second instalment of our Insight Series examines the legal frameworks underpinning these developments, from the structure of development management agreements and lease contracts to the regulatory considerations shaping the market.
Awards
Oct 16, 2025
Oct 16, 2025
Chambers 2026 UK guide ranks BCLP in 36 practice areas and recognises 76 individual lawyers
In the 2026 edition of Chambers UK BCLP received 36 practice area rankings and 76 individual lawyer recognitions. This year, the firm is recognized in six new practice areas and improved to a Band 1 ranking for Commercial Contracts, as well as a Band 2 ranking for Hotels and Leisure.
Insights
Oct 14, 2025
Oct 14, 2025
Mastering powered land transactions for UK data centres
This is the first in a ten-part article series on the legal strategies shaping the future of data centre development in the UK.
The UK’s data centre market is entering a period of rapid expansion, set to grow from $10.7 billion in 2024 to $22.7 billion by 2030. This is being driven by the computational demands of artificial intelligence, the widespread shift to cloud services and the relentless rise of enterprise-level computing. The result is a highly competitive market for powered land.
For hyperscale operators, institutional investors and specialist developers, the acquisition of these sites is no longer confined to the parameters of conventional real estate. Instead, it’s now a complex, high-stakes convergence of energy regulation, planning law and strategic commercial negotiation. Successfully navigating this landscape to deliver projects on time and on budget requires commercially astute legal advice to mitigate risk, unlock value and achieve market-leading outcomes.
In this article, we explore the legal, regulatory and commercial strategies that underpin successful data centre development, from planning consent and power supply agreements to ESG integration and emerging technological requirements.
News
Oct 01, 2025
Oct 01, 2025
The Legal 500 UK 2026
News
Jun 05, 2025
Jun 05, 2025
BCLP advises Tristan Capital Partners on €400m pan-European easyHotel takeover
Awards
Oct 17, 2024
Oct 17, 2024
Chambers 2025 UK guide ranks BCLP in 34 practice areas and recognises 74 individual lawyers
News
Oct 02, 2024
Oct 02, 2024
The Legal 500 UK 2025 guide ranks BCLP in 52 practice areas and recognizes 69 lawyers as “leading individuals”
News
Sep 16, 2024
Sep 16, 2024
BCLP advise Burstone on their strategic partnership with Blackstone in relation to its €1.1bn pan-European logistics portfolio