PROPERTY consultants Vail Williams, based in the south, have completed negotiations to merge with Surrey-based planning and commercial property consultants Robert Shaw and Partners.

The new partnership will be able to supply a much broader service to clients of both companies and provide a range of complementary disciplines in the property sector. Vail Williams' chief executive Ian Rudland is delighted with the merger.

"Robert Shaw and Partners is a mature, established business specialising in planning consultancy but with a very active agency business across Surrey. This will give us a much wider dimension in the property sector.

"Like Vail Williams, they are a respected and capable company with proven ability and a geographic reach far beyond their immediate locality. I see Robert Shaw and Partners as a perfect fit with the varied disciplines, specialisms and expertise of Vail Williams."

Andrew Newman of Vail Williams' Basingstoke office said that the merger would fill an important strategic gap in the coverage of Vail Williams.

He said: "We already enjoy extensive representation in key regional centres across the south and beyond, but the Guildford area, as Surrey's capital, had been recognised as a missing link in our portfolio of offices for some time.

"This merger will allow us to offer existing and new clients a complete property and planning service across the range of our disciplines including asset management, development, valuation and research - all of which include an important element of planning consultancy."

Bill Baxter, managing partner of Robert Shaw and Partners, will lead the new planning consultancy division from the Guildford office, reporting in to Vail Williams' management team.

Partners Marc Riggs and Alastair Grant will continue in their existing agency and planning roles respectively.

Mr Baxter said: "This is a marvellous opportunity for both businesses to grow by exploiting each other's great strengths and enlarged client base.

"There really is no downside to this transaction as we will all benefit - Vail Williams, Robert Shaw and, most importantly, all our clients.

"We had reached a point in our growth cycle that required a radical change to get to the next level.

"Vail Williams is a firm with the resources and areas of operation to enable us to reach that level."

The new company will be called Vail Williams, but the name Robert Shaw will be retained for the foreseeable future on stationery and promotional literature because of its intrinsic value. This will help emphasise the specific planning consultancy expertise available to clients.