Plowman Craven delivered area measurement, laser scanning, photography and a bespoke digital platform for The Arch Company, a joint venture between Blackstone Property Partners and Telereal Trillium formed following the £1.5bn acquisition of Network Rail’s commercial estate business.
The Arch Company was formed as a joint venture between Blackstone Property Partners and Telereal Trillium following the £1.5bn acquisition of Network Rail’s commercial estate business. The company manages a diverse portfolio of small and medium-sized businesses located predominantly within railway arches, including gyms, restaurants, car mechanics, nurseries, skate parks, and more.
Following a competitive tender and leveraging prior experience with both landlords, Plowman Craven was commissioned to survey the full portfolio of 5,200 railway arches across England and Wales. The project is significant due to the sheer scale, the varied nature of tenant occupation, and the ongoing nature of asset management, requiring a long-term, adaptable surveying approach.
Following the acquisition of the railway arches portfolio, The Arch Company required an accurate and consistent record of the condition, layout and usage of each asset.
Key challenges included:
The scope included full area measurement surveys, high-quality photography and the creation of a remotely accessible digital repository.
Plowman Craven delivered a coordinated survey and digital asset management programme designed to support both initial acquisition requirements and long-term estate management.
Key elements of the solution included:
This integrated approach delivered lasting value across the portfolio, improving visibility, efficiency and confidence in asset management decisions.
In-house teams enabled consistent, high-quality delivery across more than 5,200 assets, providing the scale, control and continuity required for a national estate.
A considered approach to access management and tenant liaison minimised disruption across occupied sites, supporting safe and efficient surveys while maintaining positive tenant relationships.
Survey data, drawings, photography and site metadata are hosted within a bespoke digital platform, providing a single source of truth that enables remote access, efficient oversight and informed decision-making as the portfolio continues to evolve.
Digitally enabled delivery reduced on-site requirements, streamlined survey processes and provided rapid remote access to accurate, trusted information.
“The Arch Company chose Plowman Craven because they had the expertise and technology to accurately measure our portfolio in a timely and cost-efficient manner while demonstrating the management capability to run a large access programme collaboratively and proactively with little disturbance to our tenants.
Their deliverables have proven to be of a high and consistent quality, from asset measurements to plans and photo-imagery. The portal has provided us with a unique tool to use across the business, and our partnership ensures we have confidence in the accuracy and accessibility of our data.”
The project resulted in a comprehensive, portfolio-wide digital record of The Arch Company’s railway estate, underpinned by a bespoke digital platform developed to support long-term asset management. All survey data, drawings, photography and site metadata are accessible remotely, providing a single source of truth for the estate.
Plowman Craven continues to support The Arch Company through ongoing updates to the platform as assets are reconfigured or tenants’ change. This ensures the portfolio remains accurate, current and operationally useful, enabling efficient oversight, informed decision-making and reduced reliance on repeat site visits.
