stamp duty on "linked" purchases

[jrhcep]

Members of my family are about to buy two commercial properties (two storage units next to each other).

The properties will be held personally and not by the businesses which will use them.

These units are being sold separately by a divorcing husband and wife who each own one unit.

The combined price is above the stamp duty threshold but separately they are not.

The units will be used together with some common staff but there will be two distinct businesses based there (both Limited companies with different shareholders and different activities)

We want to buy the properties with different groupings of the family members - can we do this so the HMRC will not be able to argue that these are linked purchases?

Jeff