31 Aug, 2018

Karen Jones, partner in the planning & environmental law team at Blandy & Blandy, explains the differences between planning solicitors - or lawyers - and planning consultants. One of the most frequent questions I am asked as a planning lawyer is - What do you do? There is often a perception of overlap between planning consultants and planning lawyers but if you have the right professionals advising that should not be the case. As a legal associate of the Royal Town Planning Association I

28 Aug, 2018

Vail Williams Partner, David Castle, explains the importance of occupiers making provision for dilapidations long before their lease comes to an end. It’s easy to put off thinking about issues that may arise from breaches of lease covenants relating to the condition of your property, but it’s important for businesses to ensure they’re one step ahead from the outset. The best way to avoid major cost implications when it’s time to exit the property is by having a clear understanding of your

31 Jul, 2018

Vail Williams partner, David Thomas, weighs up the pros and cons of co-working spaces for occupiers. At a recent seminar the hosts posed the question of whether the office was dead, with the conclusion in part, that ‘it wasn’t dead but just smells a bit funny’. If you follow the press documenting the gargantuan expansion and growth of co-working spaces, not only in London but across the UK, you may jump to the conclusion that traditional office space may have had its day. With the

06 Jul, 2018

Buckinghamshire law firm Blaser Mills Law sets out the progress of the third runway at Heathrow Airport from the commitment given by the Government almost a decade ago to the future the expansion offers the region. “Check in” – a look back on events leading to the crucial vote​ In 2009, the incumbent transport secretary Geoff Hoon declared that the cabinet at the time supported the notion of a third runway to be built at Heathrow Airport. On June 5, 2018, almost 10 years later, the transport

31 Aug, 2018

Karen Jones, partner in the planning & environmental law team at Blandy & Blandy, explains the differences between planning solicitors - or lawyers - and planning consultants. One of the most frequent questions I am asked as a planning lawyer is - What do you do? There is often a perception of overlap between planning consultants and planning lawyers but if you have the right professionals advising that should not be the case. As a legal associate of the Royal Town Planning Association I

28 Aug, 2018

Vail Williams Partner, David Castle, explains the importance of occupiers making provision for dilapidations long before their lease comes to an end. It’s easy to put off thinking about issues that may arise from breaches of lease covenants relating to the condition of your property, but it’s important for businesses to ensure they’re one step ahead from the outset. The best way to avoid major cost implications when it’s time to exit the property is by having a clear understanding of your

31 Jul, 2018

Vail Williams partner, David Thomas, weighs up the pros and cons of co-working spaces for occupiers. At a recent seminar the hosts posed the question of whether the office was dead, with the conclusion in part, that ‘it wasn’t dead but just smells a bit funny’. If you follow the press documenting the gargantuan expansion and growth of co-working spaces, not only in London but across the UK, you may jump to the conclusion that traditional office space may have had its day. With the

06 Jul, 2018

Buckinghamshire law firm Blaser Mills Law sets out the progress of the third runway at Heathrow Airport from the commitment given by the Government almost a decade ago to the future the expansion offers the region. “Check in” – a look back on events leading to the crucial vote​ In 2009, the incumbent transport secretary Geoff Hoon declared that the cabinet at the time supported the notion of a third runway to be built at Heathrow Airport. On June 5, 2018, almost 10 years later, the transport

11 Jun, 2018

‘Just do it’ was the resounding response from Thames Tap’s Voices of the Valley when we asked their thoughts on Heathrow expansion – and some had a little more to say. A mix of positivity and exasperation was evident when we asked our panel for their views on the long-awaited third runway which came a step closer when transport secretary Chris Grayling set out the Government’s final proposal for an Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) on June 5. A vote will take place in Parliament within

21 May, 2018

UK Property Forums researcher Andrew Gibson reports from the FT Future of Construction summit at One Great George Street in London on Wednesday, May 16. Technology has been at the forefront of discussion when looking beyond the horizon in any industry - and construction is no different. But is it all hot air? A recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute found the construction sector to be one of the least digitised global industries. While there has been great progress in the development

14 May, 2018

Thames Tap spoke to two of the leading figures behind the multi-billion pound regeneration of Basingstoke; Cllr John Izett, former managing director of Rogers Chapman at the time it was sold to JLL, and Victor Nicholls, former deputy chief executive of Bracknell Forest Council. Both public and private investment is flowing into Basingstoke and the councillor overseeing the town’s regeneration has no doubts why. A combination of an 8,000-home Garden Town, the £300 million rebuilding of its main

10 May, 2018

Few people have a better understanding of the issues facing Oxfordshire than Bob Price. We spoke to the former leader of Oxford City Council about how both the city and the county should address the challenges in its dynamic future. The May elections brought to an end 35 years on Oxford City Council for former leader Bob Price. Mr Price spent half his life on the authority during a period of development unlike anything the city has seen. Yet the growing pains caused by the explosion of

01 May, 2018

The evolution of the Harwell Campus moves into a new stage this year as plans are drawn up to build 1,000 homes on the site. The 710-acre former RAF airfield, operated since 2014 by a partnership between Harwell Oxford Partners and U+I, plus two Government backed agencies, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (UKRI STFC) and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), has long been a global success story of leading-edge science and is already expanding commercially faster than anywhere in

30 Apr, 2018

Delegates at a special debate at the Oxfordshire Property Festival learned of the extraordinary growth of the University of Oxford in recent years and the knock on effects that have resulted. The College Bursars’ Round Table, chaired by Hugh Blaza, senior partner at BrookStreet des Roches, was a rare look at the finances and challenges facing the university and its colleges at a time of rapid growth. It was held under a form of Chatham House rules so some information is not attributed.

27 Apr, 2018

Five years on from the introduction of Permitted Development Rights (PDR), Andy Jansons, managing director of Jansons Property, weighs up the pros and cons it has brought to the industry. Although opinions vary on PDR, most would agree it is something of a double-edged sword. Its critics acknowledge its success in creating additional homes often in town centres where they support the retail, while many of its supporters accept there is a cost in lost employment sites and, subsequently,

27 Apr, 2018

Slough’s council leader believes the booming borough can become a city within the next five to 10 years. Cllr James Swindlehurst told Thames Tap city status would match the authority’s ambitions for massive future developments which are on a scale even bigger than those built in recent years. Thousands more homes, £40 million of new leisure and one of the most ambitious shopping centre developments of recent times, he suggests, will help Slough’s bid. Cllr Swindlehurst said: "We are serious