05/14/2018

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

05/10/2018

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

05/01/2018

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

04/30/2018

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.

04/27/2018

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,

05/17/2018

Councillors in Wokingham have approved the redevelopment of 1970s-built temporary homes in Gorse Ride. Wokingham Borough Council’s executive committee approved the plans on Wednesday, May 16. The £30 million scheme will involve demolition of 176 houses in order to build 243. Committee member Cllr Prue Bray told the Wokingham Paper: “This is a really important project for the council because we have number of houses in Gorse Ride that are not in a very good condition and we need to do something

05/17/2018

Plans to turn the former Auto Trader building in Earley into flats has been turned down for the second time. Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee rejected proposals by Equity Real Estate Developments to convert the building into 76 flats, despite a recommendation for approval by officers. Last year the council had rejected a previous scheme by the same developer to create 126 flats there.That scheme was also refused on appeal. Refusal was decided on the grounds that the proposed

05/16/2018

Plans for 248 properties at Camberley have been submitted by Nicholas King Homes. The application to Surrey Heath Borough Council is for a 21.2-hectare site at Water’s Edge, Mytchett. The developer plans 30 one-bedroom homes, 96 with two, 78 with three and 44 with four and four-plus bedrooms. The site is largely vacant but there are buildings which were intended to be used as a golf driving range and restaurant but are currently unused. The development is around a kilometre from both North