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,

04/27/2018

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

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

05/09/2018

An estate of 178 homes may be demolished for a new development of 243. Wokingham Borough Council’s executive will meet on Wednesday, May 16 to decide whether to approve £30 million to redevelop homes at the Gorse Ride estate at Finchampstead. The money will fund the second phase of the development. A planning application for the first phase will be submitted next month. The 1970s prefabricated homes, built to last just 10-20 years, will make way for a varied range of new properties, with

05/09/2018

Thames Tap sponsor, Vail Williams, has merged with Hughes Ellard to become one of the largest property advisers in the south. The four directors of Hughes Ellard - Gary Jeffries, Carl Walker, Russell Mogridge and Nik Cox – have become equity partners in Vail Williams while all other members of its 25-strong team will take up equivalent roles in Vail Williams’ Southampton or Portsmouth offices. A combined team of over 50 will operate across the Solent and south coast area while the total number