03/13/2018

There are just days left before the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) start to come into effect. Vail Williams partner, David Castle, explains how this affects the interested parties in a property, from landlord to tenant - and even some of those less directly involved. If you haven’t already heard about MEES here's some information about what they are, what to do to prepare for them, and by when. The new standards will directly affect tenants, landlords, investors and developers, as

03/07/2018

Nigel Hewitson, planning partner at BrookStreet des Roches, weighs up whether prime minister Theresa May's comments about developers during her March 5 speech on the planning reforms were entirely justified. We are regularly told that, as a country, we are not building enough homes. There is widespread acceptance that, to meet demand, the UK needs to build about 300,000 new homes a year. Yet for years we have built, at best, half that number. The result is ever higher property prices which

03/06/2018

Steve Head, business space partner at Hicks Baker, describes deals which have defied the trend for Permitted Development. Despite recent changes in the tax regime, designed to dampen aspects of the buy-to-let residential market, there has been no tailing off of demand for the conversion of existing office buildings to residential under Permitted Development (PD) Rights. However, as a number of recent deals transacted by Hicks Baker illustrate, the change of use to residential is not

02/27/2018

Linda Staker, business rates partner at Vail Williams, illustrates why it is more important than ever to know what businesses can do about minimising what they need to pay. According to statistics published by Government in December, the number of business rates ‘checks’ lodged by Thames Valley businesses have dropped by a huge 97 per cent, compared with the previous revaluation in 2010. Despite boasting some of the country’s leading organisations, businesses in the Thames Valley are failing

01/19/2018

Our wellness round table, featured in three parts last week, brought together a range of people involved in improving employee performance through workplace design. Steve Hutton, director of Three Sphere Workplace Design, sums up the debate and offers some assistance. Wellness debate Part 1: 'Employers fail to grasp the impact of the workplace' Wellness debate Part 2: 'Workers need a variety of spaces' Wellness debate Part 3: Feedback loop 'is essential' It’s all about performance - the art

03/16/2018

Lipman Developments has applied to convert Emerald House on Newbury Business Park to 138 flats under Permitted Development Rights. Through agent RPS, Lipman wants to convert the 1980s-built office structure into residential. It currently has 131 parking spaces. RPS states in its documentation that if the prior approval request is granted a full planning application will follow for alterations including new windows and cladding. It states: “The Applicant is keen on providing high-quality

03/15/2018

Two Berkshire MPs are to help press for progress on the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH). Slough MP Tan Dhesi and Newbury’s Richard Benyon have joined the WRLtH stakeholder steering group as co-chairs ahead of its final public consultation, starting late spring. Mr Dhesi said: “It is not just the large number of my constituents who work at and use Heathrow that would benefit from a direct link: 20 per cent of the UK population would have access to the airport via one interchange. “This

03/14/2018

The wraps have come off one of the most knowledge-intensive collaborative working areas in the Thames Valley. Innovation Catalyst was unveiled to businesses when more than 100 people gathered at Thames Valley Science Park to see the new collaboration space. The 65-seat workspace, a joint venture between Barclays Eagle Labs, funding brokers VitalSix, Henley Business School and the University of Reading-owned science park, was formally launched on March 8. VitalSix will operate Barclays’ 15th