Brentford Stadium plan moves closer after CPO

One of the last remaining hurdles blocking Brentford FC’s new 20,000-seater stadium has been lifted after a compulsory purchase order was approved. But First Industrial which owns Capital Court, an office block on the Lionel Road South site in Hounslow, is considering further legal steps after it said the offer of £2.5 million was a fraction of its value. In a statement on the club’s website, chairman Cliff Crown said: “Achieving the approval for the Compulsory Purchase Order is another step

New transport strategy for Guildford

Just a week after a masterplan for Guildford was approved, councillors will be considering a new strategy for transport. The draft masterplan was agreed at a meeting of the full council at Guildford Borough on Tuesday (April 12) to guide development. It had been approved by the authority’s executive on March 22. Now a new programme of schemes covering cars, buses, trains, cycling and Walking in the borough until 2033 goes before the borough executive committee rather than Surrey County Council,

Royal Borough offers rates relief to fill empty shops

A new policy of business rates relief is being offered to new tenants in Windsor and Maidenhead to try to fill empty units in the high streets. The Royal Borough introduced the discretionary rate relief policy at the start of April to replace the reoccupation scheme which had helped 15 empty business premises become reoccupied across the borough. Relief totalling £169,000 was granted to businesses. Under the new scheme which runs until March 31, 2018, new occupants can apply for relief for 18

Thames Valley Property Forum: All you need to know

Hundreds of Thames Valley property professionals will gather later this year to discuss how the region should continue its success – and ask: Is it cool enough to maintain its growth? The Thames Valley Property Forum, now officially launched, will gauge whether the area has the right cool and funky image to attract young creative professionals needed to keep its role as the powerhouse of the UK economy. The ‘cool debate’ will top the agenda with speakers including Ute Bockstegers, CFO/head of

LSH report reveals Q2 will be key

The second quarter of 2016 will be key to the success of the Thames Valley office market this year according to new research. Thames Valley office market pulse for Q1 2016, published by Lambert Smith Hampton reports there have been conflicting signals during the year’s first three months. Enquiries were at the highest level ever recorded in a Q1 and record rents were achieved in locations, such as Maidenhead, Guildford, Slough and Watford. But although the market is looking healthy on the

Lifts added at Forbury Place after completion

SSE has said there will be no delay in the firm’s plans to move into its new Forbury Place building in Reading despite a late amendment to add two new lifts. Developer M&G; has added a lift internally and externally to the building since the SSE deal was signed and has similarly amended its plans for the neighbouring Phase ll building which it has just begun. Rumours have persisted that since signing a lease to move in last summer, SSE, which took possession of the building in January,

Basingstoke local plan set for approval

A new local plan for Basingstoke and Deane that will take the area up to 2029 has moved a step closer. Planning inspector Mike Fox has declared the plan to be ‘sound’ and the council will be asked to formally adopt it on May 26. It will then become the key document guiding how planning applications will be determined up to 2029. This follows a long and detailed process, including extensive public consultation. It sets out where new homes should be built, identifies where new businesses should

Didcot set for another 4,000 homes

Plans for up to 4,254 houses and a host of schools, facilities and infrastructure at Didcot go before planners on Wednesday, (April 20). Hallam Land Management’s scheme to the west of Great Western Park also includes two primary schools, a special needs school, sports pitches, community and leisure facilities, retail, open space and extensive green infrastructure on the 440-acre site. The homes will include 35 per cent which are affordable. The former farmland is on the western edge of Didcot,

Kier plans industrial units for Houndmills site

Kier Property plans to demolish buildings on the Houndmills Industrial Estate in Basingstoke and replace them with three modern industrial units. Kier has acquired the site from HM Publishers Holdings Ltd , currently home to a large warehouse, a five storey office block and additional single storey office, and wants to meet local demand with new units totalling 108,000 sq ft, which are subject to planning. Lambert Smith Hampton, which acted for Kier on the acquisition, has now been instructed

Take up begins at 3 Queens Road

A £1.5 million upgrade of 3 Queens Road, Reading has resulted in the building’s first new tenant. Croudace Properties, advised by Lambert Smith Hampton’s Reading-based agency team, acquired the building in June 2014 and has carried out the upgrade ever since. Now Operational Research in Health Ltd has taken the 3,939 sq ft second floor at a rent of £26.50 per sq ft. The ground, first and third floors, offering 3,635 sq ft, 3,763 sq ft and 3,902 sq ft respectively, remain available. The 15,239