06/11/2018

‘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

05/21/2018

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

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

06/22/2018

Plans for a new world-leading weather forecasting centre at the University of Reading have taken a step forward. The Council of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), currently based on MoD land in Shinfield Road, Reading, is in discussion with the Government to move and the university has sole-bidder status to house the new headquarters. Now the ECMWF has agreed to establish a feasibility group to work on the logistics of creating the new building on university land.

06/21/2018

Bidwells has produced its second research document on the Cambridge to Oxford arc with a focus on rebranding the route. Work has begun on an economic vision for the proposed road and rail transport corridors between the two world-renowned university cities and Bidwells, which has offices in both and another in Milton Keynes, is at the centre of the debate. In a blog post, Ben Lee, communications boss for the property consultancy, highlights diverse views over the current name for the project,

06/20/2018

A bid for £2.4 million to help fund a new park & ride at Coppid Beech has been submitted to Thames Valley Berkshire LEP. If approved, the money will go towards the £3m Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) development of a 300-space park & ride at the Coppid Beech roundabout. It is one of two schemes to increase and improve park & ride in the Wokingham borough. The other, which already has £3m funding from the LEP in place, is a £3.6m scheme to extend and improve Winnersh Triangle park & ride. Both