The latest news, views and debates from the commercial property industry. A mix of regular short interviews and the weekly news round-up, covering the whole of the commercial property industry.
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 19, 2016
Wednesday Oct 19, 2016
MIPIM UK NEWS: The clever money needs to look outside London for investment opportunities, says Jackie Sadek, chief operating officer of UK Regeneration.
Sadek, talking to EG after the UK Cities: Where is regeneration happening and what are the government’s objectives, debate at Mipim UK 2016 said the value uplift for investment in London was not as good as the regions.
Wednesday Oct 19, 2016
Wednesday Oct 19, 2016
MIPIM UK 2016: The Northern Powerhouse and the Midlands Engine, both areas earmarked for the most dramatic growth, are not going away, according to industry heavyweights.
“With my Northern Gateway hat on, by 2020, there will be 100,000 new homes delivered around Stoke and Cheshire,” said Jackie Sadek, chief operating officer, UK Regeneration, speaking at the MIPIM UK debate entitled “UK Cities: Where is regeneration happening and what are the government’s objectives?”
Her advice for local authorities delivering homes was to “go as far as you legally can”. “If you don’t get central government approval, I will be amazed,” she said.
Devolution is critical for regeneration as well. According to Sherin Aminossehe, executive director at the Government Property Unit, cities need to have that extra element of control. She said: “Cities need to make sure they have a bespoke deal that is right for them rather than one size fits all,” said Aminossehe.
But it is not just devolution. There is a renewed sense of empowerment from the local authorities, said Sadek.
“There is a new-pro growth feeling among local authority leaders, which is a joy to see. It’s not just devolution, it is empowerment,” she said. “But it isn’t universal and national. There are some places in the country that will not accept any more growth, places like Stoke, Cheshire and Warrington.
“Why wouldn’t you reward them with government support in order to deliver the agenda, rather than fight with someone in some leafy shire to do something that nobody wants?”
While panellists acknowledged that a prelet commitment from the Government Property Unit would help to leverage further regeneration schemes and funding, they agreed it was not the “be all and end all”.
Tim Johnson, strategic director of place at Wolverhampton Council, said the focus also needed to be on people and skills and stressed the importance of placemaking when delivering a large-scale regeneration scheme.
Martin McKay, executive director of Regeneration at ClydeGateway, added: “It is not just about economic assets but cultural assets. We are also focusing on our creative sectors.”
By Shekha Vyas
Tuesday Oct 18, 2016
Monday Oct 17, 2016
Monday Oct 17, 2016
Belfast should look to how Dublin has branded itself to attract investment and work together with city to open itself up to further business.
Panellists speaking at Estates Gazettes Question Time event at the Grand Opera House in Belfast agreed that Stormont needed to be more proactive in promoting the Northern Irish capital.
Simon McEvoy, director for Belfast office agency for Savills said Dublin always had a clear idea of selling a ‘Brand Ireland’.
“Stormont needs to be looking at our Irish neighbours to see how well they have been attracting and retaining business, and helping themgrow.
“Dublin has taken the cluster effect well. Ireland has had a 20-year head start on us due to the political system but there is no reason why we can’t start to catch up. Dublin has always had clear idea of what it was selling it knew what sectors it was chasing and planned for these by investing in skills. We can learn a lot from what they did.”
Belfast could also relieve the strain on an overheatedDublin market, according to Michael Graham of Aurora Prime Real Estate.
Craig Logan, Bank of Ireland, agreed. Belfast provided a compelling proposition because of its low occupational costs and ready accessto talent, he said.
But delegates emphasised that infrastructure needed to be improved if the city was to thrive.
Suzanne Wylie, chief executive of Belfast City Council,said: “the nature of the message relating to Dublin has to change. I don’t think it has to be an aggressive competitive approach. It can be win-win. We need to look towards Dublin and how accessible that corridor is, and our air routes.”
Andrew Webb, economist at Webb Advisory suggested Stormont was more of a hindrance than a help. “They should just get out of the way and let Belfast get on with it. I would be pushing for a City Deal,” he said.
by Shekha Vyas
Friday Oct 14, 2016
Friday Oct 14, 2016
Interview with Brandon Weber, chief executive of Hightower - The Profit Prophet
Thursday Oct 13, 2016
Thursday Oct 13, 2016
Wednesday Oct 12, 2016
Wednesday Oct 12, 2016
At the moment Mastercard and Facebook know more about your tenants than you do”, Savannah de Savary, the founder of IndustryHub told a stunned audience. “If you had that wealth of data the amount of opportunities opened up to you would be immense.”
Data, access to it and a fear of sharing it was the main topic of discussion at REWIRE’s REWIREd debate last month. The panel, which comprised de Savary, Dr Chlump Chatkupt, founder of PlaceMake, Anthony Eskinazi, founder of JustPark, Henry Holme, LIVE executive at Pavegen, and Elizabeth Vega, global chief executive of Informed Solutions, all advised the audience to get to grips with the power of data in real estate. And to do so now.
Wednesday Oct 12, 2016
Wednesday Oct 12, 2016
Why are Northern Powerhouse local authorities leaving London boroughs behind on planning application processing?
EG spoke to GL Hearn planning director Ben Wrighton about the results of the 2016 survey, produced in collaboration with the British Property Federation.
Tuesday Oct 11, 2016
Tuesday Oct 11, 2016
Joining forces: Colliers Tony Horrell and Bollingbrook’s Guy Rockingham and Peter Bradford on why their company has joined the agent