Estates Gazette Property Podcasts

Bricks & Mortar: Osborne Clarke’s David Powell on his career in residential property law

This latest episode of Bricks & Mortar sees Osborne Clarke’s David Powell look back on his career in the industry. The residential property lawyer – until recently head of the firm’s residential development and landowner sector group – has over thirty years’ experience of advising developer clients and here he shares what he learned during that time.

He reflects on significant change – both in the legal profession and within real estate as a sector – and offers practical advice to those affected by the downturn, including being proactive and understanding your own strengths and weaknesses.

David also has constructive advice for the next generation of property lawyer: “First and foremost, you’ve got to be a decent lawyer. You’ve got to have a reasonable eye for detail. But you have to be able to translate your knowledge of the law into layman’s language so that your clients can understand what you’re trying to do. That applies across the board in terms of law but I think it’s perhaps even more important in the housebuilding industry. The other thing is that you have to understand the sector. You have to understand what keeps your clients awake at night. Understand the politics. Understand what’s coming down the road in terms of new legislation and interpret that for your clients. Make sure you’re with them as a partner rather than just being reactive...”

Tune in now for the full discussion and David’s insights.

Is real estate set for a stronger Q4 than anticipated? Will one of the UK's "most grotesque" housing policies be overturned? Could a small victory for retail landlords be on the horizon?

On this week's We're Still Here podcast it's all about answering some pretty big questions. Host Emily Wright is joined by EG's news editor Pui-Guan Man and residential reporter Emma Rosser to dive into all things planning, deals, offices and retail. 

Rosser kicks off this week's episode with an in depth overview of the planning backlash which has called time on "grotesque" PDR micro-homes before delving into the growing rebellion against proposed planning reforms. The latter has seen former prime minister Theresa May attack the proposals and call on government to come up with an alternative. "My point is simple," she said in a debate in the House of Commons. "These proposals do not deliver on government policies."

Then, Man gives an overview of this week's big deals news and hints at the possibility of a stronger Q4 for real estate than many were expecting and a small victory for retail landlords. 

For all of this plus more, tune into this week's episode of We're Still Here. 

Richard Harwood OBE QC on planning reform and the importance of judicial review

EG's Jess Harrold interviews Richard Harwood OBE QC, joint head of chambers at 39 Essex Chambers and one of the leading barristers in the planning field.

Together, they discuss Harwood's career, the vital role that judicial review plays in fair and proper planning decision-making, the impact of the 2020 pandemic on planning and the court process, and the government's further proposals for reform of the system.

"All is not on pause". Good news for regen schemes, all change at some of real estate's biggest companies and EG's race diversity survey reveals "appalling" insight into discrimination

On this week's We're Still Here podcast, host Emily Wright is back and is joined by editor Samantha McClary for a good, old-fashioned round-up of the week's biggest stories. 

 

If you missed any of this week's content in print, this podcast is the place to catch up as we delve into everything from the new guard shaking up some of real estate's biggest and most traditional companies to why "all is no on pause" as local authorities prepare to press the reset button on major regeneration schemes. 

 

Also this week, we highlight some of the key findings from EG's race diversity survey and discover a big discrepancy between the perceived size of the problem and the reality. If you read one thing this week, make it these results which you can find here https://www.egi.co.uk/news/eg-race-survey-reveals-appalling-insight-into-discrimination-within-industry/. 

Enough is enough: property’s problem with institutional racism

Results from EG's first survey looking into the race and racism in real estate are shocking but sadly not surprising. The industry is overwhelmingly white. But it is also, according to the survey, overwhelming failing to take action. 

In this podcast EG editor Samantha McClary and reporter Lucy Alderson speak with Bola Abisogun, founder of DiverseCity Surveyors, Ghislaine Halpenny,  director of strategy and external affairs at the British Property Federation and Chris Ireland, UK chief executive at JLL, about what the result mean and, most importantly, how they have to spur the industry and all of us into making a change.

Click here to read the survey in full

Bricks & Mortar: Chartered Surveyors Training Trust CEO Terry Watts on its new schools programme: My Environment My Future

In this latest episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman is joined by Terry Watts, CEO of the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust – an organisation founded in the 1980s to “tackle the lack of diversity in the surveying profession”.

To help support that objective, it this week launches My Environment My Future, a new schools programme seeking to promote the built environment and careers available within the surveying profession to those taking GCSE geography.

Watts discusses the background to the initiative, how the programme’s structured and the positive feedback from the initial pilot project, which suggested that the scheme had been successful in not only promoting an understanding of the sector amongst participants, but in motivating them to consider pursuing a career in the built environment.

He highlights his plans to develop the scheme – including expanding it to cover other careers in the built environment – and how his ultimate aim “is that there will be a GCSE for the built environment just as there’s one in business studies … then there’ll be a route to choose. Meanwhile, we’re trying to signpost as many other routes and other opportunities for people to find out more as we can.”

Shifting working patterns: What WFH really means for real estate

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast editor Samantha McClary talks to EG’s head of workspace research Graham Shone about his Shifting Working Patterns investigation.

This in depth report, which utilises Radius Data Exchange insight, takes a look at what impact the move to majority working at home really means for real estate. Does it really mean the death of the office? Are city centres now redundant? Is there a hope for local retail as we all spend longer at home and are we all really going to move to the country?

Listen in for Graham’s expert insight and click here to download the report.

London's working from home conundrum, out of adversity comes opportunity, EG's mental health survey and: "What's your favourite doughnut?"

We’re Still Here is back for another episode this week, making Friday a Friyay. And while tech and special projects editor Emily Wright is away for the week making pastry somewhere deep in Middle England, tech and global reporter Lucy Alderson has stepped in this week to debrief on this week’s biggest news stories with deputy editor Tim Burke.

And unlike the jam-packed, news-filled week it was for all things property, Alderson and Burke kick off proceedings by discussing how the government’s U-turn on its back to the office campaign could see London turn into a doughnut – nothing in the middle with lots of activity round the edges. The duo discuss the various reactions from real estate heavyweights to the government’s new covid-19 measures, and how it will affect the capital’s recovery in the long-term.

Attentions turn to discussing the latest developments concerning the widespread redundancy programmes taking place across the agency sector. This week saw a number of high profile senior directors strike out on their own to set up new consultancies after losing their jobs, and Alderson and Burke discuss the challenges, but also the opportunities, that removing the stigma around redundancies could present.

The two also discuss another issue that stigma also surrounds – mental health. Last week EG launched its second annual mental health survey to gather insight into the mental health of property’s workforce. Last year’s survey showed that 1 in 4 property professionals had considered suicide, and EG is looking to see whether property has been able to shift those worryingly high stats back. Please help us by filling out the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VBKMQ6Y  

Future of Southampton: Plans for a cleaner, greener city

Southampton City Council’s Green City Charter has put a commitment to addressing the biggest environmental challenges facing the city front and centre for its business community and residents.

What role and responsibilities does the real estate industry have to play in ensuring the city meets its sustainability targets? And how does the Covid-19 crisis refocus or reinforce those goals?

In this conversation, recorded as part of EG’s Future of Southampton event, deputy editor Tim Burke is joined by:

Pete Boustred, head of green city and infrastructure, Southampton City Council
Gary Whittle, commercial director, Meachers Global Logistics
Amanda Reynolds, director, AR Urbanism

To access all of our content from the event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-southampton/

Future of Southampton: Navigating the Covid-19 recovery

Southampton, like so many other cities, is attempting to look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and map out a path to recovery. But the experiences of its leaders, businesses and residents during the crisis will mean that not everything returns to how it was before.

In this conversation, recorded as part of EG’s Future of Southampton event, we ask how Southampton’s real estate industry and built environment will be reshaped by the events of 2020, and what a thriving, vibrant city centre now needs to look like.

Joining EG’s deputy editor Tim Burke are:

- Nick Jones, head of Southampton office, AECOM
- Gavin Hall, director, planning, Savills
- Jo McGuinness, partner, real estate, Shoosmiths
- Megan Streb, partnerships manager, Sustrans

To access all of our content from the event head to https://www.egi.co.uk/the-future-of-southampton/