Richard Heap Editorial
Property Week
Richard Heap is the Professional Editor on Property Week His role involves editing the Professional section of the magazine and website. This covers a broad range of topics including the law, the public sector and professional services including planning, valuation, business rates and sustainability. He is also responsible for PublicPropertyUK.com, our website for public sector property experts. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. And if you have, check it out again. Rich joined Property Week in September 2006 as a reporter on the regional features desk. In December 2008, he moved over to head up the magazine’s professional and legal coverage. Before that he was a trainee at United Business Media including stints at magazines Building, Music Week and Printing World. He grew up in London before moving to Southampton to study English. He came back to London in 2004 to complete his journalism diploma at City University. In his spare time he performs stand-up comedy at pubs and clubs (if you don’t believe it, here’s a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvWBKcWgFN4). He also enjoys documentaries, computer games and real ale. On the day of the 2010 general election he passed his driving test first time and now he needs a car. If anyone’s got a spare Mercedes and wants to donate it, his contact details are below. Find Rich on LinkedIn, Facebook and http://network.propertyweek.com
Stories by this contributor.
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Government can save £180m from estate in 2011/2012
11 November 2011
Cost cutting from London assets paves way for wider regional savings. Richard Heap reports
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Institutional Investor: RICS chief executive Sean Tompkins interviewed
28 October 2011
Chief executive Sean Tompkins is prepared to take a hit to bring the RICS into the 21st century. Richard Heap reports.
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Terror warning for UK property
21 October 2011
Security experts tell developers to do more to protect their buildings. Richard Heap reports
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Human Rights Act hangs over Dale Farm
14 October 2011
High Court to decide on judicial review that will affect development. Richard Heap reports
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Planners train their sights on policy framework
7 October 2011
Local officers have finally had their say on the new framework
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Developer to float in Surbiton
7 October 2011
New technology allows development on flood-risk land
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Lesbian and gay community receives show of support from real estate industry
7 October 2011
Firms organise networking event for property professionals
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Arab Winter: revolutions slow Middle East recovery
30 September 2011
Middle Eastern economies ground to a halt during the Arab Spring and now face months of uncertainty
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Transfer TIF to us, says BCSC
23 September 2011
Retail developers say they could take on risk from councils
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Property should pitch-in to pro bono
23 September 2011
RICS commission says sector still lags behind others
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Free schools attempt to solve property problems
16 September 2011
Finding locations for community-run institutions has been testing
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Legal experts divided over ‘Tesco law’
16 September 2011
Competition from non-traditional lawyers may destroy half of UK law firms
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Gay rights charity targets property companies
16 September 2011
Stonewall to emphasise economic benefits of a more diverse workplace
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Twinterview: SJ Berwin's Simon Ricketts
16 September 2011
The online micro-blogging service Twitter is becoming one of the best ways for property professionals to react quickly and publicly to big news
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Prepack reforms knocked back by critics
9 September 2011
Three-day warning rule delayed as companies and creditors criticise changes
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Tax-increment financing still up in air
9 September 2011
New funding model still some way off despite pleas from industry to use it to kickstart development
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Local authorities and retailers devise riot control strategies
2 September 2011
Birmingham among councils considering better town planning and communication tactics
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Phone mast legislation under review
2 September 2011
Law Commission investigation may help property owners that have been “held to ransom” by telecoms companies
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New policy puts pressure on planners
5 August 2011
Councils will need local plans in place to benefit from simplified planning
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Vexatious village green applications revealed
5 August 2011
Government plans to combat claims used to undermine development
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Government energy targets
5 August 2011
Government departments should do more to improve energy efficiency in buildings by overhauling contracts with facilities managers
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Industry reserves judgement on complex business rates plan
29 July 2011
Six groups potentially affected by ratings changes
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Need to know: the Green Investment Bank
29 July 2011
On 19 July, the UK Green Building Council hosted a discussion at the London office of law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner about how the Green Investment Bank would support green infrastructure projects. The bank has been 10 months in the making, but there is still much to be finalised. Richard Heap explains why it is relevant for property
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Landlords lose out in services reshuffle
22 July 2011
Plans for communities to run local services will complicate public property strategy
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New president embodies RICS’s Asian aspirations
22 July 2011
Ong See Lian to divide his time between east and west
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Landlords struggle with service charges
22 July 2011
Property owners and managers are struggling to show they are complying with RICS standards on managing service charges, new research shows.Property consultant Real Service last Tuesday published its second annual Service Charge Compliance Index, which measures property owners and managers’ compliance with the RICS service charge codes.The results indicate that landlords and property managers are struggling to produce data to show they are complying with service charge deadlines.
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Developers await solution to planning policy conundrum
15 July 2011
Leaked draft of National Planning Policy Framework offers hope to developers
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Pro-development belt tightening poses ‘threat to green belt’
15 July 2011
The government’s presumption in favour of sustainable development could make it difficult for local councils to block environmentally unfriendly schemes
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Enterprise zones take off at a gallop
15 July 2011
Last week, the government revealed the names of 29 proposals to join the second round of UK enterprise zones. Ten zones are due to be designated enterprise zones later this summer.
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Radlett rail freight row rumbles on
15 July 2011
St Albans City and District Council is due to appeal a High Court decision to give permission for a large rail freight interchange
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Business rates go in for a trim in Leeds
15 July 2011
Office occupiers in Leeds have won an appeal at the Valuation Tribunal about business rate levels
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Surveyors exonerated at buy-to-let appeal
8 July 2011
Appeal judge finds over-estimates of rental income were not negligent
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King's Fund: Routes for Social and Health Care
1 July 2011
Healthcare charity the King’s Fund has published a report called Routes for Social and Health Care about government plans to reform the NHS.
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Degree of uncertainty hits student housing
1 July 2011
The pressure is on universities to find the right formula for investment
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Knives are out for localism at Welbeck Land’s debate
1 July 2011
It was billed as a debate about whether the government’s localism agenda could deliver enough new homes
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Friday Bulletin: How localism is damaging development
24 June 2011
Following the news today that councils have sent a resounding message to the government that its localism agenda will drastically cut UK housebuilding, Property Week’s bulletin looks in depth at the policy and its impact.
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CBRE makes senior public sector hires
24 June 2011
CB Richard Ellis has appointed two public sector property heavyweights as strategic advisors to its public sector property team.
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Industry challenges Clark to put presumption into practice
24 June 2011
Presumption in favour of sustainable development welcomed but has its critics
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Bribery: Caught in the act
24 June 2011
Taking a client to Wimbledon next week will be fraught with danger as strict new anti-corruption rules come into force
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Need to know: biodiversity offsetting
24 June 2011
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is planning to roll out pilot projects for biodiversity offsetting next spring. Here is your quick guide
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Councils pressured to sell residential land from all sides
17 June 2011
Local authorities will be caught in a policy pincer movement to force them to make unused sites available for homes, following plans announced last week
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Judgment gives councils final say over business rates list
17 June 2011
A judgment in the Lands Tribunal is good news for property developers that are burdened with rates bills on empty buildings they are developing
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Race stops for London developments during 2012 games
17 June 2011
Olympic Delivery Authority issues rules on deliveries to London sites during Olympics
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Rights of light reform still ‘years away’
17 June 2011
Law Commission report ignores need for changes to law
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Ska Rating extended to retailers and restaurants
17 June 2011
Retailers and restaurant owners will be able to measure the environmental impact of fitting out their units
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New sustainable development powers will help developers, says government
15 June 2011
The government has published planning policy today which it says will pave the way to help developers across the UK.
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Government aims to cut building costs by 20%
10 June 2011
Initiative to make the public sector more attractive to developers launched
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A-Z: Draft of the National Planning Policy Framework
3 June 2011
The Practitioners Advisory Group has proposed a draft of the National Planning Policy Framework
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Developers must take care of the community
3 June 2011
The Land and Society Commission says property can work more with locals
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Government moves away from locally set business rates
3 June 2011
Incentive-based system for approving commercial schemes looks more likely
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Government moves away from locally set business rates
3 June 2011
Incentive-based system for approving commercial schemes looks more likely
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Cala dealt legal blow over Pickles' regional planning strategies revocation
27 May 2011
The Court of Appeal has dealt a blow to Cala Homes in its legal battle with the government over the revocation of regional planning strategies.
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Austerity measures shrink property costs by £120m
27 May 2011
Government reveals results of attempts to reduce size of public property
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Q+A: Kevin McGrath on justice policy
27 May 2011
F&C Reit Asset Management managing director Kevin McGrath has been appointed to a Labour Party working group on justice policy
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Youth of today expect more from their offices
27 May 2011
Challenge for construction to meet employee expectations a hot topic at BCO conference
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Avon gets welcome break in Welsh planning case
27 May 2011
Holiday chalet firm Avon Estates won a planning dispute against Ceredigion County Council and Welsh ministers in the Court of Appeal last week
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Coalition policies will miss green targets
27 May 2011
“In the past 12 months, we have pursued an ambitious green agenda,” said prime minister David Cameron as he launched the new UK energy target last week. If that is the case then it has passed by the property industry unnoticed.But on 17 May, the Department of Energy and Climate Change announced that the UK aims to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2025, compared with 1990 levels. The target, which is part of the government’s fourth carbon budget, has to be set by 30 June.The 50% cu
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Lipton commission tells government to set cities free
27 May 2011
The government is considering incentivising local authorities to give planning permission for commercial properties
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Government's pledges to cut red tape following Penfold report
25 May 2011
The government has pledged to cut red tape to make it easier for developers to get schemes onsite.
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Lipton calls for more local authority business rates powers
23 May 2011
Sir Stuart Lipton has called on government to give local councils more power to set business rates in their area.
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Planning gains from swing to Labour and Conservative
20 May 2011
Lib Dem losses likely to make councils more development friendly
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Investors fly green flag for property values
20 May 2011
Hermes, Tishman Speyer and Credit Suisse identify link between sustainability and property values
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Need to know: Energy Bill
20 May 2011
The Energy Bill, which is being led by under-fire energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne, had its second reading in the House of Commons last Tuesday
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Treatment of NHS property suffers more complications
13 May 2011
Government listening exercise piles uncertainty on NHS property reform
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Lawyers recommend new approach to dilapidations
13 May 2011
Conference speakers urge early action to avoid costly legal cases
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BCO: UK will fails to meet energy targets unless occupiers forced to be greener
12 May 2011
The UK will fail to meet its long-term energy reduction targets unless occupiers are forced to become greener, a conference has heard.
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BCSC calls for rethink on secondary shopping centre valuations
06 May 2011
Guide urges valuers to take closer look at lease terms and tenants’ stability
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‘Valencia opinion’ signals clarity in European procurement law confusion
06 May 2011
Pressure on public finances means councils have few reasons to be cheerful. But they should take heart from a change in the case law around procurement rules, which could make it easier to push on with regeneration plans
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Grosvenor chosen as preferred bidder for Oxford vehicle
06 May 2011
Details of Oxford council and Grosvenor venture in Barton released
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My loss in court will make agents more paranoid about fees
06 May 2011
Details of Oxford council and Grosvenor venture in Barton released
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Grosvenor selected as preferred bidder on Oxford homes
28 April 2011
Oxford City Council has named Grosvenor as preferred bidder to deliver up to 1,000 new homes in Barton, to the northeast of Oxford.
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Design standards proposed to tackle school building waste
28 April 2011
James review recommends overhaul of procurement process and backs decision to scrap BSF programme
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House disguised as barn heralds ‘deception’ clampdown
21 April 2011
The Beesley case is a foretaste of proposed legislation on planning
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Taylor leaves DLA Piper for Pinsent Masons
20 April 2011
Leading property lawyer David Taylor has left law firm DLA Piper to join rival Pinsent Masons
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Property leaders cut into localism at CB Richard Ellis event
15 April 2011
Property leaders believe policy will ultimately stifle development
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Locals will race to challenge councils after Newmarket case
08 April 2011
Local authorities must give reasons before rejecting plans
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High Court swings wrecking ball into developers’ demolition rights
08 April 2011
Planning permission and environmental impact assessment required for demolition
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Coalition pilots "wikiplanning"
1 April 2011
Developers and planners have yet to grasp the planning changes in the Budget and the Plan for Growth, but the government’s appetite for changes shows no sign of abating. Today, the government is due to publish amendments to the Localism Bill, in which it sets out measures to let residents influence the design of schemes online.
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Budget planning moves casts doubt on localism
01 April 2011
Private sector and environmentalists question planning contradictions
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Coalition pilots ‘Wikiplanning’
01 April 2011
Government to allow residents to amend and vote for planning applications through online portal
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Companies face hike in 2011/12 business rates
01 April 2011
Businesses in England and Wales face paying 4.6% more for business rates this year, a rating consultant has warned
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Inspector slams Canary’s CPO tactics
01 April 2011
Report is a lesson for developers that act for public bodies
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Take five … problems with the New Homes Bonus
01 April 2011
The New Homes Bonus will exacerbate the divide between rich areas and the rest, a report warns
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Settlement in controversial rights of light case
29 March 2011
Highcross subsidiary HKRUK II (CHC) has settled its rights of light dispute with neighbouring property owner Marcus Heaney.
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Court ruling means planning permission needed for major building demolition
25 March 2011
Developers will need to get planning permission before demolishing some buildings following a landmark judgment in the Court of Appeal today.
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FIGHT FOR LIGHT
25 March 2011
Next Wednesday the Court of Appeal will decide how far the law backs neighbours in rights of light disputes
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Library closures row escalates
25 March 2011
Government criticised by campaigners and property professionals
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Midweek Budget Bulletin: Everything you need to know from this year's Budget
23 March 2011
Property Week’s editor-in-chief Giles Barrie and assistant editor (professional) Richard Heap take you through the top five key points from this year’s Budget.
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BUDGET 2011: Government's new enterprise zones - full list of locations
23 March 2011
The government has confirmed plans to set up 21 enterprise zones across the UK.
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BUDGET 2011: Commercial-to-residential planning changes confirmed
23 March 2011
The government has confirmed it will consult on plans to make it easier for property owners to convert commercial properties to residential.
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BUDGET 2011: BPF welcomes £250m first-time buyer fund
23 March 2011
The British Property Federation has welcomed details of the government’s £250m fund to help first time buyers.
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BUDGET 2011: Government to accept new growth fund bids next month
23 March 2011
The government is due to start a second round of bidding for its Regional Growth Fund next month.
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BUDGET 2011: Changes to stamp duty land tax welcomed
23 March 2011
The property sector has welcomed changes to Stamp Duty Land Tax announced in today’s Budget.
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BUDGET 2011: Planners hit back at ‘ill-informed’ Pickles
23 March 2011
The president of the Royal Town Planning Institute has hit back at the claim by communities secretary Eric Pickles that the planning system is a “drag anchor to growth”.
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BUDGET 2011: Planning changes will conflict with localism agenda, experts warn
23 March 2011
Expected changes to the planning system in today’s Budget conflict with the government’s localism agenda, planning experts have warned.
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Government steps in to make squatting a criminal offence
21 March 2011
The government has pledged to take steps in 2012 to make squatting a criminal offence, housing minister Grant Shapps has said.
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Make Cable’s land auctions compulsory, says economist
18 March 2011
But property experts warn system could undermine local plans for development
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Brockton trumps rivals with high bid for Mailbox
18 March 2011
Brockton Capital is poised to buy the Mailbox in Birmingham, in what would be the first purchase for its new £500m opportunity fund
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Councils await new business rate regime
18 March 2011
Budget to clarify whether the government favours grants over retention
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Government to attack tax avoidance in Budget
18 March 2011
Stamp Duty Land Tax dodging and non-doms likely to be targeted
