All Expert comment articles – Page 4
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InsightThe power of community funds
Businesses on our campuses came together to support the tireless work of London’s small charities during the pandemic, demonstrating the power of collaboration.
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Insight
We must help first-time buyers
London’s first-time homebuyers have struggled to make ends meet for years as they take the first step towards what has always been seen as an inalienable right for the British – to own their own home.
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It is time to bet on build to rent
Would you bet on build to rent (BTR)? As the industry watches many buy-to-let (BTL) landlords leave the market when faced with costly renovation bills to meet new Energy Performance Certificate standards, on top of a demanding tax regime, there appears to be a growing need for this booming sector.
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Insight
Are we going back to the 1970s?
It is tempting to start claiming that we are reverting to the 1970s because of current energy price increases and global political instability.
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Insight
What are the challenges to the UK achieving net zero?
One of the biggest blocks to the UK reaching its obligations to achieve net zero carbon status by 2050 is the fact that almost all the UK’s 29 million homes will need to be retrofitted in order to meet it, according to a Committee on Climate Change report.
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The dangers of new regulations, and how the bridging sector can combat them
By April 2025, any property being let to a new tenant must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or higher, jumping significantly from the current minimum score of E.
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Social value is moving up the agenda for investors
Social value and ESG permeated virtually every talk, roundtable and conversation at Mipim this year. The growing momentum around these themes and their link with the built environment and our urban centres is not new, but this year’s Mipim felt different.
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Insight
We must do more than enthusiastically welcome Ukrainian refugees
In just a matter of days, more than 150,000 people eagerly registered for the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme. However, if we are to truly help those facing an unimaginable crisis, then we must be able to provide more than an initial warm welcome, however heartfelt it may be.
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Insight
Co-living is here to stay
The collapse of co-living pioneer The Collective raised question marks over the future of co-living as an asset class. Yet just as WeWork’s dramatic fall from grace hasn’t spelled the end of co-working, neither will The Collective’s demise see the end of co-living.
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Insight
Immersive experiences can aid recovery of physical retail
There was promising news for the high street recently. According to the Centre for Cities think tank, overall footfall across the UK’s 63 biggest city centres in February was only 7% below where it was pre-Covid.
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Insight
Sensor tech is key for building management
Whereas in the 1960s computers used to take up entire rooms, the advent of the microprocessor has led to the rise of the sensor and the internet of things.
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Insight
Who’s brave enough to ‘fail up’?
If Lord Sugar had his way, every business mishap would end in the project manager being fired on the spot.
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The Golden Rules for great crisis management
Regardless of sector, no business is immune from potential crises. The way you manage them when they happen can make or break a business.
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Insight
Regional renaissance is under way
Levelling up is a mystery to many people in UK property, but Sirius Real Estate’s acquisition of workspace group BizSpace for £380m last November has opened my eyes to the potential for the government’s initiative across the UK.
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Insight
London PBSA opportunity knocks
London has so much to offer students who choose to study in the capital. The appeal of studying at the city’s world-class institutions has significant international and domestic reach.
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Crunch time looms for Johnson
I’ve never been Boris Johnson’s greatest fan, but you do have to cut the guy some slack.
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Insight
As the office market bounces back, we must resist groupthink
Confidence has returned to the central London office market in the past two quarters as demand for workspace has bounced back. Take-up is ahead of the long-term average and vacancy rates are falling.
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Insight
Adapting assets are key to survival
Evolutionary science shows survival is synonymous with an ability to adapt to the environment. Sometimes haphazard, sometimes planned, sometimes copied, adaptation is the key to survival.
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Insight
How is digital technology driving up quality to reduce waste in retail construction?
The last couple of years have been extremely challenging for the UK retail construction market, with a toxic mix of COVID, post-Brexit recruitment drains and inflation putting pressure on an already squeezed industry.
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Insight
Inflation-busting outlets will be retail’s shining light amid cost-of-living crunch
With the cost of living having recently rocketed by its fastest rate in 30 years due to soaring energy prices and rising inflation, millions are braced for what is being widely foreshadowed as the most financially bleak period in 60 years.
