All Feedback articles

  • EPC_credit_shutterstock_MPanchenko_365270297
    Insight

    Eco upgrading offers opportunities

    2023-03-30T00:00:00Z

    The office sector is truly being hit while it is down. Covid-19 sparked a destructive spiral and now the next level of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) comes into effect on 1 April, meaning all buildings will have to have a minimum EPC rating of ‘E’ – and from 2030, ...

  • Houses of Parliament
    Insight

    Budget had an upside for commercial investors

    2023-03-30T00:00:00Z

    It is clear that Jeremy Hunt’s recent spring Budget favoured commercial property investors along with those who specialise in serviced accommodation. 

  • Female work colleagues chatting shutterstock_1246077505 fizkes
    Insight

    The office is still central to business

    2023-03-23T00:00:00Z

    Editor: Working from home was necessary during the pandemic, but does it really need to stay this way for good?

  • PBSA
    Insight

    BTR and PBSA sectors are not interchangeable

    2023-03-23T00:00:00Z

    Editor: Build-to-rent (BTR) developer and operator Moda Living’s recent venture into the purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) market comes as no surprise. 

  • Zero carbon
    Insight

    Good data is key to decarbonisation

    2023-03-15T00:00:00Z

    Reading your story on the British Property Federation and JLL’s Towards Net Zero report, it’s clear the industry wants to deliver on climate goals, but this is currently reliant on individual efforts. More government incentivisation and greater regulation are needed to accelerate change. 

  • Business rates
    Insight

    Time for a crackdown on rogue rating advisers

    2023-03-15T00:00:00Z

    It is time the government stepped in to regulate the rating surveying profession to protect customers from cowboy ‘rating advisers‘ that take advantage of vulnerable businesses. 

  • Housing estate being built shutterstock_403894639_Credit_ Duncan Andison PW050419
    Insight

    NPPF reforms will hit the economy

    2023-03-09T00:00:00Z

    Editor: Proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will not only lead to fewer homes being built, they will also destroy the UK’s plan-led approach to development and deliver a significant hit to the economy (‘BPF warns of “clear contradictions” in NPPF consultation’).

  • ESG
    Insight

    Time for property owners to take action on ESG

    2023-03-09T00:00:00Z

    Editor: Commenting on the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) set to come into force on 1 April, the inner London analysis from BNP Paribas concludes that up to 8% of commercial stock is unlettable under new EPC rules.

  • Boris Johnson thumbs up shutterstock_2017147769
    Insight

    Property must embrace levelling up

    2023-03-02T00:00:00Z

    It’s a testament to former prime minister Boris Johnson’s ability as a storyteller that his most abiding legacy will be the levelling up agenda, which, although less of a priority for Rishi Sunak’s government, is still visible.

  • Signing docs
    Insight

    Let’s keep best features of Landlord & Tenant Act

    2023-03-02T00:00:00Z

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading Anthony Ratcliffe’s well researched letter about abolishing the 1954 Landlord & Tenant Act.

  • Purple Bricks sale sign shutterstock_1336525940 William Barton
    Insight

    Purplebricks’ DIY model doesn’t work for us Brits

    2023-02-23T00:00:00Z

    Purplebricks was the forerunner of DIY estate agency in the UK and since its highly publicised launch on AIM in 2016, the share price has gone from 100p, to 500p and now to a lowly 10p.

  • Warehouse
    Insight

    Beds and sheds don’t belong together

    2023-02-23T00:00:00Z

    On the surface, combining ‘beds and sheds’ seems like a quick fix for the government’s pledge to build more homes. With land in our cities growing ever more scarce, these multipurpose schemes appear, on the surface at least, to be able to maximise development potential and meet the needs of ...

  • Village green
    Insight

    Urban density and green spaces can work together

    2023-02-15T00:00:00Z

    The government has set out its ambition for every household in England to live within a 15-minute walk of green space or water.

  • Signature witness
    Insight

    Abolish the Landlord and Tenant Act

    2023-02-15T00:00:00Z

    In response to your article questioning whether it is time to serve notice on the Landlord and Tenant Act, in my opinion, yes it is.

  • Michael Gove
    Insight

    Gove cuts through leasehold jungle

    2023-02-09T00:00:00Z

    Housing secretary Michael Gove has been accused of many things – being a “betrayer” for one – but as head of many government departments he has been an incorrigible reformer and enforcer. That is why former prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson relied on him so heavily.

  • Cladding removal
    Insight

    Government must step up to solve cladding crisis

    2023-02-09T00:00:00Z

    What tends to get lost in the debates around cladding is the fact that this crisis originates from a failure to properly regulate. The building regulations that are in operation, the building control system, permitted development that was intrinsically unsafe… and there were enough warnings through enough fires for government ...

  • PW030223_construction_shutterstock_424808146_cred yuttana Contributor Studio
    Insight

    Get in the zone with regen leases

    2023-02-02T00:00:00Z

    At the Convention of the North in Manchester on 25 January, housing secretary Michael Gove announced the government’s recommitment to investment zones. The initiative will allow some local authorities to designate sites that will be earmarked for tax cuts, relaxed regulation and planning simplifications within that area. 

  • Planning
    Insight

    Clock is ticking for consensus on planning policy

    2023-02-02T00:00:00Z

    Although criticism of the government’s approach to housing is nothing new, recent news that four former housing ministers have spoken out against current policy should sound clear alarm bells for anyone involved in the development arena

  • Net zero
    Insight

    UK’s net zero plan must not overlook the obvious

    2023-01-26T00:00:00Z

    MP Chris Skidmore’s Net Zero Review laudably focuses on making homes more energy efficient, but I join my property industry colleagues in calling for greater collaboration between the public and private sectors to truly tackle the UK’s energy efficiency challenge.

  • High street_credit_shutterstock_333271817_DavidGraham86 PW070918_
    Insight

    Rates revaluation is a boost for retail

    2023-01-26T00:00:00Z

    It is welcome news that M&S is planning a £480m investment across its UK stores, generating, as reported, more than 3,400 jobs and opening five new full-service stores: in Leeds White Rose, Liverpool One, the Bullring Birmingham, Manchester Trafford Centre and Lakeside Thurrock.