All Feedback articles
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InsightEco upgrading offers opportunities
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, ...
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Insight
Budget had an upside for commercial investors
It is clear that Jeremy Hunt’s recent spring Budget favoured commercial property investors along with those who specialise in serviced accommodation.
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Insight
The office is still central to business
Editor: Working from home was necessary during the pandemic, but does it really need to stay this way for good?
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Insight
BTR and PBSA sectors are not interchangeable
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.
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Insight
Good data is key to decarbonisation
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.
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Insight
Time for a crackdown on rogue rating advisers
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.
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Insight
NPPF reforms will hit the economy
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’).
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Insight
Time for property owners to take action on ESG
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.
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Insight
Property must embrace levelling up
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.
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Insight
Let’s keep best features of Landlord & Tenant Act
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Anthony Ratcliffe’s well researched letter about abolishing the 1954 Landlord & Tenant Act.
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Insight
Purplebricks’ DIY model doesn’t work for us Brits
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.
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Insight
Beds and sheds don’t belong together
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 ...
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Insight
Urban density and green spaces can work together
The government has set out its ambition for every household in England to live within a 15-minute walk of green space or water.
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Insight
Abolish the Landlord and Tenant Act
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.
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Insight
Gove cuts through leasehold jungle
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.
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Insight
Government must step up to solve cladding crisis
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 ...
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Insight
Get in the zone with regen leases
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.
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Insight
Clock is ticking for consensus on planning policy
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
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Insight
UK’s net zero plan must not overlook the obvious
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.
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Insight
Rates revaluation is a boost for retail
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.
