All Feedback articles – Page 4
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InsightClean air is a must for office tenants
Editor: Last Thursday, 15 June, was Clean Air Day, highlighting the devastating effect polluted air can have on our health. It is estimated that in the UK alone, polluted air causes around 36,000 premature deaths per year, while a far higher number suffer from asthma and other health impacts from ...
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InsightHybrid working opening up opportunities across UK
Editor: It was good to read Simon Eastlake’s article on how landlords and providers can work collaboratively to take advantage of the increased interest in flexible workspace in London, driven by hybrid working.
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Insight‘Hope value’ plans are ill-conceived
Editor: I write further to your ‘Hope versus housing’ column, which weighed up the latest proposals of the existing Conservative government and the expected Labour government towards the use of compulsory purchase orders in delivering much-needed housing.
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InsightA new age for the London office sector awaits
Editor: News that London is experiencing record volumes of office refurbs undermines some of the more pessimistic predictions we are witnessing for the future of the ‘office’.
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InsightBoosting capacity of planning departments is vital
While I welcome the efforts made to attract new people to the planning sector, it is crucial we also address the more pressing issues with the planning system – namely, the strain on planning departments has resulted in insufficient resources and unmanageable workloads that are exacerbating the housing crisis.
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InsightDevelopers must avoid being blockers
As Labour positions itself for “builders, not blockers”, there’s a risk real estate will find itself in a surreal position: branded a blocker.
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InsightPlanning system is not underfunded
I write in response to comments by Ian Fletcher, director of planning at the British Property Federation (BPF), that “England’s planning system has been underfunded and under-resourced for at least a decade” and government needs to increase fees to “bolster planning teams”.
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InsightRIF vehicle could help stimulate economic growth
Your piece ‘Planned RIF vehicle promises to boost property investment’ referred to my lead role campaigning for the Reserved Investor Fund (RIF) in the context of a welcomed HM Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs consultation on the RIF.
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InsightMaterial steps for tackling inflation
Editor: Disruption to the construction sector caused by the volatility of material price inflation shows no signs of abating, with recent analysis of Office for National Statistics data showing inflation added £23bn to the cost of the sector’s output compared with pre-pandemic levels.
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InsightGovernment support needed to boost BTR delivery
Editor: Four years since then prime minister Theresa May first promised “a better deal for renters” ahead of 2019’s general election, three PMs and a global pandemic later, the government introduced the long-anticipated Renters’ Reform Bill last week.
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InsightResidents have rights too, Mr Norris
Steve Norris is surely writing tongue in cheek in his recent comment piece .
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InsightGovernment must get to grips with housing crisis
The housing crisis lurches from tragedy to farce and no one is making any more land, leaving millions of renters lightyears away from owning their own residence.
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InsightPrime office values are still resilient
Your recent article ‘Cautious optimism as outlook brightens’ noted that the latest MSCI data shows recovery in UK commercial real estate overall. However, it records falling office values, which we believe are mainly due to the rise in interest rates.
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InsightAirspace development can help avoid obsolescence
William Hulls’ letter highlighted software solutions for the monitoring and management of energy in the face of increasing MEES. But many small and mid-sized commercial landlords face a much bigger ‘hardware’ problem.
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InsightTackling second-homes crisis key for coastal towns
Investment in levelling up the less urban regions of the UK will only be truly effective if we curb the number of second homes in our coastal towns.
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InsightTech can combat asset uncertainty
I sympathise with the concern expressed in your recent article ‘Asset price plummet dubbed “biggest ever”’. While large-scale economic factors such as the lingering effects of the pandemic are harming industrial and office values, the general sentiment of hesitance in the sector is further slowing the market.
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InsightGove’s cheap blast at social landlords not helpful
Editor: No doubt it was well intentioned, but housing secretary Michael Gove has played a dangerous hand in the social housing blame game. It was a cheap blast to accuse social landlords of neglecting their tenants, even as he shirked the suggestion that government cuts were partly to blame.
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InsightMEES: how to stay ahead of the curve
Editor: Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) are now in force across England and Wales, and commercial properties that have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating below ‘E’ will no longer be granted tenancy, unless eligible for an exemption.
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InsightFlexible office space is ripe for green investment
Editor: With offices now requiring a minimum ‘E’ energy efficiency rating, it is estimated that around 8% of all commercial stock is now unlettable, equating to around 10,000 commercial spaces in London.
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InsightCollaboration key in decarbonisation
Editor: I read with interest your recent article ‘Industry urges lease shake-up’ and wholeheartedly agree that urgent action is needed to make renting commercial property easier and cheaper.
