Latest letters
Planning 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”.
RIF 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.
Material 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.
Government 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.
Residents have rights too, Mr Norris
Steve Norris is surely writing tongue in cheek in his recent comment piece .
Government 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.
Prime 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.
Airspace 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.
Tech 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.
Tackling 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.
MEES: 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.
Gove’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.
