Professional Comment and Legal Views – Page 7
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Professional
The later-living sector needs a boost
After years of stagnation, there is finally some progress in tackling the barriers holding back growth and innovation in the later-living sector.
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Professional
Digital twins are a useful tool
On a walk around the London Build trade show last month, I moved from different stages talking about topics from sustainability to fire safety, but there was one term that kept popping up: the ‘digital twin’.
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Professional
Useful rights-of-light guidance will have to wait for another day
The property and legal worlds were eagerly awaiting judgment in Sirosa Properties Establishment v The Prudential Assurance Company Limited, which went to trial in November.
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Professional
Add fluctuation provisions to tackle economic uncertainty
The rise of inflation and the cost of materials has been a key concern in the construction industry recently.
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Professional
If redundancy looms, do it right
Social media giant Twitter has found itself under scrutiny following the dismissal of around half its workforce.
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Professional
Will the new levy be any better?
Currently in the report stage in the House of Commons, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill proposes the replacement of both Section 106 planning agreements (S106) and the Community Infrastructure Levy with a National Infrastructure Levy, which would be paid by developers to local planning authorities.
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Professional
Hillside has caused a headache
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hillside Parks case (p39, 18.11.22), varying large multi-unit consents may require a replacement application covering the whole site.
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Professional
A little magic can go a long way when creating special spaces
People don’t universally love new places. New developments are typically seen as soulless, manicured or too perfect. This is a particular struggle for areas dominated by corporate offices, where workers ship in and ship out on commuter trains with little reason to engage with the communities around them.
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Professional
Look to Norway for a green path
Norway usually arouses little global interest – but in relation to its long-term practice of sustainable development, there is much that other countries can learn.
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Professional
What is the process for evicting a residential long-leaseholder?
Evicting a residential long leaseholder for breaching their lease is, quite rightly, a court-heavy, cumbersome process and one that too often freeholders and managing agents are not keen to embark on.
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Professional
How will the expiry of the Covid rent arrears scheme affect landlords?
The six-month window for referrals into the government’s Covid rent arrears arbitration scheme concluded on 24 September 2022, marking the end of the restrictions on landlords taking enforcement action.
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Professional
Green growth remains essential
The UK finishes its year-long presidency of COP26 in a different position to how it began.
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Professional
Digital tools cut the fire safety risk
A persistent lackadaisical approach to the quality and competence of fire inspections is putting residents’ lives at risk.
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Professional
Planning needs less red tape
Having adaptable space and a business nimble enough to change quickly is paramount in the post-pandemic environment. However, adapting properties is no small – or quick – undertaking and there are significant administrative hurdles to overcome.
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Professional
The private sector can aid councils
A summer of discontent for local planning authorities (LPAs) saw officers at Portsmouth and Bournemouth councils self-imposing ‘lockdowns’ to tackle planning application backlogs.
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Professional
Let’s look to the next generation
‘The future of the industry is in good hands’ has become the standard response from the judging panel for the Women in Property National Student Awards.
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Professional
What role can planning play in the delivery of net zero carbon?
For those of us who have studied the Brundtland Report 1987, we know that the heart of sustainable development is real estate and the planning system.
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Professional
How can property industry best achieve decarbonisation of heat?
Following the launch of the UK’s Net Zero Strategy, it has been a busy year for consultants in this space, with more than 3,500 companies now signed up to the Science-Based Targets initiative.
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Professional
Energy costs and rental markets
Residential rents, currently at record-high levels, are predicted to increase.
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Professional
What do latest judgements mean for the recovery of Covid rent arrears?
Property lawyers and landlords alike have been following the cases of Bank of New York Mellon (International) v Cine-UK and London Trocadero (2015) v Picturehouse Cinemas with trepidation over recent months.