Worcestershire Moves Closer to London
Well, it might do if the planned new £22m railway station comes out of the ground. An infrastructure project that is long overdue is the proposed “Worcestershire Parkway”, near Junction 7 of the M5 for Worcester, which would link the Cotswolds and Birmingham to Bristol lines. Work on the ground… Read More
HARRIS LAMB WELCOMES BIRMINGHAM’S POSITION AS UK’S TOP INVESTMENT PROSPECT IN EMERGING TRENDS IN REAL ESTATE REPORT
Harris Lamb has welcomed a report citing Birmingham as the top investment prospect in the UK, saying that the appetite of investors over the past year has laid firm foundations for the future. The joint study, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2015, produced by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and… Read More
Building Obsolescence and the Challenges for Building Surveyors
How long will my building last? Not a question that many people ask frankly but everyone in property should consider the implications around property lifecycles more carefully. The reaction to the age of buildings can vary depending on your place in the property market, if presented with a 20 year… Read More
Demolition Desires: Do i need planning permission to demolish a building
It sounds like people have grand plans ahead, as Harris Lamb’s planning team has been deluged with enquiries regarding the necessity of obtaining permission from local authorities before demolishing buildings. Fortunately, Sam Silcocks is on hand to help. As you’d expect from a planning… Read More
What are Planning Departments ‘Special Measures?’
The news last week that Bromsgrove District Council’s Planning Department had gone into ‘special measures’ has wide implications for the Midlands property market, but what does it mean. Mid December and the Department for Communities and Local Government served the designation notice on the planning service at Bromsgrove, despite… Read More
WRAPCHIC RETAINS HARRIS LAMB TO IDENTIFY CITY CENTRE OUTLETS FOR UK GROWTH PROGRAM AS IT LAUNCHES BIRMINGHAM STORE
Harris Lamb has been retained by fusion food specialists Wrapchic to identify new city centre locations as it continues its aggressive growth program – as its latest launches in Birmingham’s Bullring next week. Wrapchic, which launched in 2012, has brought innovative fusion Indian food to the lunchtime marketplace, and is… Read More
Royal Mail – The New Property Company?
One of my colleagues Blogged a few months ago about the potential for some large companies to focus more on their property assets than perhaps they have done in the past. The trend for more intensive development on sites, particularly inner urban locations in the south east has grown stronger… Read More
50,000 New UK Jobs in the next 2 years being generated by the Automotive Industry
Coming barely a week or so since Jaguar Land Rover announced work starting on its new £186 million manufacturing facility in Brazil came the news, out of a new study by Lloyds Bank, of huge job numbers planned to be created in the UK over the next… Read More
What is the market view of Midlands Industrial Agents?
Not the most scientific of studies I will admit but the Industrial Agents Society (IAS) for the Midlands is a body of the principal warehouse and industrial property agents’ active in the region. I am a member of the IAS and 2013/2014 Worcestershire EGi ‘Dealmaker of the year’. The… Read More
HARRIS LAMB OVERSEES TRANSFORMATION OF FORMER AIRCRAFT FACILITY INTO ENTERPRISE PARK
Harris Lamb has provided support during the transformation of a former aircraft facility into an 86-acre Yorkshire business park on behalf of BAE Systems, securing a sale for BAE Systems. Humber Enterprise Park in Brough has been purchased by Citivale and Lumina Real Estate Capital. Harris Lamb was retained by… Read More
Planning Changes to Section 106 obligations will make smaller Residential Development easier
A few of us have always said that a larger proportion of housing needs could be satisfied by more development of ‘infill plots’. It is not suburban garden grabbing but moreover the sites in towns, villages and cities which are ‘back land’ or the undeveloped and odd shaped remnants of… Read More
Sadly Little Hope of Reform in Stamp Duty Bands or Rates Reform
I hope we’re wrong because the case for reform in Stamp Duty- at least changing the bands and an overhaul of the commercial rates system – is both overdue and badly needed. The inequity of how these taxes sometimes “drag” on the productive use of commercial property is no good… Read More
House builders ‘taking a breath’
Whilst the debate continues to rage about the need for more housing, the press is reporting that many National house builders are ‘slowing down’. The experience from our Agency teams is that house builders are still interested in new site opportunities but their rates of acquisition have slowed. The house… Read More
“What is happening to build costs?”
My agency colleagues are now all talking regularly about the need for more new speculative development. The question that soon follows to myself and my Building Consultancy colleagues is: “Why can’t we build factories/warehouses/offices cheaper?” When they say “cheaper” they mean “a lot” cheaper and probably… Read More
“It’s about Placemaking”
The media have picked up on Tony Pidgley’s speech at the MIPIM UK Conference, Tony Pidgley Chairman of Berkeley Homes has talked about the need for a culture change in Planning. The change that Mr Pidgley says is needed is for local and central government, private developers and the public… Read More