EG Property Podcasts

A sprawling mix of occupier types, from television production companies through to coffee roasters and innovative retailers, is fuelling demand across all property classes in Bristol and the city is looking ahead with confidence, according to Burston Cook director Charlie Kershaw. Burston Cook is one of the few regional independents focused solely on the Bristol market and it tops the Radius On Demand Rankings in terms of deal numbers, with 68 transactions across the line in 2021. Kershaw says the city’s television industry is snowballing, with an existing talent pool pulling in ever greater numbers of new occupiers, translating into demand not just for office space but for industrial units which are used as studios. He also says independent retail is particularly strong, with a boom in the suburban market helping Bristol realise its ambitions of reducing car use.

Jess Harrold is joined by Tom Weekes QC, of Landmark Chambers, and Caroline Preist, partner at Royds Withy King, to discuss the Court of Appeal decision in Bath Rugby Ltd v Greenwood and others [2021] EWCA Civ 1927; [2021] PLSCS 220 - a dispute over stadium redevelopment plans. Weekes and Preist, who acted for the successful appellants, explain the restrictive covenant at the heart of the case, and what the courts had to say about a complex area of the law. In addition, they set out the implications of the Court of Appeal decision, both for Bath Rugby's redevelopment and the wider field of restrictive covenants.

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is joined by five riders and supporters of the annual Cycle to MIPIM. The ride, produced by Club Peloton, is back after a pandemic-induced hiatus with a new route but the same important purpose – to raise vital funds for a collection of important charities. With each rider committing to raise £3,000 for Club Peloton, the not-for-profit can support a number of charitable projects for Coram, Cyclists Fighting Cancer, Top Ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust and Multiple System Atrophy Trust. Knight Frank, a long-time supporter of the ride, is headline partner this year with the firm using the charitable endeavour to honour the memory of partner – and legend of the Cycle to MIPIM – Will Monk following his unexpected passing last year. In this episode, two new recruits to the ride from Knight Frank Charlotte Swearman and Rachel O’Brien, join previous riders and team sponsors Neo Cambarro from Lockton, Gareth Atkinson from Civic Engineers and Mike Axon from Vectos, share their thoughts on what the ride means to them, the importance of the ride as a more sustainable way to travel to Cannes and what you might have to talk to them about if you get stuck next to them too long in the peloton. To find out more about Club Peloton, the charities it supports and to donate to any of the riders taking part in this year’s ride, visit https://www.justgiving.com/clubpeloton

Jess Harrold is joined by news editor Pui-Guan Man and London & offices reporter Alex Daniel for the latest weekly round-up podcast. Man and Daniel tackle the end of Plan B, the return to the office and how the industry is embracing hybrid working. Man discusses the need for planning reform to address a national shortfall in industrial and logistics space, while Daniel offers an update on the London office market. But, when they go head-to-head in the quiz of the week, only one can prevail.

Jess Harrold is joined by James Souter and Lauren Fraser, partner and senior associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, to discuss the Supreme Court decision in FirstPort Property Services Ltd v Settlers Court RTM Co Ltd and others – a dispute involving the right to manage and service costs on a large estate in London. Souter and Fraser advance the main arguments relied on by the parties, and discuss how they were addressed by the Supreme Court - as well as the implications of the decision for estate landlords and RTM companies.  

The experts' views on how technology should support real estate investment strategies Now more than ever, it’s vital that investors and investment managers, of all types and sizes, have the tools and processes in place to allow for confident, accurate decision-making and a visionary approach to long-term strategy.  There’s never been a better time to review your approach to data and analytics, and to ask some tough questions about whether long-standing processes are still fit for purpose, or whether they might be holding back your most insightful decision-makers. In this roundtable, Tim Burke is joined with James Pellatt from GPE, Arik Kogan from MRI Software and Manreet Randhawa from Nuveen Real Estate to discuss modern approaches to data and analytics, leveraging technology and using strategic planning solution to support future investment strategies.

Jess Harrold quizzes Piers Wehner about his recent journey into a virtual world, and asks him to answer the crucial question: just what exactly is the metaverse? Wehner paints a vivid picture of what he found in his exploration of Decentraland, how EGLSM listeners can pay their own visit, and the opportunities that are enticing investors to spend millions on virtual property. But, while he's been spending all his time in a digital world, has he been keeping up to date with current events in real estate? Find out as he is put to the test in the quiz of the week.

An app in isolation does not equate to a smart building. And yet, over the past six months, activity around tenant engagement platforms has rocketed both in terms of adoption and investment. Following the peak of the pandemic, occupiers and landlords alike have raced to employ every tool in their armoury to attract staff back to offices across the globe. Seamless entry to your building at the click of a button? Done. Heating and ventilation tailored to your personal preferences? No problem. A free coffee and pastry one day a week? You’re welcome. Anything to lure people away from the comfort of their own homes. It’s not really about complimentary croissants, though. The real currency here, and the one these engagement platforms will rely on when it comes to determining whether they ultimately fail or succeed, is data. And while an app may not a smart building make, mass adoption of an app linked to a smart building platform might. With the right technology in place, the more people you can encourage to sign up to your building app. This means the more insight you have into how they are using the space and, in turn, how your asset can be more efficiently managed. If a free hot drink can bring just a few extra users onboard, that’s well worth its weight in coffee beans. At a time when workforce trends have never been in such a state of flux, this level of building intelligence has been upgraded from a nice-to-have to commercial real estate gold dust. If there is anyone who understands the value of tenant app adoption, it’s Dan Drogman.  Along with his team, the founder and chief executive of software platform Smart Spaces has integrated the company's software system into just under 40 million sq ft of real estate across the world. “Adoption is the key to those really useful data sets,” he says. “You need to have adoption within your platform and this is the biggest challenge that occupier engagement apps will have to overcome.” So how do you drive that adoption? With over 8000 people already signed up to Smart Spaces’s workplace app at AXA IM Alts’ 195,000 sq m 22 Bishopsgate, EC2 mere months after the building officially opened its doors, Drogman is the man to ask. Tune in to hear more.

Real estate firms and organisations must act as quickly as possible on adopting all of the changes proposed in Peter Pereira Gray’s independent report into investment valuations for the RICS, or risk facing another review down the line with a much tougher outcome for the industry, according to experts taking part in today’s episode of EG Property Podcasts. Pereira Gray’s report has made 13 recommendations designed to boost compliance, after evidence of conflicts and their management were assessed. The RICS standards and regulation board has pledged to implement all of these at “different speeds”. The new rules are also designed to be a “wake-up call” for the industry and establish a system fit for the “changing world”. But are they far-reaching enough to help build trust in valuations and solve the big issues facing valuers? EG’s news editor Pui-Guan Man is joined by Andy Pyle, UK head of real estate at KPMG, Claire Magowan, head of portfolio valuation at Savills, Ollie Saunders, head of UK commercial valuation at alternatives at JLL and Charles Smith, chairman of UK and cross border valuation and advisory at Cushman & Wakefield to discuss what the industry needs to tackle next, as well as the report’s wider implications for real estate.

Jess Harrold is joined by Pui-Guan Man and Damian Wild for EG's latest weekly round-up podcast. Man and Wild share their thoughts on the long-awaited Independent Review of Real Estate Investment valuations and what it means for RICS going forwards. In addition, Wild addresses the recent announcement that he will leave EG later this year to take on a new role as managing director of PR and communications agency ING - including his personal reaction to the industry's response, and what he has planned for his last six months at EG. But when our news editor takes on our director of market development in the quiz of the week, who will triumph?