Estates Gazette Property Podcasts

Jess Harrold is joined by news editor Pui-Guan Man and regional and life sciences reporter Evelina Grecenko to round up the week in real estate, and hopefully offer some welcome relief from the events in Ukraine. Evelina shares details on the real estate firms fighting for the future of the Oxford-to-Cambridge arc, amid fears that it has fallen down the government's agenda. Pui offers an update on the Bichard review into the RICS, and her preparations for MIPIM - including how the international condemnation of Russia's actions has affected plans for the event. But, as the rest of the week's news is aired in the quiz of the week, who will emerge victorious in a close-run contest?  

On this episode of Tech Talk Radio, head of content Emily Wright is joined by Cluttons head of research Sophy Moffat to explore the implications of a gradual "watering down" of connectivity targets at government level.  Following the release of the much anticipated Levelling Up white paper earlier this month, it has been noted that while connectivity and technology underpin much of the social advancements outlined within it, there is little focus on improvements to the technology itself.  In fact, says Moffat, the opposite is arguably true. "In the 2019 election manifesto from the Johnson government we had a pledge of 100% Gigabit connectivity to all UK premises by 2025," she says. "Later, in the November 2020 spending review we were told 80-85% of premises covered by 2025. Now, in the Levelling Up white paper, the most recent iteration of targets, we were told we would have nationwide access to Gigabit connectivity by 2030 and that the majority of the population will have 5G access by then. That’s added five years onto the Gigabit target and a good three years on to the target for 5G coverage. That’s where our concern comes from." On this podcast Moffat explores some of the actions and steps the property industry and local authorities across the UK can take to tackle this issue from raising awareness to supporting the appointment of digital champions at local authority level. "The sector needs to raise awareness around the fact that many crucial technologies will only be supported with 5G and Gigabit internet in place. Our research also shows that local authorities with digital champions in place and good digital strategies were much more likely to have an effective relationship with digital infrastructure providers and operators. The problem is that less than half of them actually have one in place." For more on how real estate can, and should, tackle the watering down of connectivity targets and the impact this apparent step down on initial goals could have on the Levelling Up agenda more widely, tune in to this episode of Tech Talk Radio. 

On this week's episode of Bricks & Mortar, Sarah Jackman is joined by Nigel Mapp and Sean Greathead from real estate consultancy firm MAPP, for a look at how they manage workplace culture and why people are at the heart of everything that they do. The conversation ranges from the firm's approach to appraisals, to the revamp of its office space and the growth of MAPP's apprenticeship scheme; as well as the need to be human and why it's important to bring people back together again in 2022.  

This episode of the EG Property Podcast launches a new series of monthly discussions focused on the redefinition of real estate. Each month, various members of the EG team will be bringing you conversations with a wide range of people from across the built environment looking at why we need to change the way we think, talk and write about real estate if we want it to become more diverse and inclusive, be perceived in a better light and be taken more seriously by the powers that be in government. Each discussion brings with it something of a real estate Room 101, in which we’ll be placing terms, practices and perceptions of the sector, as together we work towards our redefinition of what real estate is and does. In this first episode, EG editor Samantha McClary is in conversation with James Raynor, chief executive of Grosvenor's UK property business James Raynor about why it is eschewing the moniker "landlord". EG Magazine and EG Radius subscribers can add to this Real Estate Redefined aural experience by reading, written by James’s own fair hand, why Grosvenor is no longer a landlord. Head to www.egi.co.uk/news today or pick up your copy of the magazine this weekend. And if you’re not a subscriber, head to https://subscription.estatesgazette.com/eg-magazine to sign up now.  

Jess Harrold is joined by deputy editor Tim Burke and London & offices reporter Alex Daniel for the latest weekly round-up - and both are full of fresh perspectives on the recovering office market. Daniel has the details on Canary Wharf's entry into the flex office market with its new offering, MadeFor - discussing what it will bring to the area, and whether it is better late than never. Burke shares the latest figures from JLL's Big Six report on office take-up recovery in the regions - and what he learned from talking with Savills' new national head of office agency. But, as they go head-to-head in the quiz of the week, who will come out on top? All that, plus some recommended listening for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  

Jess Harrold is joined by head of content Emily Wright and (eventually) editor Sam McClary for the latest weekly round-up podcast, this time focusing on the content of our latest ESG special. Wright discusses the "can-do" theme of the issue, concentrating on how to make the changes we need, since the time is passed for asking why we need to. McClary logs on to share her thoughts - and those of Kaela Fenn-Smith, managing director of ESG and sustainability services at CBRE - while conversation turns from vertical farming to the importance of peacocking. But how will Wright and McClary fare in the quiz of the week - and how close attention do they pay to each other's bits?

Millions of visitors escaped to Cornwall throughout covid in search of big horizons and rolling landscapes and its leisure sector is reaching new heights, but so too are its less traditional high-tech industries at the forefront of marine and space engineering, according to Miller Commercial partner Tom Smith. Miller Commercial comfortably leads the Radius On Demand Rankings for Cornwall, with 221,859 sq ft of space transacted across 97 deals in 2021. The industrial sector has provided particularly rich pickings, with a huge variety of occupier types taking space. With 55 space engineering companies already in the county and with one of the longest runways in Europe, Smith believes there are solid foundations in place for the county to become a major hub in aerospace development. The core challenge, however, will be in finding sites ready for development, both for commercial and residential use.

On 14 February, proposed amendments to the Building Safety Bill were announced by Michael Gove in a bid to help resolve the cladding crisis. Among them, a proposal that could see developers and product manufacturers blocked from the housing market through the refusal of planning permissions and building control sign-off on developments, should they fail to contribute to the cost of repairs to buildings.  To discuss the proposals from both a leaseholder and developer perspective, EG's professional and legal editor, Sarah Jackman, is joined by Andrew Parker – construction partner at Forsters – and Ryan Didcock – senior associate in the property litigation team at Forsters.  They look at the detail of the proposals, the timeline for Bill and next steps that each party should consider.

This week, Sarah Jackman catches up with Isabelle Hease – chief executive of Visitor Insights – about her recent appointment as chair of young professional network BPF Futures. The pair discuss her plans for the network at what Hease describes as a “pivotal time” following the pandemic and how those who have less than ten years’ experience in the industry can benefit from getting involved in the events, networking and mentoring opportunities that membership provides access to. She outlines her plans to grow the organisation’s reach, particularly at regional level, and explains why ensuring that all members of the BPF network understand the benefits of qualifying employees joining Futures is a priority for her tenure. Hease also reflects on her own experience of getting started in the industry and has advice for anyone getting started in real estate today.

Jess Harrold is joined by news editor Pui-Guan Man, residential editor Emma Rosser and reporter Evelina Grecenko for the latest weekly round-up podcast. Pui shares some major news on the world of bricks and mortar retail, Emma reacts to the latest minister through the revolving door of housing, and Evelina shares news on Deloitte's regional crane survey and the life sciences sector. But as the team bids a fond farewell to Emma, find out how well she knows her own stories in a very special quiz of the week.