EG Property Podcasts

On the latest weekly round-up, Jess Harrold is joined by senior writers, Julia Cahill and Piers Wehner to discuss the latest news in real estate. Wehner tackles the 35% rise in planning fees for major projects and the industry reaction that suggests it does not go far enough to meet the funding gap that is slowing down our planning system - and threatening the finances of our beleaguered local authorities. Cahill dives into worrying findings in the latest RICS Global Sustainability Report that suggests the real estate industry prizes profit over principles - and Wehner sees that bleak news and raises a UK Green Building Council report warning that the industry is “significantly off-track” from the trajectory required to meet the UK’s national net zero commitments. Can the long-awaited return of the quiz of the week lift the collective gloom?

To meet both national and global decarbonisation targets there is a crucial need to improve the condition of existing real estate stock. Embracing the core principles of the three Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle – should play a big part in real estate ESG strategies. In this EG podcast we will hear how Hollis has created its own version of the three Rs to review decarbonisation through reduction, renovation and renewables. We will investigate how reduction can optimise existing systems to perform as efficiently as possible and explore the potential of renovation in prolonging the lifecycle of a building and enhancing the operational performance of estates. Finally, we’ll delve into whether achieving net zero targets necessitates a strong emphasis on on-site renewable energy generation. 

In the latest episode of the politics and property podcast, former housing minister Mark Prisk and EG journo Piers Wehner plunge into the Autumn Statement, like giddy schoolboys attacking a pile of fallen leaves. The chancellor pitched it as a boon for business, with the biggest ever business tax break sat at its heart, but is it as good as all that for the industry? Or are there, lurking beneath the golden leaves, a couple of snares lying in wait?    

This ESG podcast investigates how real estate can look to amplify and intensify its deployment of renewable energy, address climate change and transitioning towards a viable energy future.

In this ESG podcast, EG hears more on the legal requirements and implications of the 2021 Environment Act for biodiversity net gain. How planners can collaborate with developers, local communities, landowners and farmers to deliver BNG beyond the development site and the challenges and opportunities of developing Local Nature Recovery Strategies for BNG.

Oxford Street has long been the backbone of London’s retail scene. It has been the capital’s high street for decades, but over recent years has lost some, if not all, of its shine. Covid hit the street hard and if you believe everything you read in some of our less expert media, the street is now full of Candy Stores and tacky souvenir shops. The truth, of course, is something quite different. Oxford street is very quickly being reborn, with a fresh mix of retailers, a fresh mix of uses and a more focused curation from those that own and operate the street. Vacancy rates are falling, more than 23 candy stores have disappeared from the street – with more to come – some 19 new stores have opened on Oxford Street over the last year and 22 more are under offer. In this episode EG editor Samantha McClary is joined by Savills’ head of global retail Sam Foyle, Sarah Goldman, head of retail at GPE, and retail expert Dan Hildyard for a behind the scenes tour of London’s most famous street as we seek to undo the “national embarrassment” reputation others suggest Oxford Street has become. Enjoy.

Investor demand for hotels in the tourist hotspots and national parks of the south coast sparked a recovery in the transactional hotel market, which has now returned to pre-covid levels of activity, according to Christie & Co regional director of hospitality south Ed Bellfield. Christie & Co comfortably leads in the Radius On Demand Rankings for investment sales in the hotel and leisure sector, with almost £70m of sales across 43 deals for the UK as a whole. It also leads the sector's investment rankings in both the South West and South East. Bellfield says the transactional market for hotels ground to a half in mid-2020 but recovery came first to the tourist destinations on the south coast – where visitor numbers were bolstered by city dwellers looking to escape their urban environments - before spreading to the larger towns and cities. He also says there is a healthy development pipeline for new hotels, with environmental performance now a critical factor.

In this ESG podcast we delve into carbon development decisions that will have an impact on real estate and the planet.  Do we need to build any new buildings or are we headed to a future where retrofit and refurb is the only option?

Jess Harrold is joined by deputy editor Tim Burke and senior writer Piers Wehner to round up the week in real estate. Burke discusses his EG Interview with Tim Roberts, chief executive of Henry Boot, about the developer’s first HQ move in almost a century – and addresses the state of the London office market, with insights of optimism from British Land’s chief executive, Simon Carter. Wehner outlines Landsec's £1bn disposal strategy and how it plans to boost its development pipeline, and turns his attention to the government reshuffle, the return of Lee Rowley, and his inventive way of charting the lengths of tenure of housing ministers. Burke offers an update on WeWork, and how rivals are eyeing its sites that might become available, plus his thoughts on what might come next. Along the way, the discussion takes in Snoop Dogg, John Cleese, the Two Ronnies and music for funerals - but with the latter in mind, what track will Burke add to the EGLSM Certified Bangers playlist? https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0pBand693O5IhhaScVM6uZ  

In this latest podcast, EG's Sarah Jackman speaks to Nick Martyn, partner and lead for the leasehold enfranchisement team at RWK Goodman, about leasehold reform and whether developers are changing the way they view the asset values of new build residential freehold blocks. They cover a range of legislation, both proposed and enacted, including the Leasehold and Freehold Bill announced in the King's Speech, the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 and the Building Safety Act 2022.