04/09/2019

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are among the most significant activities that will take place in a business, typically to support future growth and business aspirations. They can take several forms – from a full business merger to the purchase of a specific asset or stock. In almost every M&A transaction, a purchaser will acquire an interest, whether freehold or leasehold, in at least one property asset. However, such assets are unlikely to be the driving force behind the M&A activity. If they

04/08/2019

The smart motorway concept is much in evidence in the Thames Valley right now. Beth Wilson, senior consultant at transport planners and engineers, SYSTRA, based in Reading, weighs up the increasing arguments around their effects. In a world where technology is becoming more intelligent than us, with the likes of smartphones, smart TVs and even smart toothbrushes, just how ‘smart’ are smart motorways? Data obtained by Highways England suggests that congestion on our motorways and major road

04/02/2019

When law firm Blandy & Blandy LLP told us about its new website, we asked its chairman, Brenda Long, to explain how a 285-year-old practice continues to adapt and evolve in the digital world. Twenty years on from the era when websites were little more than sales brochures or online ‘signposts’, Blandy & Blandy says its own has become one of its principal means of taking new instructions from clients. The Reading-based law firm and member of our UK Prop Social networking division, was

03/29/2019

After attending MIPIM Cannes for the previous two years, Slough Borough Council was at the 2019 event, seeking to build on the progress made so far. Service lead for economic development, Shabnam Ali, explains how the borough approached it, some of the contacts that were made and where the team goes from here. Slough’s decision to attend this year was based on building on the work we have done in promoting the borough at MIPIM over the previous two years as well as actually seeking investors

03/19/2019

Almost 800 homes could be created in Berkshire by converting vacant commercial space, according to planning consultancy and Thames Tap partner, Turley. Turley calculates that if just half the vacant commercial space in the county was converted to residential, 779 homes could be delivered. If, in those developments, an additional floor could be added, the number doubles to 1,558.  The figures were derived from research carried out by Turley for its latest report, Making Sense of Mixed-Use Town

04/18/2019

We are taking a break for Easter. We will be back on April 29 and will publish our next newsletter that day.  If you want to contact us before then, please email [email protected]  You can sign up for our the weekly Thames Tap newsletter by simply emailing your name to us and putting 'Thames Tap' in the subject line.

04/18/2019

Chartered town planner, Alyson Jones, has been appointed director in the Wokingham office of planning consultancy, Boyer.  Ms Jones has acted on behalf of developers, funds, institutions and registered providers.  She has experience of promoting sites through the Local Plan process and negotiating planning permissions for mixed use urban extensions, commercial, later living, retail and leisure across the South East, Thames Valley and London.  © Thames Valley Property No 160

04/18/2019

Technology production firm, AVC Live, has taken a 71,428 sq ft warehouse at Union Business Park, Uxbridge. The deal, arranged by the Thames Valley office of Vail Williams, comes on the back of a number of acquisitions by AVC, part of US-based, PSAV. AVC wanted to consolidate existing sites to one which could serve London and the south east. Charlie Nicholson, partner at Vail Williams’ Thames Valley office, said: “We were instructed to carry out a search for suitable premises which would