07/31/2018

Vail Williams partner, David Thomas, weighs up the pros and cons of co-working spaces for occupiers.    At a recent seminar the hosts posed the question of whether the office was dead, with the conclusion in part, that ‘it wasn’t dead but just smells a bit funny’. If you follow the press documenting the gargantuan expansion and growth of co-working spaces, not only in London but across the UK, you may jump to the conclusion that traditional office space may have had its day. With the

07/06/2018

Buckinghamshire law firm Blaser Mills Law sets out the progress of the third runway at Heathrow Airport from the commitment given by the Government almost a decade ago to the future the expansion offers the region. “Check in” – a look back on events leading to the crucial vote​ In 2009, the incumbent transport secretary Geoff Hoon declared that the cabinet at the time supported the notion of a third runway to be built at Heathrow Airport. On June 5, 2018, almost 10 years later, the transport

06/11/2018

‘Just do it’ was the resounding response from Thames Tap’s Voices of the Valley when we asked their thoughts on Heathrow expansion – and some had a little more to say. A mix of positivity and exasperation was evident when we asked our panel for their views on the long-awaited third runway which came a step closer when transport secretary Chris Grayling set out the Government’s final proposal for an Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) on June 5. A vote will take place in Parliament within

05/21/2018

UK Property Forums researcher Andrew Gibson reports from the FT Future of Construction summit at One Great George Street in London on Wednesday, May 16. Technology has been at the forefront of discussion when looking beyond the horizon in any industry - and construction is no different. But is it all hot air? A recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute found the construction sector to be one of the least digitised global industries.  While there has been great progress in the development

05/14/2018

Thames Tap spoke to two of the leading figures behind the multi-billion pound regeneration of Basingstoke; Cllr John Izett, former managing director of Rogers Chapman at the time it was sold to JLL, and Victor Nicholls, former deputy chief executive of Bracknell Forest Council. Both public and private investment is flowing into Basingstoke and the councillor overseeing the town’s regeneration has no doubts why. A combination of an 8,000-home Garden Town, the £300 million rebuilding of its main

08/21/2018

A new service has been set up to help retailers and tourism businesses which fall within 5km of the HS2 construction route in Buckinghamshire. The Visit Buckinghamshire Business Advisory Service (VBAS) is a partnership involving tourism organisation, Visit Buckinghamshire; business support group, Buckinghamshire Business First; HS2 and the charity, Groundwork. VBAS aims to support businesses which face disruption from HS2, including those in supply chains of directly-affected businesses. It is

08/21/2018

Councillors in Spelthorne have published a video explaining the authority’s investment strategy after buying Reading’s Thames Tower, the Porter Building in Slough and the Charter Building in Uxbridge. The £285 million acquisition, totalling 545,000 sq ft of offices, follows the purchase of the BP campus in Sunbury two years ago. That deal helped fill gaps in funding caused by Government and county council cuts and now Spelthorne Borough Council says it has met its early objectives from

08/21/2018

Property consultancy Campbell Gordon has left its home of 40 years and moved into one of the buildings it markets. The agent has been in or next to its former home at 50 Queen's Road, Reading since it launched 40 years ago but has now taken space at the ninth floor of Reading Bridge House. Director, Keith Wise, has been with the firm for much of that period. He said: "Having worked on Queen's Road for some 29 years, this move was not taken lightly. But there have been so many exciting changes