Rachel Clarke and I recently attended the Insider Breakfast Seminar at the Hilton Hotel, Nottingham. The discussion focussed on the challenges faced by the residential housing market in the East Midlands (urban and rural) and possible ways forward. The planning system, which is the usual scapegoat, was identified as stifling the build process, but it […more]
Freeths’ Environment Team has been advising on the launch of a new Great Crested Newt licensing scheme in the South Midlands region of England. The scheme allows development to progress more quickly and with fewer Great Crested Newt obstacles than has previously been possible. An overview of the scheme and Freeths’ involvement with it can […more]
Our new website will go ‘live’ tomorrow, so please do visit the site and take a tour! In relation to the blog, as well as subscribers continuing to receive our posts by email, they will also appear as articles on the news / articles ‘landing-page’ of the new website. In the short term we will […more]
Toys R Us, Mothercare, Carpetright and Maplin are the latest casualties of the retail ‘slump’ attributable (in part) to high inflation and online competition. As consumer habits change in favour of online shopping, how can bricks and mortar-retailers be innovative, remain profitable and keep the high street alive? 1. Omni-Channel Shopping In essence: create a […more]
Following on from the Government’s Housing White Paper, “Fixing Our Broken Housing Market”, in February 2017, the Government has published its revised draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This was accompanied by various supporting documents including a supplementary draft Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) for viability, and a Housing Delivery Test ‘Draft Measurement Book’. The draft NPPF includes […more]
It is Crufts week at the NEC Birmingham and I for one will be glued to the excellent TV coverage (happily, there will be more coverage this year than ever before). It is also Chinese Year of the Dog of course, so what better time to talk about pets and property! First of all, residential […more]
The news of Toys R Us and Maplin entering administration will not have come as a surprise to most retail experts. According to analysis by Deloitte, the number of retailers entering into administration in 2017 increased by 28% from 2016 figures. This increase certainly appears to indicate that companies are struggling within the sector and […more]
The built environment is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and the MEES Regulations are just part of the government’s approach to meeting its carbon reduction targets. Under the Regulations, it will be unlawful for a landlord to grant, renew or extend a lease of privately rented property with an Energy […more]
UK Music recently reported that approximately 35% of music venues across the UK have closed in the last decade. One of the reasons is said to be frequent noise complaints by local residents. With the current demand for housing in the UK, apartments are often built close to existing, noise emitting businesses including music venues […more]
Research carried out by Property Partner, an online property investment marketplace, has ranked Stoke-on-Trent as having the best combination of affordability and rental return for landlords. The research took into account average property prices, rents and incomes in Britain’s 100 key towns and cities and Stoke came out on top. Predictably, the research saw a […more]