September 17, 2018
The Crown Estate has announced that it has been awarded WELL Certification at the Platinum Level for its head office at No 1 St James’s Market, London by the International WELL Building Institute. The Crown Estate earned the distinction based on seven categories of building performance—air, water, light, nourishment, fitness, comfort and mind—and achieved a Platinum level rating.
April 20, 2017
The UK government has opened the tendering process the Estates Professional Services framework, the vast public sector property contract that covers all central and local government property and which reports claim is worth up to £430m in fees to the firms appointed. The bid is managed by the Crown Commercial Service, an agency sponsored by the Cabinet Office which has been driving the major overhaul of public sector property as it seeks to save £8 billion through a programme of rationalisation and divestment. The contract runs for four years with the present framework due to expire this September.
October 12, 2016
The UK Government has announced that it is to further extend its groundbreaking One Public Sector Estate scheme which supports local authorities and public sector bodies in the sharing and divestment of underutilised property. The Cabinet Office and Local Government Association have issued a joint announcement that 159 councils will join the next phase of the One Public Estate programme and that £7.5 million has been awarded to 37 partnerships made up of councils and public sector bodies. The funding will support cross public sector partnerships to work collaboratively on land and property initiatives leading to new jobs, new homes, joined up public services and savings for the taxpayer. The programme was initially launched in 2013 and has been extended to a number of local authorities and public sector bodies since
May 22, 2015
The Crown Estate has become the first national property business to accredit as a Living Wage employer. The Living Wage commitment aims to ensure that everyone working for The Crown Estate, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or contractors, receives a minimum hourly wage of £9.15 per hour in London and £7.85 per hour outside of London, significantly above the national minimum wage of £6.50. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK and is accredited by the national Living Wage Foundation (LWF). A study examining the business benefits of implementing a Living Wage policy in London found that more than 80 per cent of employers believe that the Living Wage had enhanced the quality of the work of their staff, while absenteeism had fallen by approximately 25 per cent.
April 14, 2015
Raise your hand if you agree: “The workplace is obviously a strategic resource.” We facilities management professionals know that to be true. But if you often feel like a voice in the wilderness when speaking to anyone other than a fellow workplace professional, you are not alone. For many if not most senior executives, their facilities are a necessary evil that always cost too much. That reality frustrates me as much as it does you. So my colleague Paul Carder and I conducted two extensive research projects in 2012 and 2013 aimed at making the case (mostly to FM professionals themselves) that facilities and workplaces are incredibly strategic – and very poorly understood. And while we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about the work, we haven’t seen much change in mindsets, management practices or outcomes.
October 7, 2014
A new 68,000 sq ft speculative office scheme has been announced for Slough Trading Estate, arguably the most famous trading estate in the country; home to Ricky Gervais’ ‘the Office’. Although Slough began life as an industrial trading estate, it now accommodates numerous corporate offices, and is one of the UK’s most popular headquarter locations for multinational companies, including Mars, Stanley Black and Decker, O2, and LG. The latest development forms part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Trading Estate to ensure it continues to remain a draw for business. The new site, at 234 Bath Road has already secured planning permission and is due to commence in November with completion set for Spring 2016. According to developer SEGRO the offices will feature large floorplates offering grade A office accommodation ranging in size from 22,000 sq ft – 68,000 sq ft, which can be let to a single company or multiple occupiers. More →
May 29, 2013
The Crown Estate, which manages the Queen’s property portfolio has announced a joint 50/50 – £320 million venture with Canadian real estate company, Oxford Properties. The Crown Estate, which will retain the freehold and take the lead role in the development says the St James’s scheme will provide 210,000 ft2 of prime office and 50,000 ft2 of flagship retail and restaurant space in two blocks located between London’s Regent Street and Haymarket. The project forms part of the Crown Estate’s ten-year investment strategy for St James’s and will transform a run-down back street service yard and taxi ‘rat-run’ with: “a fantastic new amenity for St James’s, revitalising half and acre of public realm and creating a new 10,000 ft2 pedestrian square for world-class business, shopping and dining.” More →
February 19, 2025
It’s back. The Workspace Design Show London is bigger and better than ever, with over 5,000 workplace professionals, including architects, designers, developers, and end-user occupiers, joining together to explore the present and future of workspace design and management. In just a few days, the eagerly-awaited Workspace Design Show, the trade show that brings together the UK workplace interiors community, will open its doors. Held at London’s Business Design Centre, handily placed in the heart of Islington, from 26-27 February 2025, the event offers attendees the chance to explore the latest industry trends, see the latest products, and find inspiration in the thought-provoking talks programmes. More →
February 6, 2025
Rents for prime office space across the globe rose by 0.3 percent and fit out costs by 0.2 percent in the final quarter of 2024, says Savills, as demand for top quality office space continues to grow in many markets around the world. According to Savills in its latest quarterly Prime Office Costs report, in the fourth quarter of last year, average net effective costs rose slightly, by 0.1 percent, continuing a moderate upwards trend of 1.9 percent over 2024. London (West End), Hong Kong, and New York (Midtown) remain the top three locations in terms of costs of the 35 markets Savills examines. More →
January 29, 2025
There has been a significant surge in demand for commercial property investment, reflecting a marked recovery in the sector, according to a new report from Rightmove. The platform attributes this rise to recent interest rate reductions by the Bank of England, which have made investment opportunities more affordable and appealing. Rightmove’s Quarterly Commercial Insights Tracker, which monitors supply and demand trends among the UK’s largest commercial property audience, revealed that overall demand for commercial property investment increased by 28 percent year-on-year in the final quarter of 2024. The office market also witnessed a notable increase, with demand for office space investment climbing by 57 percent year-on-year. More →
January 20, 2025
Almost 60 percent of CEOs around the world expect global economic growth to increase over the next 12 months, according to PwC’s 28th Annual Global CEO Survey, launched during today’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The report, which surveyed 4,701 CEOs across 109 countries and territories, also finds that 42 percent of businesses expect to increase headcount by 5 percent or more in the next 12 months – more than double the proportion who expect headcount decreases (17 percent), and up from 39 percent last year. The percentage is highest (48 percent) among smaller companies (less than US$100 million) and those in the technology (61 percent), real estate (61 percent), private equity (52 percent) and pharma and life sciences (51 percent) sectors. More →
January 10, 2014
SkyCycle. Great idea, but how realistic is it really?
by Andrew Brown • Comment, Environment, Facilities management, Workplace
A cycle lane in the sky is a brilliant concept. The very name conjures up visual images of 21st century transport networks that HG Wells might have been proud of. But wedged above the Enfield Town to Liverpool Street line or its equivalent it seems very unlikely. So let’s assume this is an exercise in marketing, making use of good research and creative design as a means to kick start the debate about how we get to work and how we can accommodate more different and more sustainable methods of commuting. And let’s not restrict this to London either. The capital might have more obvious issues, more publicity; a larger than life Mayor; plus too many cycling fatalities, but they are problems shared across the UK.
More →