Former Olympian Homes CEO Simpson Joins £500m Living Platform
Former Olympian Homes CEO Richard Simpson has been appointed managing director of investment for a new UK living platform founded by Student Roost creator Tim Butler. The platform, backed by Australia’s largest pension fund AustralianSuper, has secured a £500 million (≈ $625 million) commitment and plans a £700 million (≈ $875 million) student accommodation and residential pipeline. Simpson brings over two decades of experience from Watkin Jones and UNITE Group to drive the investment programme. The venture also aims to rank among the top five UK rental‑home operators within five years.
Marlow Studios Snaps up HQ Building for £1bn Buckinghamshire Project
Marlow Studios has purchased a 12‑acre office building, providing 230,000 sq ft of high‑grade space, to serve as the early headquarters for its landmark £1 billion (≈$1.25 billion) film studio project in Buckinghamshire. The site sits adjacent to a 90‑acre development that received government...
Investec Provides £22m Loan for Greenridge’s Bristol Office Acquisition
Investec Bank has extended a £22 million committed loan to Greenridge Opportunities Fund to acquire and refurbish the 100,000‑sq‑ft 3 Temple Quay office building in Bristol. The 48‑month facility provides an initial tranche and a separate capital‑expenditure tranche to fund a...
BP Signs Lease for New Global HQ at Landsec’s Timber Square
BP has signed a 192,000 sq ft lease with Landsec for its new global headquarters at Timber Square in London’s Bankside. The agreement covers the entire 15‑storey Ink building within the 365,000 sq ft Timber Square scheme, which is now 54% let at completion....
LondonMetric Secures £1.5bn Refinancing Facility
LondonMetric Property has secured a £1.5 bn refinancing package, comprising a £1.3 bn syndicated loan and a £200 m bilateral facility, to replace almost all unsecured debt maturing over the next four years. The new debt structure includes two‑year and three‑year term loans...
Promise of AI-Driven Efficiencies Draws Investors to Hotels, C&W Reports
European hotel investors remain bullish for 2026, driven by AI‑enabled cost efficiencies, according to Cushman & Wakefield. 58% plan to allocate more capital than in 2025, and 54% intend to be net buyers, while only 7% expect to sell. AI is...
Aureon and Caisson iO Launch Industrial Platform with Double Acquisition
Aureon Partners and Caisson iO have launched a UK multi‑let industrial property platform, initially funding £36 million of acquisitions in Weston‑super‑Mare and Leeds. The Weston Industrial Estate adds 303,000 sq ft across 64 units, while Metro Park contributes 52,000 sq ft of light‑industrial space. The platform...
Defra Commits £100m to Speed up Sustainable Planning Decisions
The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has earmarked £100 million over three years to accelerate planning decisions for major projects while upholding environmental standards. The funding will boost staffing and introduce digital systems to streamline environmental assessments,...
MetroLink Signs for 49,500 Sq Ft Offices at Dublin’s Coopers Cross
MetroLink has signed a lease for 49,500 sq ft of Grade‑A office space at Kennedy Wilson’s Coopers Cross campus in Dublin’s north docklands. The mixed‑use development totals 381,000 sq ft, features an intelligent building system, and boasts LEED, WELL and BREEAM Platinum certifications along with...
Supermarket Income REIT Closes in on £1bn Value Target for Blue Owl JV
Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) has more than doubled the value of its joint venture with Blue Owl Capital to £845 million, edging close to its £1 billion AUM target. The partnership, launched in April, added £398 million of acquisitions in the second half...
Landsec Reports Leasing Drive From AI and Tech Firms at MYO King’s Cross
Landsec reports that its premium flexible workspace MYO at King’s Cross has surpassed 60% occupancy within six months, driven primarily by AI and technology firms. More than ten tech companies, including Perplexity AI and PlanHat, have signed leases, and the...
Flex Firms Warn of Increasingly ‘Impossible Position’ over Rates Reclassification
Flexible workspace operators are confronting a steep rise in business rates after the Valuation Office Agency reclassified serviced office buildings, shifting full liability onto operators and stripping small‑business relief. The new methodology has produced rateable‑value increases of up to 40%,...
Manchester Stock Exchange Hotel to Open 95-Room Extension
Manchester’s Stock Exchange Hotel has secured planning permission to add a 95‑room extension, branded Stock Exchange Suites, slated for an early 2027 launch. The new building will sit opposite the existing five‑star property and feature a 1,000 sq ft Traders Lounge, gym...
Hounslow Unveils £7.5bn Golden Mile London Regeneration Plans
Hounslow Council unveiled the Golden Mile London regeneration programme, a 15‑year, £7.5 billion initiative. The plan calls for 14,000 new homes and aims to generate 25,000 jobs in creative, digital and technology sectors along the 4 km stretch between Heathrow and central...
Deepki Launches New Benchmark for Decarbonising Real Estate
Deepki has introduced a Sustainability CapEx Index that benchmarks the capital expenditure required per square metre to decarbonise real‑estate portfolios by 2050. The index leverages Deepki’s AI and thermodynamic software to model virtual renovation scenarios across more than 3,000 European...
Prologis Submits Plans for 762,000 Sq Ft Unit at DIRFT
Prologis UK has submitted proposals for DC762, a 762,000‑square‑foot distribution centre at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). The cross‑docked building will feature an 18‑metre clear height, 114 dock doors, BREEAM “Outstanding” and EPC “A+” certifications, and a 700 kWp...
Liverpool Launches £2bn Investment Fund to Boost Housing and Regeneration
The Liverpool City Region has unveiled a £2 bn Investment Fund designed to accelerate housing construction, office and lab development, and transport upgrades. The fund aggregates existing and new public capital to support a £2 bn pipeline of up to 64,000 homes...
Tower Hamlets Seeks Partners to Bring Forward 52,000-Home Pipeline
Tower Hamlets council is courting development and investment partners to deliver a 52,000‑home pipeline under its Future Places programme. The plan allocates up to 10,000 homes in south Poplar and Billingsgate, 3,300 across more than 40 council‑owned sites, and 1,100...
London Flex Market Splits as Managed Offices Hit 40% Price Premium, Rubberdesk Reports
London’s managed office segment now commands a roughly 40% price premium over serviced desks, averaging £230 more per seat, according to Rubberdesk data. In Q4 2025 managed supply rose 5.5% while serviced office stock contracted 7.3% and prices fell 4% year‑on‑year....
SanRaj Snaps up Three-Hotel Portfolio as Group Expands UK Presence
SanRaj Group, through its Clearsense Ventures platform, has purchased a three‑hotel portfolio from Ares Real Estate funds and EQ Group. The assets include the 196‑key Novotel Leeds Centre and two 141‑key hotels – Novotel Glasgow Centre and Ibis Glasgow –...
MCR Property Group Launches £360m Flow Student Platform
MCR Property Group has unveiled Flow Student, a purpose‑built student accommodation platform valued at £360 million in gross development value. The platform currently operates roughly 6,000 beds across six UK cities and aims to reach 15,000 beds – a £1 billion portfolio...