Hale Named as Real Estate:UK’s First Chief Executive
Vanessa Hale has been appointed the first chief executive of Real Estate:UK (RE:UK), the new industry body formed by merging the British Property Federation, Investment Property Forum and Association of Real Estate Funds. Hale joins RE:UK in July from her role as head of research and strategy at BNP Paribas Real Estate, bringing over 20 years of global built‑environment expertise. The merger, slated for completion on 30 April, creates a single convenor for the UK real‑estate sector, organized around six pillars including advocacy, research and standards. The appointment signals a focus on sustainability, diversity and talent development.
Seneca Sells Manchester Pharmaceutical Facility to Occupier Seda
Seneca Property has sold the 40,000‑sq‑ft Lakehouse at Cheadle Royal Business Park in Manchester to its occupier, Seda Pharmaceutical Development Services, for an undisclosed sum. Seda has already invested £8 million (≈$10 million) to convert the building into a life‑sciences manufacturing hub...
Queensway to Transform City Office Building Into 239-Bed Hotel
Queensway has obtained planning permission to convert the 75,000 sq ft office at 29 Clements Lane into a 239‑room hotel in the City of London. The retrofit‑first scheme will retain the building’s structure, restore the original lightwell, and aim for a BREEAM...
Abercrombie & Fitch to Make Northern Irish Debut at Victoria Square
Abercrombie & Fitch announced its first Northern Ireland store, opening in Belfast’s Victoria Square shopping centre. The new outlet will occupy the upper ground floor between LEGO and Sephora, the latter of which debuted in Ireland last month. Victoria Square...
LPA Calls for Upgrade in Offices’ Planning Status as Shortages Threaten to ‘Choke Growth’
The London Property Alliance (LPA) is urging the UK government to label office space as critical infrastructure in the National Planning Policy Framework, aiming to accelerate new builds and upgrades. London’s office sector produces roughly $371 bn in gross value added...
Chancerygate and Bridges Complete €40m Dublin Logistics Development
Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management have finished the Airport Trade Park, a €40 million (≈$43 million) grade‑A urban logistics complex on a five‑acre site near Dublin Airport. The 120,260 sq ft development comprises 13 units, with three pre‑let totaling 31,200 sq ft to firms such as Imprint...
Cluttons Appoints Sambridge and Buckley as Joint Heads of Commercial
Cluttons has named Mark Sambridge and Gareth Buckley as joint heads of its national commercial division, merging previously separate teams. The new structure will deliver a data‑enabled, market‑focused offering across agency, investment, valuation, lease advisory and occupier services. Their combined...
Retail Assets Help Acuitus Raise £18.79m at March Auction
Acuitus raised £18.79 million (≈ $23.9 million) at its 30 March auction, selling several retail assets including the Bedford Arcade for £2.605 million (≈ $3.31 million) and a Leicester bank branch for £2.36 million (≈ $2.99 million). The auction featured high‑occupancy centres, a leasehold trade counter with a 7.73% yield,...
British Land and AustralianSuper Win Approval for Revisions to Canada Water Masterplan
British Land and AustralianSuper have secured deputy mayor approval for a revised Canada Water masterplan, allowing the second development phase to commence in 2027. The plan will deliver up to 4,118 homes, 2.5 million sq ft of workspace and 1 million sq ft of retail, leisure...
Brown & Brown Takes 52,303 Sq Ft at City Developments’ Office Building
Global insurance broker Brown & Brown has signed a 15‑year lease for 52,303 sq ft of office space across the sixth and seventh floors of Aldgate House in London’s City of London district. The lease, set to start toward the end of...
JP Morgan Looks for Business Rates Discount to Unlock £3bn Canary Wharf Office Project
JP Morgan Chase is negotiating a business‑rates incentive with Tower Hamlets, the Mayor of London and the UK government to move forward with its £3 billion (≈$3.8 billion) Canary Wharf office tower. The 3‑million‑sq‑ft development would house up to 12,000 staff and serve...
DWP Leases 100,000 Sq Ft at West Bar Offices in Sheffield
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has signed a lease for the entire 100,000 sq ft No.1 West Bar Square, the largest Grade A office deal in Sheffield in over seven years. The move reinforces Sheffield’s role as the UK’s biggest policy‑development...
Landsec Slaps £450m Price Tag on Flagship Piccadilly Circus Island Site
Landsec has put its iconic one‑acre Lucent site at Piccadilly Circus up for sale with a guide price of £450 m (approximately $570 m), the largest West End freehold transaction since 2022. The mixed‑use development offers 188,000 sq ft total, including 126,000 sq ft of office...
Real Estate Balance Publishes Key Points to Drive Female Leadership Progression
Real Estate Balance (REB) released an eight‑point framework aimed at accelerating mid‑career women into senior leadership roles within the built‑environment sector. The recommendations were distilled from a REB event where 55 senior leaders—47% women—provided input, and 25 member organisations, including...
PIC Buys Lincoln MGT’s Reading BTR Scheme in £200m-Plus Deal
Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC) has purchased the 598‑home Ebb & Flow built‑to‑rent development in Reading from Lincoln MGT for more than £200 million (approximately $255 million). The asset, part of the £850 million (£1.08 billion) Station Hill mixed‑use regeneration, is fully let and offers...
Avant Homes Greenlit for £67m Barnsley Development
Avant Homes has received planning permission for Thorn Wood Gardens, a 289‑home development in Thurnscoe near Barnsley, Yorkshire. The scheme carries a gross development value of roughly £64 million (about $82 million) and will feature two‑, three‑ and four‑bedroom homes plus 14...
Home REIT Plans Stock Exchange Return After Publishing Accounts and Selling Assets
Home REIT, a UK social‑housing investor, announced it will seek to lift its three‑year trading suspension after publishing delayed accounts and completing a bulk asset sale. The REIT exchanged contracts to sell 706 properties to Patron Capital for £123 million (about...
Green Light for Two-Tower Housing Scheme at Pop Brixton Site
Lambeth Council and developer London Square have secured planning permission for a 228‑home scheme in Brixton, featuring an 18‑storey and a 20‑storey tower. Forty percent of the units will be social‑rent, and the project will replace the Pop Brixton and...
Wahaca Hires P-Three to Serve up Expansion Plans
Mexican casual‑dining chain Wahaba has hired placemaking firm P‑Three to accelerate its UK expansion, targeting one to two new restaurants each year. The group plans to add sites in Cambridge, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and several London locations, investing roughly £1 million‑£1.5 million...
Khan and Government Confirm Emergency Measures to Kickstart London Housebuilding
The UK government and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan have unveiled an emergency package to revive stalled affordable‑housing projects in the capital. Housing starts have collapsed from 26,386 in 2022‑23 to just 4,522 in 2024‑25, prompting fast‑track planning for schemes delivering at...
Arini Lends easyStorage £180m for UK Roll-Out
EasyStorage, the self‑storage arm of easyGroup, secured a £180 million (≈$230 million) loan from lender Arini to fund an aggressive UK expansion. The company aims to open 30 new sites in 2026, followed by 26 sites per year, targeting a total pipeline...
Cost of Building London Skyscrapers up 40% Since 2020, Report Shows
Construction costs for London skyscrapers have surged 40% since 2018, outpacing most global peers and trailing only New York. Office shell‑core expenses now range from $6,900 to $8,700 per square metre, roughly $6,440‑$8,125 after converting the cited £ figures. The report...
Avison Young Makes 44 Senior Promotions Across the Business
Avison Young announced 44 senior promotions across its UK operations, elevating staff to associate director and director levels. The moves span eight business lines—including building consultancy, place, rating and technology, and capital markets—and cover cities such as London, Manchester, Birmingham,...
SENG Secures £65.5m Loan for Two London Office Conversions
SENG has secured a £65.5 million senior loan, roughly $82 million, from specialist lenders ASK and Firma Partners to acquire and redevelop the Regents House office building in Islington and the Chiswick Tower office asset. The loan is cross‑collateralised across both properties,...
Hines and Chancerygate Land Investec Loan for £39m Oldham Logistics Scheme
Investec Bank has issued a senior development loan of approximately $49.5 million to a joint venture of Hines and Chancerygate for the Aurora Park urban logistics scheme in Oldham. The 166,500 sq ft project will comprise 18 lease‑hold units and is projected to have...
Panattoni Promotes Cripps to Head of International Capital Markets
Industrial developer Panattoni has promoted Nick Cripps to head of international capital markets, expanding his remit to 18 markets across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and India. Cripps, who joined five years ago, previously built joint ventures and helped...
Bellway Reports ‘Robust’ Performance with Completions and Revenues Up
Bellway Homes posted a robust interim performance for the six months to January, with revenue rising 6.3% to £1.52 bn (≈$1.94 bn) and completions increasing 2.7% to 4,702 homes. Underlying pre‑tax profit edged up to £150.9 m (≈$193 m) and basic earnings per share...
CBRE Strengthens Development Advisory and Residential Land Team
CBRE has bolstered its development advisory and residential land capabilities in Bristol and the South West by appointing senior director Nic Rumble from JLL and development finance expert Martha Freer. The expanded team now includes five specialists offering end‑to‑end services to...
Redical Seals Deal to Acquire Merry Hill Shopping Centre
Redical has completed the acquisition of the Merry Hill shopping centre in the West Midlands for an estimated £280 million. The 92‑acre super‑regional mall, now 96 % let after a £125 million refurbishment, recorded 15 million visitors in 2025 and a 4.3 % rise in...
Zedwell Continues Fast-Paced UK Rollout with York Debut
Criterion Capital announced that its Zedwell capsule‑hotel brand will convert the historic 48 Coney Street in York into a new property. The grade‑II‑listed mock‑Tudor building will join recent Zedwell openings in Oxford and London, where the company launched the world’s...
Builders Invested over £3bn in Single-Family Housing in 2025, Savills Reports
UK housebuilders poured £3.17 bn into single‑family housing (SFH) rentals in 2025, a jump from £544 m in 2022 and representing 59 % of all build‑to‑rent (BTR) capital last year. The share of BTR investment in SFH has risen dramatically from 6 % in...
Z Hotels Secures £79m Loan to Refinance Pair of Prime Central London Assets
Z Hotels has secured a £79 million loan from Metro Bank to refinance its two prime central London hotels in Leicester Square and Covent Garden. The facility, arranged by Beckford Advisory, is secured against the freehold assets and replaces earlier development‑finance...
Ex Boss Brings Whistleblowing Legal Action Against Battersea Power Station
Former Battersea Power Station CEO Don O'Sullivan has filed a whistleblowing claim alleging serious financial misreporting and unfair dismissal by the Malaysian‑owned development company. The London South Employment Tribunal has scheduled the case for a final hearing in 2029, reflecting...
Savills Rakes in £45m at March Resi and Commercial Auction
Savills generated more than £45 million at its 17 March auction, selling 129 residential, commercial and mixed‑use lots with a 72 percent success rate. The highest price was a 2,600 sq ft Belgravia flat that fetched £2.37 million. Commercial assets contributed £15 million, highlighted by a mixed‑use...
Currys Triples Workspace at WeWork’s Flagship Waterloo Site
Currys is expanding its headquarters at WeWork’s flagship 10 York Road location in Waterloo, increasing its workspace from 6,700 sq ft to 18,200 sq ft – a three‑fold growth. The retailer cites a recent internal survey where 93 % of office staff said hybrid working improved work‑life...
ME Asset Management Launches Platform Targeting Assets Affected by Building Safety Challenges
ME Asset Management has launched a specialist investment platform that targets real‑estate assets burdened by building‑safety and remediation challenges. The platform pairs capital with in‑house remediation capabilities to acquire assets where technical complexity has caused pricing dislocation. Its first deal...
Lothian Pension Fund Snaps up Edinburgh Premier Inn-Anchored Asset
Lothian Pension Fund has purchased the Hanover Buildings – the Premier Inn‑anchored Edinburgh Hub and five surrounding retail and leisure units – from Oval Real Estate for £23.4 million. The transaction delivers a net initial yield of 5.66 % and the 145‑room hotel...
ARGO and Blue Coast Splash £50m on High Wycombe Industrial Estate
ARGO Real Estate has purchased the Merlin Centre at Cressex Business Park in High Wycombe for close to £50 million. The 213,004 sq ft, 12‑unit industrial estate is fully let to 11 occupiers and fits ARGO’s brown‑to‑green urban logistics strategy with Blue Coast Capital....
AI Firm Pre-Lets Derwent’s London West End Network Development
Derwent London has pre‑let its 136,300 sq ft Network office development in Fitzrovia to data‑analytics giant Databricks. The AI firm signed a 15‑year lease with a break clause in year ten, paying an annual rent of £14.1 million. The deal adds to Derwent’s...
Manner’s Hotspur Press Plans Move Ahead After ‘Devastating’ Fire
Developer Manner has re‑secured planning permission to erect a 35‑storey student accommodation tower on Manchester’s former Hotspur Press site after a June 2025 fire destroyed most of the historic mill. The revised scheme, designed by Hodder + Partners, provides 619 student bedrooms,...
GPE Sells West End Office to Feldberg in £176m Deal
Great Portland Estates (GPE) has sold its Wells&More office‑led scheme in Fitzrovia to Feldberg Capital on behalf of Fastighets AB Balder for £172 million. The 116,000‑sq‑ft asset, comprising 97,342 sq ft of Grade‑A office space, generated roughly £9.2 million of annual rent and carries a weighted‑average...
Landsec Brings in Partner to Roll Out Retail Portfolio EV Charging Network
Landsec has struck a 20‑year partnership with RAW Charging to install a £24.5 million electric‑vehicle charging network across its flagship retail destinations. The rollout will deliver 1,000 charging bays – 554 AC fast and 446 DC rapid – at 28 sites,...
Chancerygate Lands Manchester Airport’s World Freight Terminal
Chancerygate has purchased Manchester Airport’s 825,000 sq ft World Freight Terminal multi‑let industrial estate from Columbia Threadneedle for an undisclosed amount. The 54‑acre site houses 64 units across 17 buildings and is 95% occupied, with recent construction accounting for 39% of the...
Greystar Buys Native Communities as It Expands Across Europe
Greystar has agreed to purchase UK‑based third‑party operator Native Communities from founder Guy Nixon for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition adds 37 residential and mixed‑use assets, encompassing more than 9,000 homes across England, Scotland and Wales, to Greystar’s portfolio. Combined...
Saunders Named CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company
James Saunders has been appointed chief executive of Battersea Power Station Development Company, succeeding interim leader Sam Cotton. Saunders brings 18 years of experience overseeing the mixed‑use Wembley Park estate, most recently as CEO of Quintain. His appointment coincides with...
Private Housing Dealt ‘Significant Blow’ as Construction Levels Drop 6.3%
The Office for National Statistics reports that private housing construction output in Britain fell 6.3% in the three months to January 2026, contributing to a 2% decline in total construction output. While repair and maintenance activity rose 3.3% in January,...
Glenveagh Hails a Strong 2025 as Profits and Completions Rise
Irish housebuilder Glenveagh Properties reported a strong 2025, with pre‑tax profit rising 10% to €125 m and housing completions up 11% to 2,568 units. Revenue reached a record €926 m, driven by a 61% surge in partnership income despite a 14% dip...
Sky Secures Long-Term Lease at 55 Douglas Street in Glasgow
Sky has signed a long‑term lease for 26,184 sq ft of Grade‑A office space on the fourth and fifth floors of 55 Douglas Street in Glasgow. The move, slated for late May 2026, includes a bespoke fit‑out for its customer‑service teams and a...
Nottingham War Rooms Sold for 104-Home Mixed-Use Scheme
London-based Hamilton Russell Harper Wood, part of the Langcroft Group, has purchased the historic Nottingham War Rooms from Homes England to launch a mixed‑use regeneration. The project will see 104 affordable homes built by East Midlands Housing Group alongside new...
Linear Living Submits Plans for 251-Home Manchester Centre Scheme
Linear Living has submitted planning applications for a 24‑storey residential tower in Manchester’s Green Quarter, delivering 251 homes including four townhouses and seven units adapted for residents with additional needs. The site, formerly occupied by retail and commercial premises, is...