Insight

Viability and the Planning Reform White Paper

September 17, 2020

Following on from my Brief and Myopic History of Viability, I thought I would follow up with a review of it's executioner - The Planning Reform White Paper. I have an image of how government policy is made. I see huge oak panelled double doors opening into an opulent panelled

A Brief and Myopic History of Viability

September 14, 2020

The government's Planning Reform White Paper signals the end of viability to negotiate Affordable Housing and Section 106 contributions. The viability "dog" has been terminally ill for a while and, before it is finally put out of its misery, I though it would be a good time to take a

Student Investment Portfolio in Leicester

June 18, 2020

Things move very fast at the moment. Anything you say today can look stupid a week later as lockdown levels, rules and regulations change. Two metres or one? Free school meals or not? Quarantine on arrival - it looks voluntary to me. You can understand the uncertainty. There is no

Hello Again……

June 4, 2020

It has been an embarrassingly long time since I last wrote anything on the blog and I've been spending a lot of time thinking of excuses. As part of our spanking new digital marketing strategy, we were told that blog posts need to be a minimum of 1,500 words to

£4.5m per Acre in Leicester City Centre

October 30, 2018

Not the prettiest site you will ever see but we have recently completed the sale of 257m2 land for development in Leicester's Cultural Quarter. Situated opposite the Phoenix Arts Centre and close to the Curve Theatre, the site offered an outstanding development opportunity for a mixed use development. The vendor

The Impossible Dream

October 15, 2018

The 2018 NPPF is based on a requirement for new local plans to deal with viability at the plan making stage. A viability assessment of each site in every local authority area in the country. We are reliably informed that, by way of training for this onerous task, local authority

He’s One of Our Own!

September 19, 2018

Back in 2013 we were asked if we could provide a day’s work experience to a young man who had decided that a criminology degree was not for him. We asked why he did not want to continue his studies. He replied that racking up a student debt of £700

NPPF with Added Viability

August 6, 2018

It’s here – the new all singing and dancing NPPF 2018 – now with added viability! Much cleverer people than us will provide comment on the planning issues this raises, but as our speciality is viability (400+ submissions and counting), we thought we had better have a look to see

When you’re asked to give an opinion publicly – it’s best to give one.

July 24, 2018

Don’t buy retail investments. As with any investment the risk is reflected in the price. As this is the business section I assume this does not require explanation. But what I can’t explain is why the huge risks of investing in the retail sector are not being reflected in the

Secondary Retail Investment Sold by Intali