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With an extra £3.5 billion and applications extended to 30th June 2021 now is the time to apply for the Building Safety Fund cladding remediation grant. The single most urgent issue facing landlords or residents’ management companies in apartment buildings with combustible external wall systems is remediation or, to put it more starkly, making their building safe for its residents. In recent weeks, the Government has announced an extra £3.5 billion for its Building Safety Fund, originally launched in June

Elevate Property Group has acquired the former Birmingham forensic science laboratories in Southside and will start work immediately to create 79 luxury apartments. The Birmingham-based developer has purchased Priory House from Rainier Developments and plans to repurpose the building in the style and aesthetic of its very successful Concord House development on Holloway Head. Priory House is a landmark building in the Southside district of Birmingham and the 77,000 sq ft, seven storey building, which was

The chairman of property management and surveying practice Scanlans is handing over the reins as he embarks on a new career as a mediator. Ian Stanistreet, 61, has been a partner at Scanlans for 31 years and its chairman since 2016, when he succeeded David McKee. Ian has also continued to head the firm’s property management division alongside partner Ian Magenis. He will stand down as chairman and retire as a partner at the end of March, but will remain with Scanlans as a consultant. In that role he will

The world’s first mixed-use net zero carbon development* in a key quarter of Birmingham city centre that could create well over 1,000 jobs has been unveiled by Woodbourne Group. The £360 million waterfront ecosystem, to be called Curzon Wharf, will be within eight minutes walking distance of the HS2 Curzon Street Station, offering sweeping views of the city and beyond. The masterplan development of almost one million square feet is expected to boost the Birmingham economy by at least £151 million. The hyb

Principle Estate Management has welcomed government plans for new legislation that takes fire safety even more seriously. The Home Office has announced there will be no limit to the size of fine that can be handed down for breaches to fire safety regulations under changes to the Fire Safety Order. It has also announced that the legislation will mean that anyone caught obstructing or impersonating a fire inspector will also face unlimited fines. Brett Williams, the managing director of Principle, explained

In July I will set out to walk 600km.  Why? Well over the past 6 months Adiuvo have celebrated hitting 600,000 properties under out of hours management and their 600,000 emergency call out. In normal circumstances we may have celebrated with a party but with that not being possible at the time we thought about alternatives. Our first call out over 12 years ago was via D&G Block Management a London based company who were my ex-employers and are still to this day a client. That first emergency was a not ver

The Hackitt Review of 2018 following the Grenfell Tower disaster identified a need for increased resident engagement when it comes to building safety. It recommended that those in charge of a building’s safety have a resident engagement strategy in place, which outlines how information will be shared with residents and how they can be involved in decision making regarding changes that impact the building’s safety.  The Building Safety Bill, drafted in 2020, expands on these requirements. It provides resid

This article was first published on the Winckworth Sherwood website.  The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has disclosed its position on a few of the potential reforms it has been consulting around in recent years as regards the relationship between leaseholders and their landlords. This article looks at the reforms announced so far around enfranchisement, the limits to be introduced to the level of ground rents in new leases, the restrictions imposed on the sale of houses of a leaseho

Birmingham-based Principle Estate Management has welcomed guidance from the chartered surveyor’s trade body, the RICS, on how to value apartments in buildings with cladding. Joe Jobson a Director at Principle and a Member of the RICS described the guidance as “another helpful step along the road” rather than a total solution to the ongoing cladding controversy. “The RICS’ guidance is intended to help valuers undertaking valuations for secured lending purposes on domestic residential flats in the UK. “It i

Amstone Ventures has completed on a 3.28 acre (1.33 ha) site in Stockport town centre for a build to rent led residential development.  The site is situated on Warren Street close to the old town market hall and square. The Sainsbury’s supermarket which has occupied the site since 1984 has now closed its doors. Architect, Leach Rhodes Walker, is drawing up a plan for a landmark scheme of circa 550 high quality residential homes. There will be a mix of apartments and town houses together with a large commu

Planning and Housing location data, independent review published  Summary New independent location data review across housing and planning sectors published today  Whether you are an individual searching for your new home, a developer preparing a planning application or a government official updating a local plan, planning and housing location data plays a critical role in addressing the national challenge of providing housing that meets different needs. We know that location data alone cannot tackle t

Top property management operators MetroPM today welcomed a new valuation process issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) over valuing high-rise properties with cladding. The industry-wide guidance is titled ‘Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi-occupancy residential buildings with cladding’, and follows consultation with valuers, leaseholders, lenders, fire safety experts and government. Matthew Arnold, managing director of MetroPM, explained that the paper had been agreed