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Morpheus, the London design house and development management company, has appointed Alun Dawson as Head of Development Management. He will lead the development management team, working closely with the design team to provide a design and development service for both UK and international clients. Alun began his career with Carillion Plc, working on projects including The Bromptons in Knightsbridge. He has also worked for Capita on a variety of ultra-high net worth residential projects, as well as corporat

Savills has revealed details of its survey into the ground rents market. Among its key findings, the survey reveals that there has been strong demand for ground rent investments over the past 12 months from a wide range of investors, with lease terms of over 80 years being the most attractive in terms of length. Investments that are linked to Retail Price Index are the most favoured while terms with fixed review patterns offer the least appeal to investors. Furthermore, a higher interest environment coul

Low and mid-rise buildings cost considerably less to construct and maintain over their life cycle and have more longevity than a high-rise housing solution. That’s the view of Nigel Franklin, Partner at property and construction consultancy, Calfordseaden LLP and development and research contributor to the Create Streets initiative. Nigel’s studies show that over a 100-year life cycle, a terrace of town houses could cost 50% less to construct and maintain over its life compared to a flatted block providi

The British Property Federation (BPF) has welcomed a change to the Immigration Bill which will ensure landlords of purpose-built student accommodation will be exempt from having to conduct ongoing immigration checks on tenants. The BPF began lobbying for this in 2013 after the Government’s consultation document on the Immigration Bill did not include an exemption for student accommodation. This led the BPF to table an amendment on the grounds that international students already go through rigorous visa c

Property Management company Trinity Estates has been awarded the Investors in People Standard, which recognises the commitment of businesses to realising the potential of their employees. The privately-owned firm, based in Hemel Hempstead, manages more than 45,000 homes across England and Wales, and its clients include national and regional house builders, apartment block landlords and resident management companies. Phil Hubbard, Training and Development Manager for Trinity Estates said: “Trinity Estate

The Right to Manage Federation has achieved its biggest-ever RTM, following a recent hearing. Century Wharf is a development of 967 luxury apartments in Cardiff, comprising 19 buildings divided into 35 self-contained ‘houses’. Following numerous site visits the RTMF decided that three RTM companies could manage the estate and in October 2012, three Century Wharf RTM Companies were incorporated. 15 Claim Notices were issued on 11 March 2013, and on 11 April, management company Peverel issued counternotice

Crabtree Property Management Limited is now regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Professional members of the RICS are required to uphold the core principles of the institution while abiding by the rules and regulations, statements and guidance notes that it supplies. Crabtree are now regulated by the RICS, ARMA and the FCA. Robert Robertson, Crabtree PM Managing Director, said: “Crabtree have continuously strived to offer clients complete transparency in terms of fees charge

Berkeley Homes has submitted plans for the redevelopment of South Quay Plaza, on London’s Isle of Dogs, which would include the construction of the UK’s tallest residential building. The development, designed by Foster + Partners, would feature more than 900 new homes and about 20,000sq.ft. of retail space across two landmark buildings: one of 73 storeys, the other 36 storeys. There would also be a pocket park, riverside walkway, and a children’s playspace for community use. If planning permission is se

The Government has no plans to carry out a formal review of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, Lord Faulks confirmed in the House of Lords, in response to a question from fellow Conservative Baroness Gardner of Parkes. During the debate on 7 May, Baroness Gardner, a long time advocate of commonhold, said: “It is 12 years since this law was passed and 11 sections are still listed as not in force.” These included, she added, sections that provide for the p

Students from the Glasgow School of Arts have won a national competition to design a new personal alarm for the elderly and vulnerable. For the challenge, created and sponsored by Chubb Fire & Security, they had to consult existing personal alarm users, before designing an alarm in the form of a pendant, worn around the neck or wrist.

The controversial decision in Phillips v Francis, which was due to be heard by the Court of Appeal on 14-15 May 2014, has been adjourned. It will now take place from 13-15 October 2014, following intervention by the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government. It has been reported that solicitor Charles Knapper representing the chalet owners, had deliberately misled the court by not revealing the existence of key documents that could have affected the outcome of the case. Phillips v Francis  in

A company director responsible for managing the finances of a block of flats has been jailed for defrauding his neighbours of more than £1 million. Brian Copsey, 60, of Marville Road, Fulham was found guilty of fraud by abuse of position and was jailed for eight years at Southwark Crown Court on April 15. He was also disqualified from being a company director for 12 years. The residents of Bryanston Court in Westminster set up two companies which collected and managed tenants’ money from service charg