Estates Gazette Property Podcasts

“You can’t avoid it. It is here to stay.”

John Davies, head of sustainability at Derwent London, knows that the ESG agenda is now inescapable for real estate companies large and small. 

In this 30-minute podcast, recorded as part of EG’s upcoming ESG special, deputy editor Tim Burke is joined by Davies, DWF senior partner Melanie Williams, Stride Treglown sustainability director John Wright, and Evora co-founder Ed Gabbitas to discuss the challenges in embedding an ESG strategy into a property business — and their advice for businesses making their first moves in this area.

For more ESG news, analysis and commentary from EG, head to https://www.egi.co.uk/sustainability/

Jess Harrold, Emily Wright, Pui-Guan Man and Tim Burke make their triumphant return to EG's recording studio for a full-spirited reunion in the first ever in-person episode of EG Like Sunday Morning.

Pui and Tim round up the major news stories of the week, Emily airs her views on the return to the office, and the whole team share their lockdown indulgences and life-changing experiences from the pandemic.

In this second of two EG Property Podcasts looking at the power of difference, EG editor Samantha McClary asks whether real estate has really moved from tolerating difference to embracing and celebrating them.

Joining her in this 40 minute discussion are Sasha Covington, chief operating officer in JLL's UK valuation advisory business, Michael Toft, head of care homes at Octopus Real Estate and Canary Wharf Group's managing director of people and culture Jane Hollinshead.

Listen in as the trio discuss how much further real estate needs to move and what actions it has to take if difference really is to be celebrated.

On the latest episode of On the Case, Jess Harrold is joined by Nick Trompeter QC, of Selborne Chambers, to discuss the decision in London Trocadero (2015) LLP v Picturehouse Cinemas Ltd and others [2021] EWHC 2591 (Ch); [2021] PLSCS 165 – a significant unpaid rent claim arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trompeter, who acted for the successful landlord, addresses the defences to the claim raised by the cinema chain tenant, and how the High Court dealt with each of them.

In addition, he looks at the implications of this judgment together with earlier unpaid rent rulings, considers whether any real grounds of defence are left open to tenants, and offers his thoughts on whether his type of claim may be pursued by more landlords.

For the latest Future of Real Estate podcast, Damian Wild joins an investor tour of Birmingham to learn how the city is pitching inward investment opportunities. The council is the 20th biggest land owner in the country and, with the Commonwealth Games and HS2 on the horizon, believes it is on the cusp of a golden decade. He asks leader Ian Ward and interim chief executive Deborah Cadman why they believe their investment story stacks up.

As London returns to its pre-pandemic bustle, under the surface lies a changed city. The experience of the past 18 months, and the increasing importance of sustainability and work-life balance, has led to a fundamental rethinking of the office and workspaces more generally.

Or has it?

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is in discussion with Matt Flood, head of occupier markets at LandSec, Mark Shepherd, a partner at DWF and James Shannon, chief product and technology officer at Essensys to uncover more about what the role of the office really is, what is it that is most important to occupiers and how can technology and collaboration ensure that London remains a resilient city.

Listen in to find out.

In this first of two linked EG Property Podcasts, host  EG editor Samantha McClary talks to Real Estate Balance managing director Sue Brown, head of HR at Savills Noel McGonigle and Pierre-Etienne Accarier-Francoz, an associate in the development team at Oxford Properties about changing attitudes to difference in the real estate sector.

This 30 minute listen covers everything from how working environments are changing to reflect the needs of a more diverse workforce to whether the industry has moved from tolerating difference to embracing.

Sometimes the first step towards progress is being totally, even brutally, realistic. And when it comes to an issue as complex and politically sensitive as delivering affordable housing in a city like London, a healthy dose of realism can work wonders - especially for those who are committed to finding solutions to this thorny, and increasingly pressing, problem.

Realism is what will ensure laurels are not rested upon. It is what will drive those who want to make a change to differentiate between what Government says and what Government does. Realism, for all its grounding in the sensible and pragmatic, is what could drive the creativity we desperately need.

“Those organisations out there that truly want to deliver affordable housing are just going to have to find creative solutions to do that,” said Square Roots managing director Barbara Richardson on an EG podcast focussed on how the industry can deliver more quality, reliable and affordable accommodation in the capital and how it can better service the frontline workers on whose service the city depends. “In the next three to five years I really don’t think the political system is going to help very much,” she added. “While I would like to think they are behind us, speaking about something and putting it into practice are two very different things.”

Tune in to hear more from Richardson, The Lowe Group's Tim Lowe and Dolphin Living chief executive Olivia Harris on how creative solutions from the industry will be the driving force behind instigating real, long-term change when it comes to delivering affordable housing solutions for London's keyworkers. 

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is talking all about London’s continuing attractiveness as an investment hotspot with Rasheed Hassan, head of global cross border investment at Savills, Katherine Ekers, a partner in the commercial real estate team at Forsters and James Edwards, managing director of Evans Randall Investors.

Over the next 30 minute conversation Hassan, Ekers and Edwards share their insights on how investor interest may have changed as we start to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic, how ESG are three letters on everyone’s lips and just how confident London can feel for its future prospects.

All that and much more as we ask, how do investors see post-pandemic London?

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast we turn our attention to the increasingly fascinating world of life sciences. The UK life science sector was thrown into the spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic as experts in Oxford, Cambridge and London lead the way on vaccines.

But there is more to life science than vaccines. And there is certainly more to life sciences in the UK than just the golden triangle.

EG editor Samantha McClary is joined on this episode by a trio of experts – Emma Goodford a partner at Knight Frank and head of national offices with an increasing focus on the life science sector, Stuart Grant, Co-Founder of CoreLife Investors, adviser to Brookfield’s Real Estate Group,  and CEO of Harwell Campus with some 25 years of real estate experience to draw on and Richard O’Boyle, executive director of We are Pioneer, with some 17 years of investment track record.

Over the next 30 minutes they discuss the power of the web that life sciences can bring to the UK. About how success is not just about the Golden Triangle and clusters but about an interconnected collaboration of innovative businesses that can together turn the country into a centre of excellence.

It is a fascinating listen with a bounty of insights to take away. Listen in and enjoy.