In the second episode in a three-part series on recent cases involving tenant insolvencies, Julie Gattegno, partner at CMS, analyses the High Court's decision to sanction gym group Virgin Active's restructuring plan.

Gattegno explains how restructuring plans work, in what ways they differ from company voluntary arrangements and the circumstances in which they may be preferable to CVAs as a route out of insolvency.

She summarises the arguments put forward by affected landlords challenging the Regis plan, and outlines the court's key findings.

As restrictions ease, workers continue to tentatively head back into the office after a winter of enforced home working.

This episode looks at a variety of factors around the future of our office spaces, including ill-timed CEO gaffes; EG Radius figures on how London has performed so far in 2021; and how occupiers are feeling about their physical footprint as the hybrid model of white-collar working gains popularity.

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, recorded as part of EG’s Future of Belfast event, EG editor Samantha McClary talks to Gareth Howell, divisional director of Savills Belfast, Mark Blair, partner at Shoosmiths and Alistair Reed, strategic director of place and economy at Belfast City Council about whether Belfast might just be the perfect post-Covid city.

If you’re a Game of Thrones or Line of Duty fan you already love the city. But what if you are a business looking for talent. And a business that wants to be able to offer its staff the opportunity of city living and space and countryside – a true quality of life?

There is no denying that Belfast is a city with a troubled history. But is a boomerang city. A city that rebounds and one that if you’ve been once, you’ll definitely go back.

Listen in to find out more about Belfast might be on the cusp of a very bright future.

 

Find out about all of EG events at www.eg.co.uk/eg-events/

Jess Harrold is joined by news editor Pui-Guan Man and head of office and workplace research Graham Shone to round up the week, beginning with a look at the two big tenant insolvency cases in the High Court - the New Look CVA and the Virgin Active restructuring plan.

Discussions segue neatly into the interesting players entering the UK food and beverage market, and Shone offers his inimitable insights into the London office sector.

But how will he fare in his first crack at the quiz of the week?

Inside the crystal ball: Where you should be investing in real estate?

The future of real estate is being constantly debated. Asset classes are being put under the spotlight and scrutinised as to whether they will provide returns in years to come. Market experts are also leveraging industry data to predict exactly what will survive, thrive and suffer. So what would it be like to see inside the crystal ball?

Join us as we bring together experts to discuss and debate the impacts of the past year, where the value will be in the future, and the importance of planning, analysing and modelling your portfolios.

Speakers:

Allen Chilten, managing director, Capital Markets, Patrizia

Pete Finnerty, EMEA investment solutions director, MRI Software

Abigail Shapiro, head of office, retail & life sciences, Oxford Properties

Richard Starr, executive director – head of property, Palace Capital

Nick Winsley, managing director & head of investments, AEW

Chair: Tim Burke, deputy editor, EG

With more than £1.25bn of external funding since the start of 2020, the technology sector in Oxfordshire is entering a golden age which has seen it pull ahead of old rivals in Cambridgeshire, according to VSL & Partners director Richard Venables.

 

The company comfortably leads the Oxfordshire On Demand Radius Rankings with almost 300,000 sq ft of transacted space so far this year. More than a third of this was down to lettings to Arrival, a company that makes electric commercial vehicles and whose decision to locate in Bicester was influenced heavily by its proximity to Oxford University.

 

And Arrival is not alone; according to Venables around 20 companies a year are spinning out of the University in sectors ranging from transport to life sciences, AI, engineering and, famously, vaccine research.

 

This has pushed up rental values in the county and also attracted inevitable interest from investors, where yields are now at record lows.

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary is in conversation with Martin Crookston and Jon Reades about their new book Why face-to-face still matters: The persistent power of cities in the post-pandemic era.

They discuss how face to face interaction is vital for creativity, insight and knowledge sharing and how while it may become less dominant than in years gone by being with each other, in real life, in offices and in our towns and cities, will remain essential.

To get your hands on a copy of the book, with a special 20% discount, visit https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/why-face-to-face-still-matters-2

In the first in a three-part series on high-profile retail & leisure insolvency cases, Jess Harrold is joined by Julie Gattegno, partner at CMS, to analyse the High Court's rejection of a challenge by landlords to retail chain New Look's company voluntary arrangement.

In this 30-minute podcast, Gattegno goes into detail on how the New Look CVA operates, and why landlords complained that they were being unfairly disadvantaged.

She considers each argument in detail, and explains why Mr Justice Zacaroli found against the landlords, upholding the CVA on the facts of this case.

In addition, she highlights certain comments from the judge that perhaps offer a ray of hope to landlords faced with similar tenant CVAs in future.

In further episodes, Gattegno will explore the judgment on Virgin Active's restructuring plan, and the upcoming decision in respect of the Regis Hairdressing CVA, ultimately comparing and contrasting the issues raised in each, and what the overall lessons are for landlords.

As part of Mental Health Awareness week, Bricks & Mortar host Sarah Jackman talks to Richard Higgins and Jenna Roberts from the University College of Estate Management about the roll out this week of its new mental health strategy.

As an online course provider, UCEM has seen an increase in conversations about mental health and wellbeing over the last 18 months, with issues such as stress, anxiety and lonliness all being raised.

UCEM recognises the role it has to play in not only supporting student wellbeing, but in educating students and providing them with the skills to manage their own wellbeing when moving into the working world.

Its new strategy is intended to do just that and to provide a foundation to build on in future years. As Richard and Jenna explain, simply because its students are distance learning, doesn’t mean that they have to be distant or isolated. They recognise that they are “one big community” and that it's about supporting everyone – staff and students – to ensure that they're able to be open, supportive and well informed, despite the specific challenges that distance learning can bring.

In this episode of the EG Property Podcast, EG editor Samantha McClary talks to Knight Frank experts – head of national offices Emma Goodford and head of south east offices capital markets Simon Rickards – about the firm’s latest south east offices market report.

They take a look at the challenges and opportunities facing the region, from a lack of new stock to an undersupply of environmentally sound buildings, to the growth in innovative businesses such as life sciences and tech.

Goodford and Rickards share insight on the both the investor landscape, the future rental growth potential and how Covid has been an awakening for the area.

To read the report in full head to www.knightfrank.co.uk