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Carter Jonas has been selected to act as planning consultants in the preparation of a planning application for a new herbarium building at the Thames Valley Science Park (TVSP).

Estimated to cost around £100m, the new facility will maintain Kew’s preserved plant collection of over 7m dried plant specimens for future generations.

In addition, the development, of which the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew selected Carter Jonas to lead, will provide extra space for new plants to grow.

As a world-class herbarium, the building will ensure the usability of the collections for biodiversity research and provide the flexibility to respond to future needs. The move to the TVSP site will additionally enable the redevelopment of the Kew Gardens site for improved and expanded research, education, and public engagement facilities, enhancing the global impact of RBG Kew’s work.

Likewise, the project will also keep in line with green targets. Kew have recently established a sustainability strategy, otherwise known as ‘Positive by 2030: urgently tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis’, which is based on a commitment to achieve or better the Royal Institute of British Architects 2030 challenge – a project created to help architects design more climate-friendly buildings to help reach net zero.

Commenting on the news, Nicky Brock, Partner, Planning and Development, Carter Jonas Oxford, said: ‘We are extremely pleased to have been appointed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to prepare this planning application. The new herbarium project will enable RBG Kew to continue its unparalleled work in botanical research and, importantly, increase accessibility to this wealth of knowledge. With the benefit of a comprehensive sustainability strategy, the new facility addresses significant global issues and we look forward to a positive resolution.’

Mark Rushworth, Project Director at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has also expressed his enthusiasm to begin working with Carter Jonas.

 ‘We are delighted to appoint Carter Jonas to join our project team to deliver our new Herbarium at Thames Valley Science Park in Reading, which is promoted by the University of Reading,’ Mark said. ‘The project is critical to support our mission to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on earth.  We are very much looking forward to joining the British Museum and the National History Museum who are also located at the site.’

It is anticipated that the planning application will be submitted in December 2024. In the meantime, Carter Jonas is working with the project team in the preparation of the application, liaising with the council officers and local stakeholders, and public and stakeholder consultation later in the year. It is hoped that planning consent will be granted in May 2025.

Image: Jaleel Akbash

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In relation to the Renters (Reform) Bill getting its third reading yesterday, charities, ministers and housing experts have voiced their opinions.

Oli Sherlock, Managing Director of Insurance, Goodlord:

‘The Renters (Reform) Bill involves much more than the abolition of Section 21 eviction notices. However, it was the main topic of conversation again in Parliament [yesterday]. Although it is imperative for the county courts to have the resources they need to cope with the upcoming changes, the lack of detail around when and how the money to pay for this will be provided is disappointing.’

Lauren Hughes, Director of Customer Success, Vouch:

‘The Renters (Reform) Bill does seem to be creaking towards the finish line, but [yesterday’s] debate showcased just how much uncertainty remains. Section 21 was much discussed, with a range of Tory MPs continuing to put pressure on Gove to water down the manifesto proposal to scrap no-fault evictions. And it appears that this strategy has been effective, with the Housing Minister admitting that the Section 21 an is unlikely to be in place before a General Election.’

 Matthew Pennycook, Labour’s shadow Housing Minister:

‘Instead of ministers having the courage to face down their unruly backbenchers, this weak and divided Conservative government is appeasing them at the expense of private renters who will see the rights and protections they were promised watered down.’

Ben Beadle, Chief Executive, National Residential Landlords Association:

‘Tenants should be rightly empowered to hold rogue and criminal landlords to account to root out the minority who bring the sector into disrepute. However, it is vital that the majority of responsible landlords have confidence in the Bill to provide the homes for rent the country needs.

‘The amendments proposed by the government strike that balance.’

Polly Neate, Chief Executive, Shelter:

‘The government has led private renters down the garden path and dashed their best chance of a secure home. For every day the government has spent weaking [the Bill], at least 500 renters were slapped with a no-fault eviction notice.

‘With the spectre of homelessness never far away, renters will remain powerless to challenge dangerous conditions and unfair rent hikes.’

Ian Fletcher, Director of Policy, British Property Federation:

‘At a time when we need to increase investment in the supply of good quality private rented accommodation, one of the greatest obstacles to achieving that has been investor hesitancy caused by an uncertain regulatory environment, with many landlords and investors living with such uncertainty on renters’ reform since the government made it a manifesto commitment in 2019.

‘This uncertainly has undoubtedly had a cooling effect on the private rented sector and delayed many investment decisions.

‘It is therefore imperative that not only does this Bill get passed overall to prevent landlords living with uncertainty for a further prolonged period, but the government’s amendments in relation to an initial six-month period for tenants, the requirement for an assessment on the county court possession system before abolishing Section 21, and changes to protect student landlords in particular are retained as the Bill progresses through its next stages in the House of Lords.’

Image: Tumisu

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The current government have continuously missed housing targets, however with a upcoming general election, Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder of ASK, has detailed what he want he wants to see from the next prime minister.

Delivering affordable homes not only helps put roofs over people’s heads, but it could be the key to getting us out of a recession. 

Dear the next government,

Housing is at the centre of the election battleground. This is unsurprising given the economic uncertainty and that history shows that housing tends to lead the wider economy both into and out of downturns. We have recently seen small rises in house prices and mortgage approval rates to prove there are some green shoots but, without some major changes it doesn’t look like we can dig our way out of this recession.

You have suggested a target of 300,000 homes per year however this has been the target for the current government since 2004 and it has not been met once. France by contrast has built nearly twice as many homes as the UK since 1970 despite having comparable population growth. The shortfall in fact means, according to Capital Economics, that we now need 385,000 new homes a year.

The root of this problem has been four-fold. A reliance solely on the major housebuilders; a politically aligned planning system that deters councils from being pro-development; a net loss of social housing of 200,000 homes in the last decade as a result of demolition or sale through ‘right to buy,’ and loss of construction workers post-Brexit. Without fixing the roots of this supply problem we will not solve the affordability crisis we are currently facing.

Get SME housebuilders building again

SME housebuilders can play a major part in meeting our needs. Before the 2008 financial crash, small developers built 40% of our homes; now it is just 15%. Smaller developments and companies are often better received in the local area, which helps with objections. But, we would urge the government to provide incentives so they can access opportunities. One example could be making local authorities allocate a percentage of their land in small plots to create a supply-side push. In addition, developers could be awarded fully permissive planning permission for brownfield sites of less than 2.5 hectares. Government-backed equity schemes would also give these smaller firms the balance sheets needed for projects. It would also be advisable to improve the public perception of the major housebuilders who are often very ill-received.

Boost skilled labour in construction

Finding good contractors has become very difficult, many now work in small teams which makes development projects much harder to manage. We need the next government to focus its efforts on creating more homegrown jobs as we can’t rely on overseas workers. To raise productivity, more work needs to be done off-site in factories which would attract more women and young people into the sector and reduce construction costs and build times.

Fix the planning system

The planning system is on the brink of collapse, plagued by a conflict of interest that ousts pro-development councils during local elections. This flawed process forces councillors to vote against their own plans, leading to costly delays as inspectors and the Secretary of State become involved. The unnecessary logjams are costing developers millions. We must act decisively – demand independent decision-making to eliminate conflicts tied to re-election and call for private sector assistance to clear the backlog of applications.

Prioritise social housing

To deliver the level of social housing required, we need to take the pressure off the private sector by empowering councils. Compulsory purchase orders need further reform. For example, introducing some automatic conditions, under which authorities can exercise compulsory purchase powers without paying hope value, would simplify the process and avoid authorities having to ask the Secretary of State what is officially deemed in the ‘public interest’ and deter a flood of applications related to purchasing many small plots which would jam the system. Local targets should also be set to encourage powers they have been afforded.

Alleviate restrictions on conversions and brownfield sites

It’s time to incentivise developers to build on brownfield land. Support the automatic granting of planning permission for sites with plans meeting minimum ESG requirements. I believe we should prioritise the use of existing buildings over new constructions, and advocate for the lifting of boundaries on conversion projects.

Lenders have an important part to play

Developments require capital and smaller developers will need to seek funding from challenger banks or non-bank lenders who are able to offer flexible terms. These particular establishments can also evaluate risk in changing market conditions. At ASK, we will be looking to support well-capitalised developers with creative strategies to bring the much-needed new homes and commercial accommodation to market in line with occupier demand.

It is crucial to acknowledge that addressing the challenges our nation currently faces requires a sustained and committed effort. We urge you to stand firm in your commitment, even if it means facing temporary unpopularity. Embrace a pro-growth agenda and effectively communicate the repercussions of the supply-demand imbalance on home affordability. The issue at hand is distinctive to the UK, with the only silver lining being the influx of foreign investment into our real estate market. Investors seeking a secure haven for long-term capital recognise the potential underservice in our housing market for the next five to 20 years. To ensure a prosperous future, we implore you to take decisive action, leading us towards a balanced and sustainable housing market.

Yours sincerely, 

Daniel Austin. 

Images: Aleks Marinkovic and Huy Hóng Hớt

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The specialist retail property investment organisation has appointed Gerry Murphy, NHS director and former Deloitte partner, as a non-executive director.

Arguably, there is no one better qualified to join Capital & Regional’s team. Gerry Murphy, who is also set to take over as chairman of the group’s audit committee from Ian Krieger once he stands down on 3rd June, is currently a non-executive director of Currys and was previously senior independent director of Capital & Counties Properties.

Ian Krieger is due to stand down from his role as he will have served his full nine-year term as an independent director of the company.

Murphy is also a non-executive board member of the Department of Health and Social Care, chairs its audit and risk committee and is a co-operated member of the NHS England audit and risk assurance committee.

Commenting on the news, David Hunter, chair of Capital & Regional, has said that Murphy will be bringing great financial expertise to the company.

‘Gerry brings a wealth of retail, property and financial experience from a diverse range of real estate and related businesses, which is directly relevant to our strategy,’ Hunter said. ‘His expertise will be invaluable to the company and its future growth ambitions, and the board and I very much look forward to working with him.’

Hunter added: ‘On behalf of the board, I would also like to thank Ian who has been a highly supportive and insightful board member during a period of significant change for the company.’

Image: Gerry Murphy 

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The Bill is finally set to return to the House of Commons today to receive its second reading, where industry experts have explained a lot of work needs to be done.

Back in 2019, the Renters (Reform) Bill was proposed in a bid to axe section 21 notices, which give landlords the power to evict their tenants on short notice.  So far, the new legislation has been ineffective as a result of delays in Parliament, which have caused more people to be cast out of their homes. Recent figures from housing charity Shelter, found the number of households evicted by bailiffs rose by 39% last year.

However, the Bill was published in May 2023 and is finally due for its second reading in the House of Commons today. But despite progress, various industry experts have claimed major revisions need to be completed before it is made into law.

Darren Baxter, principal policy advisor at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), said: ‘As it stands the Renters (Reform) Bill prioritises placating landlords and backbenches over strengthening tenants’ rights. The Renters’ Reform Coalition is right to highlight the serious inadequacy of the Bill, which has been repeatedly watered down. While its primary aim has been to end no-fault evictions, it offers no clear timeframe or commitment as to when this will be done, reneging on promises made to renters over five years ago.’

The Renters Reform Coalition, which is made up of 20 leading organisations – one of them being the JRF – was created to ensure the new Bill favours tenants’ rights over private landlords’.

Darren added: ‘There is still time to do the right thing. Ministers must table amendments to the Bill that reverse the delay to ending Section 21 or no-fault evictions. The Bill must also limit in-tenancy rent increases to the lowest of either inflation or wage growth to prevent landlords from pricing tenants out of their homes.’

Echoing a similar tone, Anthony Kyriacou, CEO and founder of Krispyhouse, has claimed that currently, the Bill is failing the UK rental market.

‘Despite the plethora of amendments suggested by government MPs and the Labour Party, the Bill in its current state still does not strike the right balance between the interests of landlords and tenants,’ Anthony said. ‘The intention is noble, to give tenants better security of tenure, more certainty over their future in a tenanted property, while trying to ensure the Bill does not make the private rental market so unattractive that landlords don’t continue to leave the market as they have been doing for the past few years.’

Anthony continued: ‘Now spanning more than 112 pages and set for a second reading in the Commons [today], the Bill still fails in its purpose to streamline the needlessly complex property market, while also not meeting the real needs of both tenants and landlords. As drafted, I fear that more landlords will decide to leave the market, leaving tenants in a worse position as stock diminishes, prompting a further rise in rents.’

As well as looking to abolish no-fault evictions, the Bill will also mean tenants won’t be able to give two months’ notice leave until they have been in a property for at least four months. Student housing will also be given a new ground for possession to ensure landlords can retain the annual cycle of tenants.

Despite apprehensions, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association has said that the introduction of the Bill is great news.

‘This Bill delivers a fair deal for tenants and responsible landlords. In the interests of certainty for the sector it is now time to ensure the Bill passes through Parliament,’ Ben said. ‘For renters, the Bill will abolish section 21 repossessions and fixed term tenancies, introduce a Decent Homes Standard for the sector, a new Ombudsman and Property Portal which landlords will have to join as well as measures to protect families and those in receipt of benefits from discrimination.’

Although, with this being said, Ben also noted that ‘the tenant group, Generation Rent, has rightly warned that landlords selling properties is ‘a leading cause of homelessness.’

Ben said: ‘The only answer to this is ensuring responsible landlords feel confident enough to stay in the market. Greater security for tenants will mean nothing if the rental homes are not there in the first place.’

Image: Heidi Fin

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