Sightlines
Around-the-corner knowledge and multi-national expert insights and data-driven intelligence to help you unlock economic, social, and environmental value in your commercial real estate decisions.
2021 National Outlook for the UK
Changing consumer demands, investors’ desire to mitigate risk, pandemic fallout and Brexit uncertainty will impact activity in office, retail, residential, and industrial sectors.
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10 Trends for 2021
As we head into 2021, we set out our thoughts on ten issues that have the potential to profoundly influence our world and the role of real estate within it.
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Budget 2021Key takeaways for the real estate sector.March 3, 2021 -
Freight Infrastructure in the U.S. and Supply ChainsAY Industrial Capital Markets Impacts and OpportunitiesFebruary 27, 2021
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High hopes for higher educationReasons to be optimistic about the UK Purpose Built Student Accommodation Market in 2021February 18, 2021 -
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Park home living: alternative housing to meet the needs of older peopleThe homes that people live in as they age can greatly impact the extent to which they can remain independent.February 12, 2021 -
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We’re in the same storm, just in different boatsHow have cost containment considerations in the light of COVID-19 affected the landlord-occupier relationship?February 4, 2021 -
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Let's talk about flexWhile inevitable, the ever-evolving tiered approach to dealing with the pandemic is at best challenging and at worst potentially debilitating for occupiers of commercial property.January 7, 2021 -
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Workplace and productivity in 2020 and beyondWhy do so many people seem to have concluded that the office offers little benefit over working from home? We believe that there are some obvious short-term explanations.December 10, 2020 -
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Can the UK Government’s planning white paper – Planning for the Future – deliver?An expedient, pro-active and pro-development regulatory planning system is what investors, developers and our wider industry has been calling for, says Jo Davis, managing director for Planning, Development and Regeneration at Avison Young.November 12, 2020 -
Safely returning to workplaces: Avison Young collaborates with Cleveland Clinic on Return to Office strategyAugust 3, 2020 -
As the workplace evolves, so does workplace strategyJuly 27, 2020 -
Lessons from lockdownJuly 21, 2020 -
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Hotels need to adapt to remain relevant in an ever more competitive environmentOver the last decade there’s been a visible change in the hotel visitor experience. Yet there’s still much more to be done, explains Andrew Renouf, Director in Avison Young’s hotels team.July 3, 2020 -
ESG factors critical to responding to social movements and the pandemicJune 29, 2020 -
Continued resilience in the international industrial marketJune 25, 2020 -
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Glasgow Industrial Market – A Covid Resilient Market?Pete Harding, Associate Director of Avison Young’s Glasgow Business Space Team shares his views on how the industrial market will adapt to the current crisis.June 18, 2020 -
How data & technology will inform commercial real estate’s adaptation to the “new normal”May 21, 2020 -
Change is inevitable…growth Is optional: The emergence of the flexible office economyMay 18, 2020 -
Returning to the workplace amidst COVID-19May 7, 2020 -
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The Impact of COVID-19 on the UK Care SectorAvison Young’s Healthcare team is preparing its clients for a multitude of potential scenarios and outcomes in the health and social care sector.May 4, 2020 -
COVID-19: Perspectives on the “new normal” for CRE occupiersMay 1, 2020 -
Evaluating the “new normal” for commercial real estateApril 23, 2020 -
State of flex: Can occupiers, operators and owners look too far into the future?April 7, 2020 -
COVID-19: Accelerating structural change in the UK retail sectorApril 6, 2020 -
Project management considerations across the U.S. and CanadaApril 1, 2020 -
State of flex: considerations for occupiers, operators and ownersMarch 26, 2020 -
Key real estate implications of COVID-19March 20, 2020 -
Key economic implications of COVID-19March 20, 2020 -
Executive summary: COVID-19 impacts on real estateMarch 20, 2020 -
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Retailer big shed and internet fulfilment is driving industrial growth in the South WestPaul Hobbs, Director, Avison Young, looks at the growing importance of logistics for the Bristol economy.March 18, 2020 -
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Commenting on the Planning Reform in the BudgetIn amongst the chaos of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, Parliament has announced the 2020 Budget, which sets out a plan to support public services, individuals and businesses that may be affected by the outbreak.March 13, 2020 -
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Environment Bill 2020: A Planning and Development UpdateAvison Young takes a look at the Policy Statement issued on the 30th January 2020.February 6, 2020 -
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‘Tis the season to be giving!Destination Marketing team reach 1m+ people with Christmas messaging.December 20, 2019 -
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Toronto Real Estate Forum: 2020 Outlook for European Investment MarketsTaking a look at international trends, strategies, risks and opportunities in real estate.December 18, 2019 -
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A unique decade for the West MidlandsAs the beginning of 2020s draws ever closer, the short time before some of the West Midlands’ most high profile events draws closer too.December 17, 2019 -
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The traditional pub - Bucking the trendPeter Constantine, Cardiff Managing Director and Avison Young Principal looks at how the licensed leisure market is faringDecember 9, 2019 -
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Innovation in Property - Understanding the futureAvison Young recently hosted its ‘Innovation in Property - Understanding the Future’ event to discuss how the world of property is being shaped by global megatrends, technological innovations and the competition for knowledge and talent.November 26, 2019 -
Community
Avison Young’s Liverpool team to tackle homelessness in the cityWe join Liverpool's Homlessness Business Charter to help make a difference to the lives of homeless people and rough sleepers across the region.November 22, 2019 -
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Inspired Spaces NorthAvison Young is proud to be one of the supporting sponsors for this year’s Inspired Spaces North campaign and Jonathan Lowe, Director reflects on this year’s overriding trends, picking out "wellbeing at work" as the one to watch.November 17, 2019 -
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Snapshot of the UK debt market for commercial propertyThe number of deals available in the market for lenders is lower than usual as some investors aren’t actively taking decisions to buy or sell.November 11, 2019 -
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Do our cities support a healthy work life balance?Is there a disconnect between where we can do business and where we can live well?November 8, 2019 -
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The drive towards electric vehiclesLPAs, in more recent years, have sought to introduce requirements for EV charging points in new residential developments. However, all new developments in England could soon be required to follow suit.October 17, 2019 -
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Environment Bill 2019 – the first round...The Government’s Environment Bill, which was introduced to the House of Commons on 15th October, presents the biggest shake up of environmental legislation in England.October 17, 2019 -
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Landlords capitalise on changing office use to compete with rise of serviced officesNew report “Avoid a void” by Avison Young has revealed that some landlords are taking matters into their own hands to compete with the rapid growth in the serviced office sector, with the creation of a new fit-out category that’s being dubbed ‘CAT A+’.October 14, 2019 -
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Brexit Uncertainty Creates European OpportunityI see the current political and economic uncertainty as an opportunity for Avison Young as we set about building a disruptive real estate advisory business across Europe.October 9, 2019 -
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The building and construction sector can reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050Avison Young have formally endorsed the World Green Building Council’s report titled ‘Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront’ as one of 80 signatories.September 23, 2019 -
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Reviewing your business rates could lead to a welcome reduction in liability for small business ownersSmall business owners may be missing out on a Government discount on business rates that came into effect on 1st April 2019, advises Lee Halmshaw, director at Avison Young.August 12, 2019 -
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Court of Appeal Judgment shines a light on a grey area of planning legislationAt last, a landmark Court of Appeal decision (Fulford Parish Council, R v City of York Council [2019] EWCA Civ 1359) has provided clarity on the matter.August 7, 2019 -
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The Thames Valley – The Changing Face of the UK’s Tech CorridorThe Thames Valley has a long-established reputation as the UK’s ‘Silicon Valley’. Technology booms in the late 1980s (computers and telecoms) and late 1990s (software and internet) led to a wave of new occupiers moving to the region.August 7, 2019 -
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UK CGT changes will impact the hotel market: An expert viewThe taxation of UK hotel transactions for non-residents is changing and will likely have an impact on the pricing of hotel property going forward.July 30, 2019 -
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Maximising space: the increasing volume of windowless hotel roomsWith space in large cities at a premium, a new breed of space-saving hotel brands are utilising every square metre to efficiently provide smartly designed rooms in prime locations.July 30, 2019 -
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Are we getting the most value from waterfront development?Historically used predominantly to move people and goods, waterways have evolved in recent years to become arguably quite exclusive, being snapped up by development companies to build waterfront homes.June 28, 2019 -
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Science parks as economic driversAvison Young's Carl Potter takes a look at how knowledge and tech sectors will create a re-fuelling of demand for science parksJune 14, 2019 -
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The role of Affordable Housing delivery as a solution to the housing crisisA major housing crisis grips the country and is set to have dramatic social and economic consequences for generations to come.May 24, 2019 -
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From CVAs to FCRs – are we in for more distress?The CVA, as a process to restructure business, is firmly embedded in our retail landscape.May 9, 2019 -
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Edinburgh’s tourist tax: How can the city learn from other’s experiences?In February 2019, Councillors in Edinburgh voted in favour of the introduction of the first Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) or ‘tourist tax’ to be introduced to the city.May 1, 2019 -
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Rebranding a landmarkIt all started with a website. A website that really needed upgrading.April 3, 2019 -
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There's a new code in townService Charge Code – RICS Professional Standards and GuidanceMarch 27, 2019 -
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Breaking the Black Mirror – Embracing PropTech for a futureproofed industryRupert Parker looks at how our industry can embrace innovation to create more futureproofed buildings in an evolving world.March 15, 2019 -
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How will co-working affect the workspace as we know it?The words co-working and shared workspace are echoing across UK regional property markets but what does it actually mean and is the influx of operators changing the dynamic of office take up in our major cities?March 14, 2019 -
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How applying social value in the real estate industry benefits us allA guest blog from John Alker of the UK Green Building CouncilMarch 14, 2019 -
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Birmingham - From 1989 to 2049MIPIM 30th anniversary blog from Carl PotterMarch 13, 2019 -
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Newcastle upon Tyne - 30 Years of EvolutionThe momentum of change in Newcastle city centre, which accelerated in the 1970s with the completion of the Eldon Square shopping centre, has seen further substantial improvements over the last 3 decades towards establishing its reputation as a regional retail centre, commercial core and leisure destination.March 12, 2019 -
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Careful and considered approach leads to the selection of delivery partner to unlock Thamesmead WaterfrontAs announced this morning, Peabody has selected Lendlease as preferred partner to deliver their ambitious vision for Thamesmead Waterfront; one of the largest regeneration opportunities in Europe and a project of strategic scale for both London and the UK.February 15, 2019 -
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Pubs with rooms - a new trend?The growth in ‘pubs with rooms’ whether on an independent basis, or as part of one of the pub brands, has been marked. Does this signify a new trend, restructuring of the market or replacing more dated types of accommodation? We considered what new openings and shifting trends can tell us about this emerging sub-sector.December 20, 2018 -
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The Quest for Talent: Location vs Quality of PlaceBusinesses are rightly focused on developing, retaining and attracting the necessary talent to produce a sustainable workforce, and in today’s highly competitive search for talent, a compelling quality of place is a strong advantage.December 18, 2018 -
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Sustainable innovation starts with maximising what you haveGVA’s Rupert Elphick reflects on learnings from UKGBC’s Innovation Roundtable in Bristol.November 19, 2018 -
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Modern methods of constructionThe increasing pressure to identify tangible solutions to the housing crisis is spurring greater innovation in the building industry and particularly in the field of modular construction.October 30, 2018 -
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Manchester’s hotel evolutionWith hotel occupancy rates in Manchester on the decline at the beginning of 2018, there were worrying signals felt across the market. Was the tide beginning to turn on the city’s booming hotel market? However, a positive upturn in July and August seemed to alleviate any immediate fears but there still remains some uncertainty in the sector.October 11, 2018 -
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Two year wait for Scottish industrial space?Large industrial occupiers wanting to move in and around Glasgow face up to two years’ wait to achieve what they want. That’s the warning from Craig Semple from the GVA Industrial team in Scotland.October 8, 2018 -
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Will keeping the Help to Buy scheme help solve the housing crisis?There has been a lot of negative press recently surrounding Help to Buy, the Government’s flagship housing policy providing equity loans and reduced deposits to purchasers of new build properties. In particular, critics have sighted the bumper profits being made by housebuilders whilst Government funds are used to inflate prices and distort the market. Critics also question whether the scheme is helping the right people, stating that increasingly it is being used by second-time buyers, although still for their only home, and those on high incomes.October 4, 2018 -
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Deconstructing regenerationThere’s been a noticeable distancing from the term regeneration with placemaking becoming the replacement buzzword in the industry. Yet with an acute housing crisis and a planning system that assesses the suitability for development based on the colour of land - (greenfield v brownfield), the intensification and the renewal of underutilised parts of our cities will have a direct impact on our existing and future communities. The need for regeneration has never gone away nor been more critical to our economy.September 26, 2018 -
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The office that HR builtFrom stories of Silicon Valley executives drawing on the walls, to using the multi-storey slide instead of a lift in Flight Centre’s Brisbane office, it is clear that the office is no longer just a place where you go to perform your work, but instead an important tool for recruitment and retention. This makes sense; we live and work in an ever more global and digital world in which the distinction between the professional and personal blurs.September 18, 2018 -
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What does Mayor Khan stepping in over rejected housing schemes mean for housing delivery in the Capital?The decision of the Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, to use his powers to recover two planning applications from the same borough at the same time is a landmark moment of his administration. Furthermore, this is the first time any Mayor of London has called-in an application in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, making the move unprecedented.August 23, 2018 -
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WeWork in the workplace: what is shaping City take-up?Against a backdrop of ongoing Brexit noise and uncertainty, London’s City market has achieved an outstanding quarter, with total take-up at 2.2 million sq ft in Q2 2018, 45% up on the five-year quarterly average.August 1, 2018 -
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Weathering the retail storm: how we can build resilient town centresFollowing the publication of Bill Grimsey’s timely second review and the announcement of a new government-backed review of high streets to be launched, the continued challenges faced by town centres remains a high priority in the public eye.July 27, 2018
