Spring Budget – ‘trailblazer’ deals announced In the Spring Budget on 15 March, as part of the Levelling Up White Paper, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced ‘trailblazer’ deals giving new and deeper devolution powers to local leaders in the Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities. For the first time outside of London, local leaders will now be able to set Read More
Commercial Property Market Review – March 2023
Spring Budget – Investment Zones announced On 15 March, Jeremy Hunt delivered his “Budget for Growth” focusing on four pillars ‘Everywhere, Enterprise, Employment and Education.’ Encompassed within the ‘Everywhere’ pillar, Mr Hunt spoke about the government’s plans for ‘Levelling Up,’ including the launch of 12 new Investment Zones or “potential Canary Wharfs”. For each of the eight zones in England, Read More
Residential Property Review – February 2023
Housing market continues slowdown According to the latest UK Residential Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) new buyer demand, sales, fresh listings and prices are all on a downward trend. January saw the ninth successive negative monthly reading for new buyer enquiries, with contributors to the survey in all parts of the UK reporting either a fall Read More
Economic Review – February 2023
Interest rate peak may be approaching Last month the Bank of England (BoE) announced another hike in its benchmark interest rate but hinted that rates may now be nearing a peak, as the tide in its battle with inflation begins to turn. Following its latest meeting held at the beginning of February, the BoE’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted Read More
Commercial Property Market Review – February 2023
Commercial market downbeat but withstanding Conditions in the commercial property market continued to decline in Q4 2022, according to the latest UK Commercial Property Market survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). At the national level, 83% of respondents consider the market to be in downturn, a slight increase from 81% in the previous quarter. All-sector net balance Read More
Economic Review – January 2023
UK growth beats expectations The latest gross domestic product (GDP) statistics show the economy unexpectedly grew in November easing fears that the UK has already slipped into recession. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the UK economy expanded by 0.1% in November. This figure was higher than any forecast submitted to a Reuters poll of Read More
Residential Property Review – January 2023
Housing market slowing but far from stopped Supply and demand both fell in November 2022, according to the latest UK Residential Survey from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), though sales completions remained high for the month. Transactions rose by 2.9% in November, although this is likely to include many mortgage agreements from before the September ‘mini-budget’, the RICS Read More
Commercial Property Market Review – January 2023
Commercial property deals at ten-year low Commercial property deals have collapsed to their lowest level in more than a decade, with just £7bn transacted in the final three months of 2022, according to CoStar. Investors have faced a series of shocks in the past year, including higher interest rates, the September ‘mini-budget’ and the prospect of a lengthy recession. Higher Read More
