Government selects 16 FE colleges for capital investment Apr 8, 2021 Sixteen English colleges have today (April 8) been revealed as the latest to benefit from the government’s £1.5bn FE Capital Transformation Fund. First launched in September last year, 200 colleges were named in the first round of funding (£200m) so they could undertake immediate remedial work to refurbish their buildings. In January 2021, a second phase was […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
New data suggests 2021 set to be good year for construction Apr 6, 2021 The value of construction work that began in the first quarter of 2021 was 5% higher than the previous year according to data published today by Glenigan (April 6). The numbers are significant – the research covers developments valued at less than £100m – because the UK did not go into lockdown until March 26, […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Hands set to get his fingers on Kier’s housebuilding arm Apr 6, 2021 Construction giant Kier is reportedly on the brink of selling its housebuilding arm to Guys Hands, the influential private equity founder of Terra Firma Capital. The sale of Kier Living is expected to raise in the region of £120m for a company that reported a pre-tax loss of £225m in its latest set of annual […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
100% increase in large-scale warehouse construction Apr 6, 2021 The rapid expansion of the logistics industry is reflected in new research released today (April 6) by Knight Frank which reveals twice as much large-scale warehousing will be built this year compared to 2020. According to the leading property consultancy, 40million sqft of new warehouse space in developments larger than 50,000 sqft is scheduled for […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Town centre regeneration made easier as relaxation of planning rules kicks in Mar 31, 2021 New rules allowing commercial premises to be converted into homes come into force today (March 31) as part of a package of government measures aimed at revitalising England’s high streets and town centres. The new rules, announced by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, will help support the creation of residential accommodation while also giving developers the […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Investors playing long game push Aviva through £1bn barrier Mar 30, 2021 Aviva Investors’ Real Estate Long Income team (RELI) secured a record £1bn of new capital commitments during 2020 according to figures released by the company today. The investments came from a mixture of local authority and institutional mandates, with investors increasingly seeking resilient income streams that can also offer cashflow matching characteristics. Of the £1bn, […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Build UK’s easier-to-operate procurement pre-qualification system up and running Mar 30, 2021 A new industry-wide, pre-qualification system which will simplify the procurement process is now fully operational. Created by Build UK, with the support of CECA, the Common Assessment Standard (CAS) is designed reduce the duplication of time, effort and resources that are costing the sector up to £1bn a year. Major contractors and clients – including […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Prime Minister to host green industries investment summit Mar 29, 2021 The government is hoping to showcase the UK’s green industry credentials at a summit of “some of the world’s leading businesses” this October. Hosted by the Prime Minister and supported by members of the Royal Family, it is expected to attract hundreds of the world’s leading businesses and investment A-listers to London and Windsor Castle, […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Huge interest as BentallGreenOak makes European logistics debut Mar 26, 2021 BentallGreenOak’s European Core+ Logistics Fund has attracted €695m in commitments from more than 20 global institutional investors. The Fund, the company’s first entirely dedicated to the European logistics sector, had an initial target of €500m. It will allow BGO to pursue opportunities across the logistics spectrum, including e-commerce, last mile, temperature controlled and distribution assets. […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Trio of UK logistics sites snapped up by BMO Mar 26, 2021 Canadian investment firm BMO has bought three logistics assets on behalf of a UK segregated mandate client. Warehouses worth £33m have been acquired in Ipswich, Birmingham and South Derbyshire. Following the sale of the Royal Mail distribution centre in Bristol, the transactions form part of BMO’s strategy for its client to diversify out of larger […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
InfraRed Capital cashes in on last-mile logistics portfolio Mar 25, 2021 InfraRed Capital last night confirmed the £250m sale of its portfolio of last-mile logistics assets in the UK and France to Blackstone real estate funds. The warehouses, comprising 2.2million sqft of space across 50 Anglo-French properties, located mainly in urban locations near Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield, will be incorporated into Mileway, Blackstone’s pan-European last […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
Investors pile into LondonMetric’s capital-raising debt issue Mar 25, 2021 LondonMetric has raised £380m from Trans-Atlantic institutional investors keen to support the asset management company’s long-term logistics strategy. The private debt, which has a blended maturity of 11.1 years and blended interest rate of 2.27%, was upsized from an initial target of £150m due to demand. A £50m tranche (‘Green Notes’) is subject to a […] Posted by: Mark Flanagan Read more
