THE FREE ISSUE Can prisons change their ways? 20 / Elected mayors rule 25 / The pros and cons of pro bono 30 THE FREE ISSUE Can prisons change their ways? 20 / Elected mayors rule 25 / The pros and cons of pro bono 30

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ASK THE BIG QUESTIONS MAY 2016

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ASK THE BIG QUESTIONS MAY 2016

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MAY 2016_MODUS 03

14 COVER STORYAs the UK prepares to go to the polls, where will the country’s built environment industry stand, post EU referendum?

20 REFORMED CHARACTERHow to make adaptive reuse of prisons viable

25 LET IT GROWWhat economic benefits could a new cohort of elected mayors bring to their cities?

30 I’LL TELL YOU THIS FOR NOTHINGModus meets the surveyors giving their professional advice – and time – for free

34 PARK THAT THOUGHTCould out-of-town retail’s post-recession resurgence be coming to an end?

36 BERGEN’S MODEL RAILWAYStakeholders make light work of rail extension through collaborative use of BIM

06 DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONWould the construction and rating of green buildings benefit from a simpler, unified standard? We hear two points of view

07-13 NEWS IN BRIEFIndustry news, advice and information for RICS members

08 THINKING: JILLIENE HELMANA lending revolution is under way as crowdfunding opens up real estate investment to the masses

11 PRESIDENT’S COLUMNHanding more autonomy to our cities will bring great opportunities for the profession, says Martin J Brühl FRICS

“It could be an exciting time for the government … but uncertainty is a given – even those in favour of Brexit do

not know what the outcome of the post-exit negotiations will be”SIMON RUBINSOHN, RICS

COVER STORY, P14

Views expressed in Modus are those of the named author and are not necessarily those of RICS or the publisher. The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the publisher. All information correct at time of going to press. All rights reserved. The publisher cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. RICS does not accept responsibility for loss, injury or damage or costs that result from, or are connected in any way to, the use of products or services advertised. All editions of Modus are printed on paper sourced from sustainable, properly managed forests. This magazine can be recycled for use in newspapers and packaging. Please dispose of it at your local collection point. The polywrap is made from biodegradable material and can be recycled.

MODUS MAY 2016 RICS.ORG/MODUS

Contents

38-39 CAREERSHow to give a presentation with panache; Next FMS’ John Ringness MRICS SFP

40 BUSINESSAre you operating under the right structure?

41 LEGAL 101Putting IPMS: Offices into practice

43 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTMastering the art of estimation

45 SURVEYEDThe latest products for professionals

62 MIND MAPWolfgang Feist, director of the Passive House Institute, on the scheme’s potential

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PLUS47 Benefits48 Events

49 Obituaries + Conduct50 Recruitment

0 4 RICS.ORG/MODUS

OF COURSE GALLEON COVER COMES AS STANDARDAt Hiscox, we provide specialist cover for art, collectibles and unusual items as standard.

As your home becomes more important, so does your insurer.

Terms and conditions apply, for full terms and conditions see www.hiscox.co.uk/ricsThe Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an Appointed Representative of Hiscox Underwriting Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For UK residents only. 15721 03/16

Home insurance0800 840 2349 | hiscox.co.uk/rics

SPECIALLY NEGOTIATED DISCOUNT FOR RICS MEMBERS

MAY 2016_MODUS 05

FOR SUNDAY Editor Oliver Parsons / Art Director Christie Ferdinando / Deputy Editor Andy Plowman / Contributing Editor Brendon Hooper / Senior Designer Jess Campe / Creative Director Matt Beaven / Account Director Karen Jenner / Advertisement Sales Director Emma Kennedy / Head of Display Advertising Marlene Stewart / Sales Manager Angus Sharpe / Production Manager Michael Wood / Managing Director Toby Smeeton / Repro F1 Colour / Printer Wyndeham Group / Cover Image Yippiehey / Published by Sunday, 207 Union Street, London SE1 0LN wearesunday.com / For RICS James Murphy and Kate Symons, RICS, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3AD

@LPNUFC6 Love this months secret surveyor in @RICSnews #ricsmodus Ambition is good, but it need not always be about the £££ or does it?

@ngadenne NPPF debated in #Modus from #RICS. More developments with their own sustainable energy production needed is my view

@JonasHaberkorn Must-read in #PropTech. The UK industry pioneers @RICSnews

@getrialto #proptech in #RICSmodus. Thanks @Juliettemorgan for the mention! @Pi_Labs @GetLandInsight going strong

@IC_MarkG Great #RICSModus article about the impact of climate change on the built environment and a case for moving towards resilient homes @RICSnews

@NMACommercial Good article in #ricsmodus on how 3D printing is providing solution for rapid house building, especially in emergencies

@TomLefek To adapt to 2°C rise @WorldBank estimated need to spend £49-£70bn each year between 2010 & 2050 #climatechange Great #RICSModus article

Join the

debateREACTIONS AND RESPONSES

FROM PREVIOUS ISSUES Do you have a comment about this issue of Modus? Email editor@ricsmodus.com,

or tweet us using #RICSmodus

THE MAN COMES AROUND … AGAINSir, Am I missing some subtle reverse irony here? The heading “Waiting for the Man” (p14, March) is mind-blowing in its disregard for the current drive for gender equality within this profession. Can you not see that titles such as this just help to perpetuate deep-seated bias towards this being a profession for men.

Hannah Williamson’s letter in the same issue was clearly not read by your own staff.Marie Newman, associate, Vail Williams

Sir, “Waiting for the Man” was an outstanding article. The contributors address many of the challenges that, no matter the outcome of the EU referendum, will have to be faced by employers and employees, and yet many politicians avoid facing up to those challenges.

I would suggest that this article should be circulated to a much wider audience, including MEPs, MPs and elected members of the three devolved parliaments.

Congratulations on compiling such an informative, well-balanced and yet politically neutral feature.Thomas Inglis FRICS (retired) Fintry, Scotland

Sir, While I wholeheartedly support equality in the workplace, I have to admit to finding Ms Bickersteth’s comments rather amusing (feedback, April).

As I am sure my fellow older readers will recall, “Waiting for the Man” is the title of a song by the Velvet Underground, and the caption was therefore a play on words. Some people really do need to get a sense of humour!Mike Lewis FRICS

Feedback

@RICSnews // #RICSmodus

USEFUL RICS NUMBERS CONTACT CENTRE +44 (0)24 7686 8555 Enquiries / APC guidance / Subscriptions / Passwords / Library / Bookshop REGULATION HELPLINE +44 (0)20 7695 1670 CONFIDENTIAL HELPLINE +44 (0)20 7334 3867 DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICES +44 (0)20 7334 3806 SWITCHBOARD +44 (0)20 7222 7000 LIONHEART +44 (0)24 7646 6696

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SWEETT LEAVES BITTER TASTESir, Building recently reported that Sweett Group had been ordered to pay £2.3m after a bribery prosecution. The magazine also stated that it understands the offence is unrelated to allegations originally made by the Wall Street Journal. The story has been reported widely online and in several national newspapers.

I have seen no articles about this matter in Modus. Furthermore, I have seen nothing on the RICS website nor any press releases from RICS. If such articles exist, they are not easy to find.

Why has RICS not been at the forefront of reporting on this event? What sanctions are being applied by RICS to Sweett Group? Is there further outstanding action concerning the separate Wall Street Journal allegations? If not, have these allegations been investigated?

RICS rightly talks a lot about professional ethics. However, for it to have any credibility as an ethical institution it should be taking a leading role in exposing and reporting such matters. Silence is not acceptable.Jonathan Stockdale MRICS

Thank you for your letter. RICS is aware of the matter and is dealing with the conviction through its regulatory processes, in the same way as we would treat any other conviction.

RICS treats all firms it regulates equally and fairly in delivering its regulatory functions. We will only publish the outcome of a case once it is complete and a disciplinary panel has agreed publication. We did highlight the case to the profession in Modus (p17, July/Aug 2014).

We have recently played a major role in an extensive, three-month consultation on the proposed International Ethics Standards, to which the profession was invited to contribute.Luay Al-Khatib RICS Director of Regulation, EMEA

06 RICS.ORG/MODUS

KENE IBEZI FRICS SENIOR CONSULTANT, REAL ESTATE AND ENVIRONMENT, CODUB CONSULTING, LONDON

At present, green building Assessment methodology is split. BREEAM is used in 70 countries across Europe,

Australasia and southern Africa, while LEED is used in 150 countries in the Americas and Asia. Building experts’ time is wasted “boning up” when moving between the two markets. A unified system would save time, and practitioners would only have to worry about converting things such as units of measurement.

Let’s not forget the ultimate aim of these rating methods: to create an environment in which buildings become more energy efficient and use materials more intelligently. Occupiers and investors have trouble understanding these rather technical ratings if there are different standards. If ratings were harmonised across all 220 countries, they would be more likely to put pressure on developers to improve sustainability.

There is no point saying that we should just adopt LEED or BREEAM globally. To create a new, third-party standard, we would have to form an international committee. It will include professional bodies such as RICS, BRE and the US Green Building Council, sustainability scientists, and policymakers, who would establish where the standards overlap and choose the best from each system. After that, the aim would be to add the best processes from each standard and integrate them into a new, unified rating.

The result would be simpler access for everyone, freeing up experts to spend more time making buildings work better.

MICHAEL SMITHING FRICS DIRECTOR, GREEN BUILDING ADVISORY, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL, SINGAPORE AND LEED ACTIVE PARTICIPANT

Although it might be possible to creAte A single globAl green building rating system, it will never happen – and that is a good thing.

Creating a single set of parameters that measure sustainability globally is challenging, because practices that are sustainable in one market are often meaningless in another. BRE Group’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) take very different approaches to transportation access, for instance, because good public transport in the US would be considered poor in most European cities.

Market dynamics preclude the creation of a universal rating system because it would remove the incentive to innovate and address a wide variety of different stakeholders. Today, green building rating systems such as LEED and BREEAM do an excellent job in balancing the needs of our planet, people and the market. Without competition, that balance would be at risk.

Take LEED’s transition from v3 to v4, which provoked a backlash that has delayed full implementation from 2012 until late 2016 because of its overly transformational nature. Over the same period, BREEAM took a more evolutionary approach and it is almost certain that if LEED had pushed forward on its original timeline, BREEAM would have experienced explosive growth as developers switched sides.

Without competition, LEED would likely have pushed forward, putting rating beyond the reach of many projects and reducing the incentive for others to pursue certification.

The variety of green building ratings is confusing. They should be replaced by a single, universal standard. Discuss.

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

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Intelligence News / Reviews / Opinions / Reactions

Green and still lean or too much red tape? Join the debate at rics.org/linkedin, or tweet using #RICSmodus

MAY 2016_MODUS 07

BUMPER PROFITSClassic cars have been the standout performer in the luxury investment market over the past five years

Source: Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index Q4 2015

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Guidance on lease accounting standards published

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has issued a guide to the new lease accounting standards, IFRS 16 Leases, that were introduced in January this year.

The IASB revisions require all leases to be reported on a company’s balance sheet as assets and liabilities. By 2019, every company that reports under IASB will need to comply.

The accounting standard will have an impact on all companies that have leases for real estate or equipment and that file financial statements. This includes public companies, private entities, and non-profit organisations. The changes will most dramatically increase the obligations that must be reported by retailers, leisure operators, banks and other companies that rely heavily on leasing for their operations.

An RICS paper, Lease Accounting Changes and the Implications for Real Estate, reviews the changes and considers the implications for the real estate sector.

Download the guidance paper at rics.org/iasb.

RICS Awards 2016 shortlist celebrates best of British

The candidates for the 12 UK regional heats of the RICS Awards 2016 have been announced. The projects are entered into eight categories: Building Conservation, Commercial, Community Benefit, Design Through Innovation, Infrastructure, Regeneration, Residential, and Tourism and Leisure. To see the shortlist of projects and dates of the regional ceremonies, visit rics.org/awards.

PARADISE COSTS

In March, Canada

Pension Plan Investment

Board bought a 50% stake in the first phase

of the £1bn Paradise

Birmingham development

Intelligence

NEWS IN BRIEF

rics.org/modus

An ageing population will drive global real estate transaction volumes to more than $1tn (£707bn) globally by 2020, up from $700bn (£495bn) in 2015, predicts JLL.

With more people planning for retirement than at any other point in history, a greater amount of capital is being poured into private pension funds – particularly in emerging economies, where they remain a relatively new phenomenon.

Furthermore, governments such as Australia, Malaysia and Canada are introducing compulsory pension plans for all working people, while Norway is using revenues from its vast oil reserves to plan for the country’s ageing population.

“By 2050 there will be more people over the age of 55 than the entire population of the world in 1950,” said David Green-Morgan, global capital markets research director at JLL in Singapore. “This will have a profound effect on real estate investment strategies, with the amount of private equity targeting direct real estate set to increase by over 500%.”

The definition of mainstream real estate investment markets has also become far more diversified over the past 10 years.

“In the absence of significant new stock becoming available, capital will target many different avenues to achieve its desired direct real estate exposure, including alternative sectors such as healthcare, retirement living and, increasingly, residential,” added Green-Morgan.

DOWNLOAD the research at bit.ly/JLL_demographics. What other effects will ageing populations have on real estate? Email editor@ricsmodus.com

PENSION POTS WILL PUSH TRANSACTION VOLUMES TO $1TN BY 2020

INVESTMENT®

LINKING Are permitted development rights that allow office-to-residential conversions a good or bad idea – particularly in London?

My office is in Fulham, south-west London. Small offices have disappeared at an alarming rate and rents have gone up by 10% in a year, and will go up further. This measure will result in

a deficit of offices and hugely escalated rents. David Toogood FRICS

At the moment, within London [they] are beneficial. There is an imbalance for housing and the rents in London are ridiculous. [On] the issue about there being a deficit of offices, I believe that we should look further into the reality of office and space sharing

between small companies. Yiannis Toumazis MRICS

The issue is that, once in residential use and fragmented personal ownership, the opportunities for a change of use in future are extremely limited. So short-term economic drivers are replacing long-term town planning. Paula Chatfield MRICS

REVIEWING THE LATEST DISCUSSION POINTS AT RICS.ORG/LINKEDIN

STARTED BY Andrew Bunn,

a building surveying

student at Anglia Ruskin

University

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Crowdfunding technology is fundamentally changing how we finance and build new properties.

It connects borrowers in any industry with capital faster and more easily than traditional fundraising, by enabling investors to pool their capital to fund initiatives facilitated by advanced online platforms.

One of our goals is to educate a whole new generation of investors. Before crowdfunded real estate, most investment opportunities were only available to those with deep pockets. Now, accredited investors can access them for as little as $10,000 (£7,100), while borrowers receive major capital infusions, closing equity or debt financing faster and more easily than working through traditional channels.

The tech boom and the appeal of alternative investments can help explain why crowdfunding – and crowdfunded real estate – is becoming so popular. Excitement over tech start-ups, exhibited by sky-high valuations and investor confidence, prompted legislation like the US’s Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act that eased regulations and made it easier for smaller investors to access the market. Crowdfunding initiatives such as AngelFund, which allows investors to buy shares in start-ups, brought these opportunities to market.

Investors want new ways to grow their wealth and achieve higher returns, especially in a period of low interest rates. Technology has finally caught up with their ambitions: crowdfunding offers easy ways to invest in alternative assets. This trend explains the rise of “fintech” companies such as Lending Club, a peer-to-peer lender focused on consumer and small-business loans.

Global crowdfunding totals have risen from $6.1bn (£4.3bn) in 2013 to $34.4bn (£24.3bn) in 2015, reports crowdsourcing consultant Massolution, and it is expected to account for more funding than venture capital in 2016. The North American market for all types of crowdfunding efforts – real estate, donations, equity – grew 145% between 2013 and 2014, according to research from DealIndex. Now imagine how those numbers change when, for example, you bring crowdfunding into real estate, which is valued at almost $40tn (£28.2tn) and is the largest asset class in the US – 1.5 times larger than the entire US stock market.

The opportunity is becoming real as the US and UK now have defined laws to regulate crowdfunding platforms. As a

result, new market entrants know what is required to stay legal and individuals can invest with greater confidence. Other countries are now paying attention. The governments of Australia, Singapore and China have indicated they are working on crowdfunding regulations. After a stuttering start, China’s first crowdfunded commercial real estate product raised more than $600m (£423m) in three days. Companies like CrowdfundUP in Australia and CoAssets.com in Singapore are also getting in on the game. Such regulations must make it easy for crowdfunding platforms to attract and disperse capital by providing appropriate investor protection.

Both in the US and abroad, crowdfunded real estate platforms need to keep up with consumers. Millennials are 10 times more likely to use peer-to-peer services than previous generations. These platforms must offer the user experience that this demographic has come to expect from online giants such as Apple and Amazon.

Trust breeds confidence, and allying effective regulation with user friendliness will help these alternative investment opportunities to thrive. One thing is clear: like any good construction project, the industry already has a sound foundation to build upon.

JILLIENE HELMAN was a speaker at RICS’ World Built Environment Forum at the Summit of the Americas. For coverage of last month’s event, go to rics.org/wbef

“Investors want new ways to achieve higher returns, especially in a period of low interest rates.

Technology has finally caught up with their ambitions”

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What’s that? The world’s largest collaborative project on building renovation. The EU requires each member country to establish a long-term strategy for renovating homes and commercial buildings to become more energy efficient, and to strengthen those strategies every three years. BuildUpon brings together renovation stakeholders and initiatives to help countries deliver what it terms a “renovation revolution” across Europe. Through collaboration, countries can more effectively reduce the impact of climate change and create buildings that are healthier for people, the project claims.Who’s involved? More than 1,000 organisations across 13 countries – from governments and businesses, to non-government organisations and householders. Around 80 events are planned across 2016-17. The project is being led by the Spanish branch of the World Green Building Council and is supported by 13 other council members from across Europe. It is hoped that by aligning resources and initiatives, there will be a greater collective impact for strengthening national renovation strategies.What’s next? Because it can be difficult to keep up with Europe’s myriad renovation strategies and initiatives, the project organisers have created a RenoWiki to help keep track of and coordinate every national initiative, which can be added to and edited. The idea is to help stakeholders overcome barriers to renovation in their home country. BuildUpon is also encouraging non-profit and for-profit companies to become partners for the project.buildupon.eu

BuildUpon

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COLLECTIVE ACTION

Over 1,000 organisations

from 13 EU countries are involved with

the initiative to keep track of

energy-efficient renovations

NEWS IN BRIEF

rics.org/modus

®

ON RECORD WHO’S SAID WHAT… AND WHY THEY’VE SAID IT

The relocations will help create a sound electromagnetic wave environmentLI YUECHENG Senior Communist Party official, Guizhou, China

China is to relocate more than 9,000 people to make space for FAST, the world’s largest radio telescope. Those affected will each receive RMB12,000 (£1,275) in compensation.

The local authority for the City of Westminster, an area of London that includes the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park, plans to review its opposition to tall buildings. Historic England says the city’s appeal to tourists could be damaged by large-scale high-rise development.

Don’t kill the golden gooseDUNCAN WILSON Chief executive, Historic England

Work in residential? RICS needs your insight for surveys

RICS is calling for members working in the residential sector to respond to the Residential Market Survey each month.

A leading sentiment indicator of conditions in the UK residential sales and lettings markets, the survey is referred to by the Bank of England and is frequently quoted by media outlets such as the Financial Times, Telegraph, Times, Dow Jones, BBC, Reuters, CNBC, Mirror, Daily Mail and ITV News.

The input of RICS-qualified professionals contributes to making the surveys influential indicators of residential housing market activity. Completing each survey and reading the report counts as 30 minutes of informal CPD and regular participation can add up to six hours of informal CPD each calendar year.

For more information, visit rics.org/surveys.

Creating “better” places to live can increase values

Good placemaking techniques can substantially enhance the value of dwellings, research published by RICS has found.

The term placemaking is used to capture all the factors that combine to create a good place in which to live or work. Evidence suggests that top of the list for people in the UK is a concept of neighbourhood. Proximity to local facilities also ranks highly.

RICS’ report, titled Placemaking and Value, considers the relationship between placemaking and commercial value, based on the notion that if creating better places translates into larger profits, this could encourage more well-thought-out developments.

The research found that good placemaking helps sustain premium values over a longer period and can substantially enhance the value of property.

Download the research at rics.org/placemaking.

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RHAPSODY IN BRICKTenerife-born architect Fernando Menis’ Culture and Congress Center Jordanki in Toruń, Poland, is winning hearts and minds alike with its superb acoustics and striking architecture. Its exterior of boarded concrete has been designed to only offer glimpses of its real showstopper: a broken red brick interior of cave-like wonder. The use of the material is intended to echo the medieval architecture of the Unesco World Heritage town in which it sits. The new building also enjoys high levels of flexibility, with the two auditoriums designed to be easily combined as one performance space, and a stage that can open on to the surrounding parkland for outdoor performances and larger gatherings.

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What goes around comes around. In recent decades, natIons have tended to club together as the best means of ensuring prosperity and security. That trend continues, although citizens legitimately ask whether these clubs of nations serve them as well as they should.

Cooperation at a national level is only one means of achieving mutual benefit. Cities, too, can form networks for trade and cultural interaction. As a citizen of Hamburg, I need look no further than the Hanseatic League, a trading bloc of cities that existed for some 400 years and whose members included cities in modern-day Germany, the Baltics, Nordics, Poland, Russia, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK. Of course, what worked in the distant past will not be appropriate in the modern era. Neither the Hanseatic League nor any other model should automatically be regarded as an alternative approach to our modern international architecture, which is based on cooperation between nations and between blocs of nations.

That said, the principle of cooperation between cities remains valid and, in my mind, at least as popular today as it ever was. In the UK, city regions are developing partly in response to the dominant effects of London’s economy. In Finland, Smart Kalasatama is a model district for smart-city development involving the country’s largest cities. Internationally, the C40 worldwide network of megacities combines the power of local and collaborative actions to share knowledge and improve their individual and collective performance as sustainable cities.

Such initiatives will grow: urbanisation and globalisation mean that cities become even more interdependent, and account for a greater proportion of economic activity. Furthermore, political decentralisation ought to empower cities to prioritise their own challenges and devise the best solutions for their needs. Such an approach might also be good for innovation.

Much of the “cities agenda” is about the use of land and the creation and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure that will need to cater for a future demographic, while being resilient in a changing climate. As cities engage with each other to make decisions about their built environment, we must ensure that they are informed by the best professional advice. Follow Martin on Twitter @MartinJBruehl

INTERCITY SERVICE

From devolved city regions to

networks of smart cities,

RICS must be at the forefront of shaping our evolving urban

landscape

Almost one-fifth of commercial property in England and Wales could be banned from being let in the coming years because it does not comply with stringent new energy standards, warns Cushman & Wakefield.

Under the terms of the Energy Act 2013, from April 2018 it will be unlawful to rent out a business property with an energy performance certificate (EPC) that does not meet the minimum energy efficiency standards set by the government in 2015, equivalent to an “E” rating. Any building that fails to meet this requirement will be classed as substandard. Research by Cushman found that nearly 20% of commercial property buildings currently fall into this category. A further 19% are rated “E”, which means that nearly 40% of all properties could face a significant performance risk.

Unless measures are taken to improve and upgrade energy efficiency, thousands of buildings could be at risk of being banned, which could also substantially affect their value. Therefore, owners and investors are being urged to understand their risk and, where necessary, make improvements.

Alan Somerville MRICS, head of strategic energy and sustainability at Cushman, said: “Although 2018 may seem some way off, given the time needed to identify where upgrades are needed and to ensure the work is completed, delaying this process could prove very costly. It is possible for landlords to exempt themselves in certain circumstances, but they must sign up to a register from October 2016.”

CUSHMAN IN ENERGY PERFORMANCE WARNING

SUSTAINABILITY

MARTIN J BRÜHL FRICS RICS PRESIDENT

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“Cooperation between cities is as popular today as it ever was”

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITYNearly 40% of commercial properties in England and Wales could need updating to comply with Energy Act

Intelligence

SHOCK OF AGESMore than half (53%) of all households in the UK aged 65 and over are occupying more space than they need.

Source: Savills

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T h e U K ’s l a r g e s t L i D A R d a t a b a s e a v a i l a b l e f o r i n s t a n t d o w n l o a d

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T h i n k

T h i n k

MAY 2016_MODUS 13

$108tnResidential

$18tnAgriculturalland

$10tn

$54tnResidential

$8tnAgriculturalland

$19tnHigh-quality,global,commercial

High-quality,global,commercial

Non-investable

Savills’ estimated value of all developed real estate in the world

Investable

45

21

5

3 16

20

37

259

619

11 6

19

2424

28

NorthAmerica

Europe

LatinAmerica Middle East

and AfricaAsia andPacific

China andHong Kong

Total high-qualitycommercial real estate %

Total residentialvalue %

Global population %

$217,000,000,000,000

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C a l l u s f o r a n y L i D A R s u r v e y r e q u i r e m e n t s .

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P l u s

T h e U K ’s l a r g e s t L i D A R d a t a b a s e a v a i l a b l e f o r i n s t a n t d o w n l o a d

www.b lue sky -wo r ld . com

T h i n k

T h i n k

University to working life is a daunting process: a long, hard road of applying for jobs,

followed by a nerve-wracking period where knock-back follows knock-back. With every interview there seemed to be more competition, and with every unsuccessful application the pressure began to build. There were times I thought I would never get my first job.

Eventually I was hired by a residential surveying firm. It lasted a day. I knew straight away that I had entered the wrong discipline and to continue would be a mistake. Yes, it had taken me forever just to get this far, but I knew I had to be honest with myself and with my employer, who was very supportive of my decision. After all, another graduate would soon slide in and take my place.

Finally, I got my first job as a building surveyor – a diverse and ever-changing role that always keeps me on my toes.

One minute you can be researching construction technologies, and the next you could be sent to inspect a storm- damaged property. It is this diversity, however, that keeps building surveying interesting. I can speak for myself and say I am at my happiest when squeezing through a loft hatch to inspect a leaky roof – that’s what this job is all about.

My university lecturer always insisted that there were two types of surveyor: a shirt-and-tie surveyor and a boiler-suit surveyor, and I can truly say I’m the latter. It wasn’t until a few months into my new job that I realised what he meant: a boiler- suit surveyor is someone who doesn’t mind getting under floors, in roof spaces and getting himself dirty to find the source of a problem.

That’s me. And, finally, I’m happy.

ARE YOU INTERESTED in writing a future Secret Surveyor column? Send your musings on the profession to editor@ricsmodus.com

Intelligence

ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE WORLD’S DEVELOPED REAL ESTATE, COVERING ALL COMMERCIAL PROPERTY, RESIDENTIAL, AND AGRICULTURAL LAND

The graph above shows how the lion’s share of global asset values are concentrated in “Western” nations. The global potential for economic development to make a real impact on residential real estate is huge, however.

A booming middle class and rising home ownership in areas of economic growth will increase

residential property’s importance as an asset class. If Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries were to move towards the global average per head of population, this would cause global residential asset values to rise by 32%, or $52tn (£37.6tn).

WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? Email editor@ricsmodus.com

NUMBER CRUNCH

SECRET SURVEYOR

“I knew straight away that I had entered the wrong discipline and to continue would be a mistake”

Source: Savills Research/Oxford Economics

Europe

The UK’s 23 June referendum on European Union membership is fast approaching. Emotions are running high around this topic but, from a property and

construction perspective, the business considerations must be weighed up soberly. We asked some industry leaders and analysts for their expert – and dispassionate – opinions on the impact that “Brexit”, and the discussions around it, is having on the sector.

UNCERTAINTY The most significant immediate impact of the potential Brexit result is uncertainty and delayed decisions. Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist, says: “Whatever the result of the referendum, right now there is uncertainty, both at the macroeconomic level and within the real estate market, and markets don’t like uncertainty.”

Miles Gibson, head of research at CBRE, says the firm is witnessing consequences among its clients: “Decisions are being delayed. It’s difficult to put a number on it but there is a feeling that if you don’t have to make a decision now, it is better to wait until you know the result of the vote.”

That said, Gibson adds: “Real estate investment volumes have been holding up remarkably well. This is because some

investors with a global view consider other risks in the world to be larger and hence even with the uncertainty around Brexit they see London as comparatively safe.”

If the referendum results in a decision to leave, though, a longer and more destabilising period of uncertainty will unfold, says Rubinsohn. Under the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, prime minister David Cameron would have two years to negotiate the unwinding of Britain’s EU membership and its new relationship to the union. Rubinsohn believes it could take even longer to tie up all the remaining loose ends.

The main tasks alone are onerous: all the treaties that the UK has signed with the EU would have to be amended and Britain would have to negotiate individual new agreements with each of the remaining 27 member states on issues such as trade and migration. The UK would also have to create new legislation to replace EU acts. Finally, Britain trades as a member of the EU with countries such as the US, so it would also have to renegotiate such relationships if it were outside the EU. Rubinsohn says: “It may be that the outcome of negotiations would be similar terms to the existing deals, but there would be a level of uncertainty while the talks were under way.”

Rubinsohn concludes: “It could be an exciting time for the government, bringing opportunities to do things differently. But while the resulting changes might be better or worse, before they are implemented, uncertainty is a given – even those in favour of Brexit do not know what the outcome of the post-exit negotiations will be.”

That is not to say that obscurity around the future will bring real estate to a standstill: “People are still developing properties, and will continue to do so, it’s just that they will be more cautious,” says Rubinsohn.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTSVarious forecasts have suggested that the UK economy could grow faster or slower outside the EU. Tony Williams, managing director at analyst Building Value, argues: “GDP will fall, first because trading with EU countries will become harder after we are forced to sign new – likely less favourable – agreements with each of them.” Trading will also slow down during the period while these agreements are thrashed out, he suggests.

Second: “Uncertainty is likely to result in higher borrowing costs for the British government,” says Williams, as UK sovereign debt would be seen by investors as a less safe bet. This increases the UK’s overall demand for credit, which means higher borrowing costs for UK businesses, resulting in decreased economic activity.

The upside is that the weaker pound that would accompany this scenario could boost British exports. Moreover, Rubinsohn says the EU will remain keen to export to the UK and for that reason the flow of trade should continue: “The UK has deficits to Europe in many areas of goods, and European countries will not want to close off those trades.”

A post-Brexit UK would have no problem being admitted to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which facilitates trade with the EU for non-member countries in the region such as Norway and Switzerland, suggests Rubinsohn. “I doubt the EU would want to prevent the UK from joining EFTA in order to make an example of them. I think trade with the UK is too important for that.”

One problem, though, would be that “the UK would have no input into setting the regulations that must be followed in order to trade via EFTA”, warns Simon Rawlinson MRICS, head of strategic research and insight at Arcadis UK.

Although trade relations affect the UK property and construction sector by having an impact on the general health of the British economy, Williams points out that, on the plus side, the construction industry exports little to Europe. British contractors tend not to operate in Europe because of the need to understand the particularities and »

Whatever the result of the referendum on EU membership, by the morning of 24 June, the future will be set in stone. We asked four experts for their views on how Brexit could affect the industryWords Roxane McMeeken Illustrations Yippiehey

OUR PANELSimon Rubinsohn Chief Economist, RICSMiles Gibson head of research, CBRE Tony Williams managing director, Building Value Simon Rawlinson MRICS head of strategic research and insight, Arcadis UK

14 RICS.ORG/MODUS

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complexities of local contracting markets, while service providers such as property agents frequently set up a subsidiary in Europe rather than exporting per se. In addition, “around 75% of building materials companies within the UK are European-owned anyway”. Where British companies do operate in the EU, though, Williams says that they often, “employ a Brit on the ground”, so if the UK leaves the EU “it could become problematic to keep those employees where they are”.

INWARD INVESTMENT For the development market, investment coming into the UK is a more pressing issue. Following HSBC, in February, rejecting the option of moving its headquarters to Hong Kong and opting to keep them in London, how justified are fears of an exodus of major corporate occupiers from Britain, and particularly the capital?

“Exodus is putting it strongly,” argues Gibson. Instead, “some businesses are thinking of shifting only some of their operations out of London”. HSBC, for example, has mooted moving its 1,000 investment bankers to Paris. He also doubts that EU cities could accommodate a sudden influx of large occupiers. “I would question the ability of, say, the Frankfurt office market, to absorb all those people.” Neither would occupiers be able to leave immediately: “They will have signed lease agreements, some long term, and many have invested heavily in being in London.”

Williams feels that the threat of global brands leaving the UK is more imminent.

intake of tenants. Gibson says: “Some argue that we could see more companies from, say, Australia or the US, coming to London.”

He adds a caveat, though: “I am not sure that I believe this would happen. Some EU financial services regulations are actually based on UK laws, and we also have some regulations that are stricter than those of the EU, so don’t expect a bonfire of regulations post Brexit.”

Another key area that Brexit could affect would be planning and development regulations. Gibson says EU environmental planning rules can be irrelevant to conditions in the UK. “The Environmental Impact Assessment is not really suitable for the UK. Housebuilders say that it creates a huge amount of paperwork that no one reads. It covers a large range of issues, such as construction waste, wildlife protection and water, and the chances of hard-pressed local authority planners reading it all seem unlikely. Developers also believe that the assessment does not decide planning decisions but rather factors like local jobs and community benefits of the development.”

So leaving the EU would give the UK the opportunity to design its own environmental regulations, which could be more specific to the country’s planning system, says Gibson. However: “The EU rules are in UK law, so they won’t disappear overnight, and don’t expect rolling back environmental planning regulations to be a priority for the government of the day” – they will, after all, be dealing with a gigantic backlog of legal changes. And some EU rules, such as wildlife protection, may be too controversial in a country of animal lovers to ever be changed. »

“I think firms won’t hesitate to up sticks and Frankfurt will be rubbing its hands, ready to welcome them – quite possibly luring them by introducing preferential rates and rents.”

Gibson concedes: “We are picking up a lot of concerns that some occupiers are in London because the city is in the EU. There are well-publicised cases of companies rethinking their London base, and more that have not made it into the press.”

Brexit could deter European companies from investing in UK infrastructure, too, Williams believes. “Think about [French-owned energy company] EDF which is building Hinkley Point C [the new nuclear power station] – are they going to be as enthusiastic if the UK is out of the EU?”

REGULATIONSMore encouragingly – for some – leaving the EU could allow the UK to decrease regulation of industries such as financial services, which in turn could attract a new

The UK is doing relatively well compared with most developed countries, but if we left the EU we could do so much better – it holds us back.

Businesses in Britain are hampered because European rules are applied to 100% of enterprises, although only 5% of them export there. Within the property sector, examples include expensive procurement processes, or extra planning application costs. We should

instead create our own, more appropriate rules, which could reduce the cost of development and make schemes more viable.

If you add this to savings for all businesses across the board through the reduction of unwanted red tape, and the resulting increased ability of businesses to invest, there will be a significant multiplier effect on the economy.

The economic fears promoted by the “in” campaign are simply

unfounded. Remember, the UK is the fifth biggest economy in the world. The idea that investors would suddenly be put off if we were to leave the EU is ridiculous. If that were the case, why has HSBC just decided to remain in London, ahead of the referendum decision? Why is Avon Cosmetics moving its headquarters from the US to the UK? Because of our language, our skills, our legal system, and our work ethic.

At present, we are not allowed to negotiate our own free-trade agreements: the EU does so instead – even for trade with our many Commonwealth partners.

If smaller economies such as Australia and Canada can hold their own in the world, then why can’t we? It just takes confidence and leadership.

ARE YOU OUT? Tweet a selfie with the “OUT” cover of this edition of Modus, using #RICSmodus

OPINION

“The idea that investors will be put off is ridiculous”RICHARD TICE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, QUIDNET CAPITAL PARTNERS AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE LEAVE.EU CAMPAIGN FOR BREXIT

llWe are picking up a lot of concerns that

some occupiers are in London because the city is in the EU ll

MILES GIBSON CBRE

Europe

MAY 2016_MODUS 17

FOREIGN SKILLS The EU nationals working on British construction projects, while still free to work in the UK under the new terms Cameron has agreed with the EU, could be affected by Brexit. Rawlinson says: “The last real data we have, from 2011, shows that about 10% of the construction labour force – amounting to around 250,000 people – are migrants, many from central and eastern Europe. So if leaving the EU resulted in a change in UK migration policy, it could be pretty disastrous in reducing access to an important labour pool, especially in light of the skills shortage.”

Rubinsohn is somewhat less concerned. “Outside the EU, Britain could recruit more from the rest of the world and have more control over who it brings in, better matching the skills that the country imports to industry requirements. Can you find the right construction skills outside the EU? Probably – although you might encounter more global competition when trying to recruit from, say, Asia or Canada, which means that you’ll have to pay higher salaries.” In addition, such workers might not have the knowledge of the British market that those from the EU working here already have.

Post-Brexit, bilateral agreements could be reached with European countries to allow their nationals to work in the UK, adds Rubinsohn. “There is no reason to believe that in a Brexit scenario we could not forge new agreements that would mean Polish builders would still be welcome here.” An interesting precedent can be found in Canada, where the federal government allows provinces to temporarily skirt national immigration rules to draft in

herald the breakup of the UK. “It is likely that Scotland would want to devolve from the UK to rejoin the EU,” says Rawlinson. As a small country it benefits hugely from the collective bargaining power of the EU. “This would have a broader impact on the UK in terms of its value in the world – for a start we would have to drop the name United Kingdom.”

Meanwhile, Brexit would deliver a huge blow to the EU, which would have global consequences, argues Rawlinson. “It would surface other unresolved issues with the EU, and the EU’s economy would be less prosperous without the growth engine of the UK – with unwelcome implications for the UK, European and global economies.”

Although there are clear downsides for the property and construction sector if the UK opts to leave the EU, it is clear there are compelling potential benefits. Lighter-touch regulation and welcoming more investment and talent from around the world could be considerably advantageous for the sector. But would these pros be outweighed by an extended period of uncertainty, potentially more challenging trade relations with Europe and instability in the institutions of both the UK and EU?

“The most useful thing that we can do as an industry,” says Gibson, “is consider all the ‘what ifs’ and advise our clients comprehensively on what the results of an ‘out’ vote would be.” n

READ FURTHER STORIES on the relationship between the UK and EU, and viewpoints on how the referendum could affect the property, land and construction sectors, at rics.org/brexit

particular skills from specific countries to meet ad hoc peaks in demand from industries. Of course, the reduction in benefits for migrants that the prime minister has already agreed with the EU as part of his renegotiated settlement may, in any case, deter some central and eastern Europeans from working in the UK.

Rawlinson says that British academia and professions could also suffer if there were less talent from Europe in the mix. “It’s positive that we have people from the EU coming to our universities and working in property and construction as architects, designers and engineers. It allows us to attract the world’s best, and for London a key strength is that it is a global, diverse city.”

UK AND EU STABILITYA final factor that would affect the built environment sector is the implications of changing the institutions of both the UK and EU. Rawlinson believes Brexit could

Remaining in the EU is better for the British property and construction sector. Leaving would damage our economy, while staying means we are part of a global powerhouse.

We are already seeing a slow-down in investment as the referendum looms. Should we vote to leave, that will continue. If we are outside the EU, investors will not want to come here to the same extent. The banks can relocate to Frankfurt

and the Americans will head to Ireland because it’s in the EU and is an English-speaking country.

The free movement of people within the EU is also important for our business. We have staff working in France, Germany and Spain, all without the need for visas. We also have European professionals working for us in the UK. If we had to apply for visas to arrange all this, that would place an unnecessary and costly burden on our business.

Neither will EU regulations disappear overnight if we leave. They could take 10 to 15 years to unwind and the British government will only replace them with something similar. For example, Environmental Impact Assessments are important: we do need to take account of the environment.

In growth terms, the UK is not as significant as people tend to think. In today’s world of global power-blocs, trading nations

are more effective as a part of one of these powerhouses, and we need to be in one. The Commonwealth has gone, and we’re not going to join up with the US, so Europe makes sense.

The concept of national sovereignty is something from the time of Henry VIII: we live in a globalised world now.

ARE YOU IN? Tweet a selfie with the “IN” cover of this edition of Modus, using #RICSmodus

“Staying means we are part of a global powerhouse”RICHARD STEER FRICS CHAIRMAN, GLEEDS

OPINION

llThe EU’s economy would be less prosperous without the UK – with

unwelcome implications for the global economy ll

SIMON RAWLINSON Arcadis UK

Europe

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DISTINGUISHED GUESTSThe Liberty hotel, which opened in 2007, was formerly Boston’s Charles Street Jail. Among the past inmates was Malcolm X

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Prisons

Vacated recently by the previous tenants, these properties offer central locations, convenient public transport and lively nightlife. Characterful, period architecture comes as standard, and security measures include a

large central gate, bars on all windows and panopticon vistas from every room to a central observation post.”

Selling a prison must offer the ultimate test of any estate agent’s ability to focus on the positives. But with many of the traditional jails built by 18th-century reformers now unfit for the task of rehabilitating criminals – and sited in lucrative urban locations – the sheer force of the market makes commercial and even residential reuse a viable proposition.

So, in theory, the UK government’s plans to sell off its inner-city estate to part-fund a £2bn “super jails” programme could not have come at a better time. First on the block is Reading, which has been closed since 2013, while others potentially in line for disposal include Brixton, Pentonville, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs – all household names thanks to their underworld associations.

However, redeveloping these prisons will prove easier said than done. Many of the structures are historically important, requiring sensitive refurbishment, and their cellular layout means they are often ill-suited to other uses. Meanwhile, there is also the fundamental architectural

consideration that these buildings are literally walled off from their surrounding neighbourhoods – hardly a feature that makes them easy to weave back into the fabric of local life.

Until a few years ago, the idea of turning a prison into a desirable property investment would have been dismissed as crackpot. Trevor Osborne FRICS, chairman of the eponymous property group and the developer who refashioned Oxford’s historic prison into the city’s boutique Malmaison hotel in 2006, remembers the reaction when he first got involved in the project: “A lot of the local councillors really thought I was mad.”

However, Osborne has had the last laugh, recently selling the hotel to the Westgate Oxford Alliance – a joint venture between Land Securities and the Crown Estate. “Now, looking back, it’s hard to find anybody who doubted it,” he says. “But they did.”

Oxford offers a classic example of the challenges that prison redevelopments throw up. For example, much of the site, including the Norman keep, is listed.

Architect Mark Panter, whose practice Panter Hudspith worked with Osborne on the project, also found the inherent structure of a prison problematic. “The challenge is finding sustainable uses for particular buildings. It’s quite restrictive. There are lots of cells, they are often densely developed.”

Osborne’s first problem was working out a new use for the prison. The “starting point,” he says, was not to shy away from the site’s historic character. “You must let the building speak for itself. By doing that, »

Historic features, city centre locations, willing vendors – redeveloping a prison sounds like a golden opportunity for any property entrepreneur. But how do you make a building designed to be so forbidding, more appealing? Words David Blackman

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because their comfort expectation is much higher than in the UK,” says Michael J Moir FRICS, director of property for the scheme’s developer, the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

As a result, says Anderson, the project team had to be creative about the complex’s future use, eventually plumping for a contemporary arts complex. The cells in one block will be retained to show visitors how the prison used to be. Most, however, will be converted into art archives, complementing the site’s wider cultural use. “Once you have air-conditioning in there, the massive brick walls will create a very stable environment that lends itself rather well.”

Some developers have, however, taken on the challenge of residential conversion. In 2009, Maruhn Real Estate Investment launched BerlinCampus, a development of 147 luxury apartments in the city’s former Rummelsburg prison. Osborne’s property group bought Shrewsbury’s defunct jail for £2m in November 2014, and is planning something similar.

EXTENDED STAYAt Oxford’s Malmaison (below), rooms have been converted from three adjoining cells: two for the bedroom, one for the bathroom

you can come up with some pretty interesting answers.” In the case of Oxford, he hit upon the idea of turning the prison into a hotel.

Malmaison has never attempted to disguise its former use, with guests sleeping in the prison’s old cells. “You know it’s a prison but you don’t feel as if you don’t want to be locked up for the night, quite the contrary,” says Osborne. “You have to be intrigued that it’s different to staying in a standard hotel room.”

At Boston’s the Liberty hotel – formerly the Charles Street Jail, where civil rights activist Malcolm X was a former inmate – some of the cells have been preserved as bars, with names such as Clink and Alibi.

A hotel also provides a neat solution for the biggest headache facing those embarking on a prison redevelopment project: the cells. They are generally

too small for alternative uses but integral to the structure of the buildings. Osborne says: “You can amalgamate cells but you have to be very careful because you could have sequential collapse if you went about it in the wrong way.”

At the Liberty, which took its first paying guests around the same time as Oxford’s Malmaison, developer Carpenter & Company removed the cells, meaning that the roof had to be propped up while building work was going on.

Brian Anderson, who heads the Hong Kong office of architecture practice Purcell, faced a similar problem when contemplating the conversion of the city’s Victoria prison (box, opposite). There, the individual cells were even smaller than those in Oxford prison, measuring about 48 ft2 (4.5 m2). And, like Oxford, each cell was a load-bearing structure. “They relied on cross walls for structural stability, which gives engineering challenges. If you take those walls away, you have to redistribute that load.”

An added issue for Anderson was finding space for services, particularly the air-conditioning that is such an essential feature in Hong Kong’s often sweltering temperatures. “With the room dimensions being small and the windows being quite high, even if you were to put in a suspended ceiling to disguise the services, you would have to cut off the tops of the windows, which would look rather awkward,” he says.

“[Residential or hotel use] would never have worked in Hong Kong

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MAY 2016_MODUS 23

Hong Kong’s Victoria prison was central to the history of the colony from the 1840s onwards, says Michael J Moir FRICS. As director of property at Hong Kong Jockey Club, Moir has overseen the redevelopment of the prison into an arts complex.

The prison consists of nine blocks, all of which were built by the British between 1841 and 1956, several of which are declared monuments – equivalent to the UK’s grade I-listed buildings. “The general consensus is that if it’s a declared monument, it can’t be touched,” says Moir.

Hong Kong’s government handed over the Central Police Station Compound, in which the prison is located, to the Jockey Club in 2007 to find a new use for it. Following a couple of false starts, the club settled on heritage and cultural activities as the main uses for the site, creating the territory’s first dedicated contemporary art centre. The scheme is called Tai Kwun, or “big house”, in the local dialect, which was the nickname for the former police station.

More than 25% of the HK$3bn (£250m) scheme’s total floor space will be leased as shops,

bars and restaurants, which should enable Tai Kwun to “pay its way and be financially sustainable”, says Moir.

One of the site’s nine cell blocks will be preserved to show visitors what a colonial prison looked like. “People will be offered the experience of spending a night in the cells if they want to,” says Moir. The rest will be used as art archive space.

However, none of the existing buildings were big enough to accommodate the gallery and auditorium that the scheme’s backers felt were needed to fulfil the site’s role as a

contemporary art hub. To house these, renowned Swiss-based architect Herzog & de Meuron is designing two new buildings.

Moir is confident that the Tai Kwun scheme will develop an international reputation based on what he describes as “pretty positive” feedback from visiting curators. The choice of a radical design, which some might feel is at odds with the site’s heritage status, is aimed at putting it on the map, says Purcell’s Brian Anderson. And he is confident that, in a few years’ time, Tai Kwun will be one of the “top 10 things to do in Hong Kong”.

Artistic flair comes to Hong Kong’s “big house”CASE STUDY

Plans submitted in January for the £42m development feature private flats, a health club, cafe, restaurant, and a walled garden.

The former cell blocks, meanwhile, will be turned into student accommodation. Panter, who is

working on the prison’s conversion, says the sizes of the cells at Shrewsbury are not much smaller than

bedrooms in typical student halls. A further complication for redevelopment projects is that

many prisons contain historically important buildings. Listed structures in the UK’s Victorian prisons include the gatehouse at Wandsworth and the clock tower at Brixton. Across the Atlantic, redeveloping the Liberty in Boston involved restoring the former prison’s historic rotunda.

Panter says such historical features can be retained if there is a willingness to maximise plot densities. “As long as you are comfortable with high-density developments, you can do a lot with the more recent buildings and offset the fact that there’s not much you can do with the old stuff.”

And the most obvious barrier to a successful prison redevelopment is also its most literal: they tend to be surrounded by walls, which means they are segregated from the surrounding urban fabric. “Obviously, prisons can’t have too many doors,” says Osborne. And the walled nature of the sites means that vehicular access will be constrained, limiting their re-use.

But Osborne, who increased the number of entrances and exits at Oxford from one to five, says that their location has to take the surrounding neighbourhoods into account. “You can’t just knock holes through walls. You have to work pedestrian flows out.”

Purcell’s Anderson describes Hong Kong’s Victoria prison as looking “like a fortress, like an island within the city, a place designed to keep people out and in”.

However, the Jockey Club is making a virtue of the fact that the Tai Kwun scheme offers 3.7 acres (1.5 hectares) of relatively low- density development in the city’s congested downtown. “We made it quite permeable. It’s a big site so we wanted to create pathways through it so that people can walk through it wherever they want to go,” says Moir.

Breaking down these barriers brings a real benefit to the communities in which they are located, believes Osborne. “The change from being places of incarceration to employment can regenerate areas enormously.”

“They have been no-go areas and the lack of permeability completely affects the way everything has developed around them,” adds Panter.

Prison redevelopment is clearly fraught with challenges. But Osborne says it is a prize worth pursuing: “It’s not just their age, some of these are very good buildings.” n

llYou must let the building speak for itself. By doing that, you can come up with some interesting answersll

TREVOR OSBORNE FRICS The Trevor Osborne Group

IN GOOD NICKThe Liberty’s developer restored the jail’s historic rotunda (above, left), and turned some of the cells into bars named Clink and Alibi

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MAY 2016_MODUS 25

Devolution

As the UK begins to devolve power to the regions, elected mayors are being asked to think big. Are they up to the role, or will local allegiances get in the way?

LET IT GROW

Words Matt Ross Illustration Royal Studio

Many of the UK’s industrial revolution- era towns and cities have, at their heart, buildings that reveal much about a country’s economic fortunes. For, at that central spot where

previously people erected palaces, places of worship or markets, now you will find town halls: sturdy, elaborate, gothic statements of the power of local government. The waxing powers of industry built their business models around competition within the marketplace, but their economic models around cooperation within the council – the champions of their towns, dedicated to attracting investment and supporting development.

Over the decades, councils have grown weaker, poorer, less visionary, more inward-looking and, often, more parochial – even as investors have increasingly sought firm decision-making, strong regional networks

and conurbation-wide planning, infrastructure and services. But now a revival of local influence is imminent, as chancellor George Osborne passes powers – up from council level and down from Whitehall – to cities and regions that adopt a directly elected mayoral system.

Leading the field is Greater Manchester, whose 10 boroughs have spent years steadily pooling strategic powers. This has “profoundly” affected inward investment into the area, says Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester’s police and crime commissioner and currently its interim mayor until elections in 2017.

“We can give a framework for consistent decisions across Greater Manchester and it comforts investors that they’re dealing with a known quantity; with public agencies that have sought to work as partners in this area and that don’t see each other as antagonists,” he explains. His directly elected successor, armed with »

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26 RICS.ORG/MODUS

Devolution

“the moral authority to say that local arm-wrestling contests add very little of social value”, will be able to strengthen this message.

Further south, Simon Marks MRICS is excited by the prospect of electing a mayor to lead a cabinet of West Midlands borough chiefs. A partner in Arcadis’ Birmingham office, he says investors “look for uncertainty and risk being taken out. That’s what the mayor and their combined authority can bring, because you’ll have a region that’s joined-up in its thinking.”

This joining-up, suggests CBRE’s national research director, Andrew Marston, helps foster decisive, strategic leadership. “If you have 10 local authorities competing for resources, there isn’t a mechanism to ensure that it’s spent strategically in one place rather than spread thinly across the city,” he says. “The mayor can cut through that ‘averaging’ politics.” Investors also

“like the idea of having one person they can eyeball” – someone who can “override local opposition and make a decision for the whole city”.

Meanwhile, a Yorkshire mayor is likely to represent several cities – although, at the time of writing, it is not clear which. “George Osborne had six proposals from this part of the world,” points out property consultant Gerald Jennings FRICS, president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce. The lack of consensus reflects local divisions which, he believes, undermine the region’s growth. “The cities vie for the same investors. An elected mayor would enable people to aggregate those opportunities on a wider landscape. Yorkshire has a gross value added of more than £50bn and that’s a far more powerful message to send to potential investors.”

Adam Serfontein FRICS, managing director of Newcastle-based developer the Hanro Group, makes a

parallel call for the north-east’s cities and towns to sell themselves in partnership. “Unless and until the area markets itself to the outside world as one, we’re not big enough and don’t have enough critical mass to draw investment on the international stage,” he says. “It’s only by combining our weight across the area, selling the strengths of the individual areas within the whole, that we’ll do that.”

With a single, democratically elected figure in charge, cities do seem to find it easier to draw international investment. Yolande Barnes, director of world research at Savills, points to her company’s report, The World and London 2015, which combines metrics on connectedness, performance and potential, and power and competitiveness to produce a 20-strong world city ranking topped by London and New York. “It is striking that every one of our world cities has an

identifiable leader, acting as a spokesperson and promoter of the city,” the report notes, adding that two-thirds of these leaders are elected mayors.

“It seems to be something that every global city feels they need. Mayors can be great cheerleaders for inward investment,” comments Barnes. And as cities become big and complex enough to feature on the world stage, they may increasingly need a figurehead to cut through competing interests and make strategic decisions: “Having an over-arching, single city power able to call in important planning applications can be a comfort to investors,” she says. “I suspect mayors are more important for global cities than for minor ones.”

Asked what hard powers England’s new mayors should win, commentators agree they will need the right to lead regional spatial planning and to decide strategic planning applications. John Hicks FRICS, head

MAY 2016_MODUS 27

Devolution

of government and public at Aecom, believes this is crucial in building investor confidence: “If people are investing from overseas and the alternatives [to the UK] are Abu Dhabi or wherever, then the more you can give assurance that decisions will be made when you say they will, the better,” he says.

Two caveats here. First, as boundaries are lowered within city regions, they should not be raised around them: the mayors and central government will need to connect these economic areas. “There will always be a tightrope walk between what’s needed for the city and how it relates to its broader hinterland,” comments Barnes. “There’s always a need for national planning for the city as well as the city planning for itself.”

Second, these powers should not extend down too far. Marston, concerned at the London mayor’s continually expanding powers to determine planning

applications, notes that “you’ve got to believe in subsidiarity and devolve to the lowest possible level”.

Next on people’s wish-lists is control of transport. “We need the houses, the skills and education, the employment land, the business incubators – but the transport infrastructure links all that together and enables the region to function,” says Marks.

Even given these powers, mayors will need something less quantifiable: “The hope must be that we get Boris [Johnson]-style personalities who’ll take over city politics,” says Marston. “In the Victorian era, city politicians had the clout to ask Whitehall for more power, and the confidence to smash through mediocre, pork-barrel politics. There’s a risk that this programme flops because we can’t find those candidates.”

Electing big personalities has its risks, but few commentators fear the election of anti-business

populists. Thinking back to Labour’s borough-wide mayoral system, Craig Hatch FRICS, head of asset management at built environment consultant WYG, notes that “even populist mayors ended up making an impact. They all took their responsibilities seriously and used their powers to the benefit of the community”.

A bigger concern is that mayors drawn from the ranks of local councillors will cling to local allegiances. “If it’s a member from one of the local authorities, they’re bound to look after one area and it’ll be very difficult for them to do a job across the piece,” says Serfontein.

In Jennings’ opinion, “we shouldn’t assume that it should be a politician at all. The conversation has already started here about whether there are businessmen who could and would do the job.”

Business leader or politician, they will need political skills to broker agreement among the borough leaders

likely to form powerful cabinets. “No mayor is a mini-despot or a decision-making automaton,” comments Lloyd. “The Greater Manchester mayor will have responsibility for the spatial framework, but all the local authorities have to agree it.”

This makes Greater Manchester’s model of accountability stronger than London’s, where the mayor is scrutinised by the Greater London Assembly. The system “needs some democratic checks in place, otherwise it can become too autocratic”, says Hatch. “I tend to favour the Manchester model.”

In regions with less experience of collaborative working and stronger local rivalries, this model will pose challenges for both sides – requiring the mayor to persuade rather than steamroller the boroughs, and for the boroughs to sacrifice local goals. Greater Manchester’s system works “on the basis of trust”, »

28 RICS.ORG/MODUS

Devolution

says Lloyd. “The model works, so the level of cooperative working grows and so, over time, the trust grows.”

This approach is self-reinforcing, agrees Hicks, but for the new structures to realise their potential, they will need new powers to raise revenue. “Within a short period, central government wants local authorities to effectively become financially self-standing – and that means they need the ability to raise revenue,” he says.

Marston notes that: “It’s when you get your hands on the money that you really start to fly as a politician, because that’s when people blame you.” However, he adds that he’s “pretty gloomy about the prospects for more fiscal devolution, and that’s a shame.”

In Manchester, Tony Lloyd is well aware of the risk that, as his city assumes responsibility for services, local leaders take the rap for cutting them. “The worst time to take over any powers is when the resources are

being drained away,” he comments. Local bodies are better able to find efficiencies and join up services than central government, “but we’re not prepared to allow the blame for cuts to move up the M40 from London”.

In reality, that is exactly the trade that city regions are preparing to make: with public service budgets shrinking, the choice is either to cut or be cut. Better, many think, to take responsibility for their own destiny – even if that means doing Westminster’s dirty work.

For Jennings in Leeds, the potential benefits far outweigh the risks: “I honestly believe that the business community and politicians are beginning to understand the opportunity here. They understand that it’s about rebalancing the economy, attracting inward investment, bringing new developers to parts of the UK they might not have considered, raising our game and becoming a regional power,” he says. “People are getting it.” n

PARIS, FRANCEAnne Hidalgo is the French capital’s first female mayor since the office was created following the storming of the Bastille in 1789. As deputy to her predecessor, Bertrand Delanoë, she led the Les Berges de Seine project – transforming the Left Bank from road into promenade. Now she is investing in business incubators and IT connectivity, pursuing the development of 10,000 homes a year in central Paris – and trying to restore Paris’s joie de vivre after the two terrorist attacks of 2015.

Cities benefiting from a little mayoral magic TAKE THREE

DENVER, USMichael Hancock, Denver’s mayor since 2011, is credited with a development boom and an eye-catching public art scheme. He also manages the world’s largest legal cannabis retail hub, with sales for Colorado breaking the $100m-a-month barrier at the end of last year. “The mayor took decisive action to correct what was becoming a failing city,” says Gerald Jennings FRICS. “He tackled transport and inward investment, and revitalised the city.” Hancock walked his 2015 re-election.

CALGARY, CANADAIn 2010, Naheed Nenshi came from nowhere to win the Calgary mayoral elections – becoming the first Muslim to lead a large North American city after a grassroots and social media campaign dubbed the “purple revolution”. In office, he has focused on urban regeneration and capital investment – working to concentrate development and prevent urban sprawl – and helping the city recover from flooding. He was re-elected in 2013 with 74% of the vote.

MAY 2016_MODUS 29

Devolution

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30 RICS.ORG/MODUS

Giving your professional advice for free can be a much more charitable act than just writing a cheque. Modus meets three

members who decided to put their mouth where their money is

I’LL TELL YOU

THIS FOR NOTHING

Words Brendon Hooper Photographs Sam Christmas and Harry Borden

Offering your professional expertise for free might be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. Just ask Scott Moore MRICS, a senior quantity surveyor at Arcadis in Exeter. In 2012, Moore became project

manager on the redevelopment of the Pilsdon Community in Dorset, a house and courtyard of farm buildings that offers accommodation for the homeless and those in crisis.

“Our firm was already a patron of Crash, the construction industry’s charity that helps homelessness organisations and hospices to refurbish and develop their buildings. They asked if we were interested in providing pro bono professional expertise,” Moore explains. “It worked out well – the firm took it on and I felt it was a fantastic challenge to get involved in. At the time, I was about to sit my APC, so the project management experience I gained was also a great addition to my competence development.”

As well as redeveloping the farm’s stable block, Moore and his team also helped convert a dilapidated stable block into short-term accommodation for people who have been sleeping rough. “The project was really satisfying, especially because we were able to save them a huge amount of money on construction costs by engaging our supply chain for donations of building materials,” he adds.

The UK’s largest property-industry charity is LandAid. Ben Walford MRICS, a partner at Prestbury Investments in London, signed his firm up to LandAid’s pro bono programme shortly after it was launched in 2014. Although Prestbury had supported the charity with donations for a long time, Walford says they wanted to be more involved, so they agreed to provide free general practice surveying services for a set number of hours in the year.

“Ultimately, we realised our expertise and time are far more valuable to the charity than donating money alone,” Walford says. As a result, they were able to help the Carers’ Centre, Bath and North East Somerset, a charity that supports people who care for family and friends who might be elderly, have a physical disability or illness, or a mental health problem.

The Prestbury team helped the charity assess the viability of acquiring its existing premises, which they were leasing, and undertook everything from appraisal to negotiation of price. Moreover, because the client had not known the importance of getting an environmental survey, or whether or not the building needed specific planning consent, the team’s expertise was vital.

Walford is keen to state the importance of planning and managing your time if you are to have the greatest impact for a pro bono client. “For us, it wasn’t too difficult to »

Volunteering

FREE AGENTFrom his office in Camden, north London, Jonathan Vanstone-Walker MRICS advises non-profit entities

32 RICS.ORG/MODUS

manage time as the surveying tasks weren’t especially complicated,” he says. “However, you have to make sure the charity is very clear about timescales at the outset. LandAid were, so we could be clear as to how we would fit their work into our daily operation.”

UK charities and voluntary organisations, both small and large, can also receive free support and guidance on property matters from Charity Property Help, a service that links them with RICS-regulated firms.

“It was natural for us to sign up for pro bono work via Charity Property Help,” says Jonathan Vanstone-Walker MRICS, director of surveying and agency at the RICS-regulated firm Third Sector Property in Camden, north London. TSP was set up specifically to cater for the third sector or charitable industry. Once a charity has requested assistance, TSP provides an hour’s free consultation, which mostly involves pointing them in the right direction to solve a property-related issue.

“Just recently TSP provided advice to a historic members’ club charity in Camden, which needed some help on property management issues,” says Vanstone-Walker. “I think showing the wider industry that your firm undertakes pro bono work for charities is very positive. Also, sometimes, pro bono work can lead to new instructions beyond the free consultation, should a charity wish to take it further.”

However, with firms and individuals juggling numerous projects and client demands, should pro bono work be regarded as having the same

importance as fee-paying work? “Of course, it’s right to be cautious about taking on a large non-paying instruction, because you’ve got to balance the amount of time people are spending on it while providing a professional service,” adds Vanstone-Walker. “Plus, because it’s free, there’s always a danger of leaving the project understaffed or in the hands of less experienced members, which could do more harm than good if things go wrong. People should remember

that even pro bono clients should get the same high standard of service as any other fee-paying client.”

This is also a good reason why, before considering pro bono work, you should be aware of the issues that could arise under your, or your firm’s, professional indemnity (PI) policy, says Matt Farman, a director in the PI division at insurance firm Howden. “When undertaking pro bono work, the individual or firm owes the same duty of care

that they would if they were undertaking professional work for a fee. So a formal agreement should be in place with a clear brief on the services that are to be provided.”

Farman also recommends that firms check the definition of “professional business or services” in their PI policy, as some may specifically define

this as work or advice carried out for a fee, in which case a specific agreement, with insurers, for pro bono work might be required.

“While one would hope errors would be viewed ‘charitably’ by the client, there is still a client-supplier relationship, irrespective of whether fees are paid,” adds Farman. “For this reason, it is vital that pro bono work is undertaken with no less regard for risk management than that which would be applied to a fee-paying instruction.”

Ultimately, perhaps the best aspects of pro bono work are the lasting bonds that can be made when everyone pulls together for a good cause. Before Prestbury embarked on its pro bono project, it did not know which, if any, other professional firms were involved. “So I thought it would be a good idea to ring round all the professionals we usually work with, such as Bilfinger GVA for planning, Ramboll for environmental issues, and Taylor Wessing for legal matters, to pool our expertise as a team,” says Walford. “Working together on a pro bono charity endeavour was a real team-building and morale-boosting exercise. I believe it has strengthened our relationships more than any kind of corporate entertainment.” n

Chartered Surveyors’ Voluntary ServiceA free property-advice service for people who would otherwise be unable to obtain assistance. Typical areas where CSVS surveyors can assist include repairs, service charges, building disputes, rents, planning, council tax disputes, environmental and conservation matters and rural issues. UK surveyors can register at: rics.org/voluntaryservice

Farming and Wildlife Advisory GroupThe UK-wide organisation helps farmers understand the environmental value of their land and make the most of their agri-environment options. Rural surveying

professionals are particularly sought after to help provide independent environmental advice. Contact a local group at fwag.org.uk/contact

Construction and Property Industry Charity for the Homeless (Crash) The construction industry’s charity helps other charities refurbish and develop their buildings by providing on-site professional expertise, as well as sourcing building materials free of charge. Crash encourages companies to become Patron partners and then match their expertise and materials to the needs of a particular project.crash.org.uk/patrons

LandAid The largest property industry charity, through which surveyors can work pro bono on deserving projects. At present, LandAid is looking for companies, rather than individuals, to pledge a number of pro bono days in 2016. landaid.org

Charity Property Help Run by RICS, the service works with charities and organisations, from village halls to multinationals, by providing free support and guidance on all UK property matters. Members can register with the scheme for free using the online form at rics.org/charityhelp

Industry charities best placed to helpTAKE FIVE

llWorking together on a pro bono charity endeavour was

a real team-building and morale-boosting exercisell

BEN WALFORD MRICS Prestbury Investments

Volunteering

MAY 2016_MODUS 33

STABLE JOBScott Moore MRICS project managed the conversion of farm buildings in Dorset into accommodation for homeless people

3 4 RICS.ORG/MODUS

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It Is crunch tIme for the uK’s out-of-town retaIl parKs. at the moment, voId rates are running close to an all-time low, but there are dark clouds gathering on the horizon. In January, Dixons Carphone announced plans to consolidate its three fascias – Currys, Carphone Warehouse and PC World – under one roof in several locations, resulting in 134 store closures. Of the 88 properties for which it is currently marketing leases, 70 are warehouse units, either standalone or on retail parks, the company says.

In the same month, shoe retailer Brantano called in the administrators and, although the company was eventually bought out of administration by Alteri, 57 stores that were surplus to requirements were put on the market in February – more than half of which are on retail parks. Also in February, Sainsbury’s lodged a bid to buy Argos owner Home Retail Group, which if successful could result in the closure of hundreds of stores on high streets and retail parks – in its Christmas trading update the grocer said up to half of the Argos’s 734 stores could be shut and brought into its supermarkets as concessions.

A couple of years ago, a flood of stores coming back on to the market would not be a significant issue for retail park landlords, thanks to expanding chains mopping up space. But with many of these retailers now reaching capacity in terms of their retail park presence, what are the chances of landlords filling this surplus space?

The last few years have been a bumper period for UK retail parks. Vacancy rates peaked at 10% in mid-2013, reports Trevor Wood Associates, and despite disposals, relocations and downsizing from chains such as Homebase, PC World and Halfords, the vacancy rate has continued to dwindle ever since.

But although voids are now lower than at any time since the end of 2004, that could all be about to change when the aforementioned closures kick in. It is a daunting prospect,

TOUGH CALLAfter successfully trialling the concept, Dixons Carphone is gathering its PC World, Currys and Carphone Warehouse fascias under one roof (1) and closing 134 stores

FLYING HIGHFurniture retailers such as Wren Kitchens (2) are still expanding in the out-of-town market, thanks to a rise in the number of people carrying out home improvement work

PARK THAT THOUGHT

1

With voids at record lows, the UK’s out-of-town retail sector appears to be in rude health. But could that be about to change? Simon Creasey reports

2

MAY 2016_MODUS 35

Auldhouse Retail Park in Glasgow opening imminently. And although some of the pound store groups might not be growing as quickly as they were a few years ago, variety retailers like B&M, the Range and Home Bargains are still expanding “relatively aggressively”, says Tom Edson MRICS, director of out-of-town retail and leisure at JLL.

The DIY sector, which is going through a period of transition after Australian retailer Wesfarmers’ £340m takeover of Homebase in February, might also step up to fill a number of voids, says Edson. Then there are the furniture retailer groups, who are now seeking to expand their operations in response to the rise in consumer spending on home improvements. “Retailers like Wren Kitchens and Oak Furnitureland have been acquiring and we anticipate there is further demand to go,” he explains.

Competition for prime space among this band of operators is already starting to take the market to new heights. “We had a unit the other day that ended up going to best bids with furniture [retailers],” says Michael Pudney FRICS, director of out-of-town retail and leisure at Pudney Shuttleworth.

The re-emergence of furniture store operators on retail parks would be warmly welcomed by landlords who have

seen a significant shift in occupier profiles in recent years, thanks to the arrival of discount grocers and pound shop operators, who are perceived to have weaker covenants and bring less prestige to the tenant mix. “The pound retailers weren’t on the radar of most landlords three to four years ago,” says Pudney. “However, the recession allowed them to get a foothold on some quite good retail parks.”

It is still too early to predict with any accuracy what will happen to voids over the coming months, as some retailers are still in the middle of strategic reviews, but some turmoil among retail park occupiers is inevitable – particularly those that reported poor Christmas trading figures. “We’re now entering a fragile point where a few retailers are starting to struggle and we will start to see some voids,” says Pudney.

But given the growing number of new retail park occupiers waiting in the wings, even if demand for out-of-town space from traditional operators starts to dry up, experts are confident that any surplus space will be readily absorbed. n

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yet Dominic Walton, partner in Knight Frank’s out-of-town retail team, believes the sector is well placed to ride out the impending storm.

“If you look at what’s happened when we’ve been in a similar position in the past, the out-of-town market has reacted with robustness and flexibility to most tenant failures that have happened in the last seven years,” says Walton. New tenants such as pound shops and grocery discounters that historically did not fit the occupier profile for retail parks have filled the gaps, in addition to the growing presence of food and beverage occupiers – a sector that continued to grow even during the height of the recession.

Furthermore, Walton argues that the retailers who survived the recent global downturn emerged from the turmoil in a more robust fashion having undergone significant strategic changes. “They’ve had to improve their offer and merchandising and move with the times.”

The good news for retail park landlords is that, even if the worst-case scenario comes to pass in terms of the projected number of store closures, there are still plenty of retailers looking for out-of-town space at the moment. TK Maxx, Pets at Home, Primark and Next are still acquiring sites, along with Lidl and Aldi, who gained a real foothold in retail parks following the global downturn. Aldi plans to open 80 UK stores in 2016, and a sizeable chunk of these will be on retail parks, with new branches at Colne View Retail Park in Colchester, Meteor Retail Park in Christchurch and IM

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LOW IN STOCKWhile vacancy rates on retail parks have been consistently falling across England and Wales, the development pipeline has failed to keep up

Source: Local Data Company

BARGAIN HUNTERSDiscount retailers such as Lidl, Aldi and B&M gained a real foothold on retail parks during the recession, and are still expanding fairly aggressively

Out of Town Retail Focus – Summer 2015 Research from BNP Paribas Real Estate bit.ly/oot2015Footfall and Vacancies Monitor from the British Retail Consortium and Springboard bit.ly/springboard2016

Definitive Guide to Retail & Leisure Parks Published by Trevor Wood Associates. The 2016 version is due to be released imminently trevorwoodassociates.co.ukThe Local Data Company H2 2015 Retail Health Report bit.ly/LDC2015_H2

REFERENCE POINT REPORTS AND RESOURCES

Briefing

BY NUMBERS

36 RICS.ORG/MODUS

BERGEN’S MODEL RAILWAY

TRAMWAY TO RUNWAYThe first phase of Bergen’s light-rail network opened in 2010, running from the city centre to an out-of-town mall. The latest section extends the line 4.5 miles to the airport

Norway’s ecoNomy may be built oN oil, but urban planners in the country’s second city, Bergen, have opted for a low-polluting solution to its congestion problems: light rail.

The first, 6 mile (10km) stretch of the network opened in 2010, running between the city centre and the Lagunen Storsenter shopping mall. The line was extended in 2013, and construction started in August that year on a third, 4.5 mile (7.2km) section to connect Lagunen with Bergen’s airport, which is due to open this summer.

The local government client wanted to use the latest technology available for the €220m (£174m) project when it began procurement in 2011. Top of its agenda was BIM and, to this end, Mott MacDonald was appointed in 2011 to provide detailed design, prepare procurement documentation and manage stakeholders on the scheme.

“It was a client requirement that all design be carried out in 3D, so we were a natural fit for the project given our global expertise in BIM,” says Brian Marron MRICS, senior

The collaborative potential of BIM has been fully realised on a project to extend the Norwegian city’s light-rail network. Will Mann reports

Client Bybanen Utbygging Principal consultant Mott MacDonald Contractors Veidekke Entreprenor, Skanska

MAY 2016_MODUS 37

Case file

quantity surveyor with Mott MacDonald. Marron is based in Dublin, while other team members come from Cork, Manchester, Croydon, Prague, Budapest, Johannesburg and Oslo. BIM has enabled this disparate group to work together on a single model, accessing the same 3D design information, and ensuring consistency across the project.

Mott MacDonald’s brief covers tunnelling, structures, environment, noise and vibration, geotechnics, roads, utilities, drainage, power and buildings. Key design challenges on the extension include 1.8 miles (2.8km) of tunnels and a “bow string” bridge that carries the tracks across the airport access road.

One issue in using BIM was ensuring that the different design disciplines – and the software packages they require – could all be brought together into one model. “Bentley Projectwise was used as the environment for storing and sharing all project design information,” explains Marron. “This allowed all design disciplines and offices access to the same, live information,

GROUP TICKETThanks to BIM, all stakeholders had access to a 3D design environment, to which they could contribute their own models, working with the same, live information

TUNNEL VISIONBuilding the extension required almost two miles of tunnelling. BIM enabled excavator operators to orientate themselves by visualising the route on in-cab monitors

LINE DRAWINGSPart of Mott MacDonald’s brief for the €220m (£174m) project included the design and construction of a €90m (£71m) tram workshop and depot

ensuring that all teams were working to the most up-to-date designs at all times.

“Once the 3D track alignment was locked and available to all design teams, the various disciplines began to develop their own models with everyone working to the same live information. Bentley and Autodesk CAD packages were used and there were no interoperability issues, as Bentley files are easily referenced into Autodesk files and vice versa. All models were exported to DWG format for issue to the client and contractors during design and construction.”

The design progressed through a series of workshops, which flushed out issues. For Marron, “this is where the benefits of BIM really came to light. By navigating through the combined 3D model, all parties could appreciate the project complexities and raise instances of design clashes.”

Separate software was required to produce 2D drawings of water, foul and drainage networks for Norwegian authorities to approve, for which Marron acquired Vianova

Novapoint. “It can export aligned plan and profile drawings from the 3D model into a format the local council is familiar with.”

One of the most innovative uses of BIM came during the extensive earthworks phase. “We produced detailed 3D models for excavations,” explains Marron, “and these were imported into the Gemini software used by the Norwegian contractors. This information was then exported in a format that could be interpreted by its excavators’ on-board systems.

“Using a combination of this data and GPS, on-board screens visualised the excavator in a 3D space relative to the excavation surface, allowing the excavator operators to orientate themselves in real time.” This process was used to excavate around 275,000 m3 of soil and 550,000 m3 of rock.

The light-rail operator began test running trams in January and the final civil engineering contract was handed over to the client in March. Mott MacDonald says the line is on course for its August opening. n

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If making presentations is a source of worry, then take heed. With some practice, preparation and a little technical know-how, they can soon flow like a dream.

The best presenters make it look easy, but until it is you standing at the front, you might not realise what a challenge it can be. Few of us are naturals and we all have something to learn. But the good news is that, with the right method and a bit of practice, we can all master the art of presentation.

Su Butcher is the founder of social media consultancy Just Practising, advising and training people in the construction industry. She estimates that she has given more than 100 presentations in the last five years, even though previously she had little experience. Her advice is to think hard about the recipients of your speech: “Research your audience and understand your brief. Then you can structure your presentation to their needs.”

Butcher says it is best to arrive at an event in good time and speak to the technical staff. Never “turn up at the last minute with a USB stick in your hand”. She likes to keep her presentations fairly simple and to illustrate points with images. “I use visual aids and photography a lot. I look for Creative Commons pictures [which have more relaxed copyright rules] on sites such as Flickr. Slides need to be visual aids, not simply text.”

She also recommends offering handouts or providing online resources post-event. “I tend to put my slides on my website and give the audience a short URL. Organisers

will like that you’ve added value, and you’re more likely to get invited back.”

Andy Lopata coaches businesses in the art of networking and is a fellow of the Professional Speaking Association. He agrees with Butcher that good presenting is about thinking about your audience rather than yourself. He advises presenters to focus on a core message, rather than attempting to impress with the depth of their industry knowledge.

“Think about what you have to offer and how relevant it is for that audience. If you go in and try to impress them by showing how much you know it can be counterproductive. It’s best to have one main message and to weave that in throughout your presentation,” he says.

Lopata suggests that confident public speakers could start off with a deliberately provocative statement, as long as it is done with a touch of humour. “I go for a disruptive approach and try to get people to sit up in their seats. It’s not something I’d recommend for everyone because it involves taking a risk. But it can make the audience want to listen.”

Nick Blenkarn MRICS, managing director of 3D visualisation company Seeable, gives presentations at numerous events and conferences and says having the confidence to speak slowly and assuredly is the best approach. “Take your time when speaking. Listen to big speeches from world leaders; they pause because they think what they are saying is worth listening to and important.”

Practice is also key, Blenkarn says, and because most events are tightly scheduled, speakers should time their presentations before the event. “Practise your final version of the talk, just in an empty room, and see how long it takes,” he recommends.

TECH TIPS

Use a wireless remote This will give you greater control of

your slides and allow you to move around.

Commons-free photography There are many pictures

available online for restricted and

non-commercial use that can add colour

to a presentation.Create online sources

A website of links and info will add value for attendees.

Send your presentation in advance Ensure your software is compatible

with the organiser’s before you arrive at the venue.

Create a back-up In case of technical failure, bring a USB stick

and a printout of your presentation.

FoundationsCareers / Business / Legal / Training

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PERFORMANCE ENHANCERCAREERS With a little preparation and judicious use of technology, you can turn a pedestrian presentation into outstanding oratory

Landed that final interview? It’s likely you’ll need to give a presentation. Follow our advice at rics.org/presentations

ON RICSRECRUIT.COM

MAY 2016_MODUS 39

Foundations

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MANAGING DIRECTOR, NEXT FMS, VANCOUVER, CANADA

MY WAY

John Ringness MRICS SFP

TIMELINE

1979 Leaves school and starts first job, with Canadian Linen

1989 Becomes assistant director at Marriott Management Services

2006 Becomes chief facilities officer at Lavasa City in India

2008 Launches own consultancy, Next FMS

2012 Provides FM leadership for Haiti’s new national teaching hospital

2013 Qualifies as an RICS member via the academic assessment route

2016 Takes up post at Carillion, leading on FM

THE BEGINNINGI remember helping to clean the offices at my dad’s factory as a boy – you could say it was my first taste of a career in facilities management (FM). I didn’t take a traditional route into higher education; I chose to get straight into work, with a lifelong approach to education. The laundry industry became my launchpad. In 1981 I became a production manager for Canadian Linen, which led to my position as assistant director at Marriott Management Services. It was an intense learning environment, providing linen services to 12 healthcare facilities around Winnipeg.

THE CAREER BREAKI’ve enjoyed a varied career in FM, and throughout it all, I’ve always believed in a global learning environment. In 2006 I became chief facilities officer at Lavasa City, directing FM services on this 25,000 acre newly built township near Mumbai, India. It was my first international assignment, and I was initially retained to perform an operational review. However, they were so impressed with the report, I was invited to come back and implement it. It was an exciting and complex challenge, overseeing administration, procurement, water and sewage treatment, infrastructure, maintenance and security.

“I’ve enjoyed a varied career in facilities management, and through it all, I’ve always believed in a global learning environment”

THE PRESENTI launched Next FMS in 2008 to provide FM consulting, training, mentoring and volunteering worldwide. One of my most memorable experiences was working at Mirebalais National Teaching Hospital in Haiti in 2012. Later that year, I returned to India to organise FM processes for Kohinoor City, a gated community in Mumbai. RICS has a great presence in India, and that’s where I first heard about the academic assessment route to membership. I was proud to qualify as a member in 2013.

THE FUTUREI recently took up a post as facilities general manager at Carillion, with responsibility for the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Carillion is leading the consortium building the facility, delivering FM services for a 30-year period. Planning so far ahead means I have to be prepared for all elements: people, property, processes and technology. FM is ever-changing – it’s exciting to be at its forefront.rics.org/johnringness

40 RICS.ORG/MODUS

How a firm is structured will often depend on the nature of its formation, and the aims of its founders, as well as the prevailing tax environment at the time. Yet whether to operate as a sole trader, partnership, limited liability partnership (LLP), limited company, or even employee-owned organisation, can have an impact on how the firm operates, including its ability to attract and retain talented surveyors and its attractiveness to prospective future buyers.

Peter Young, tax partner at accountant Johnston Carmichael, says the issue often comes up in connection with tax efficiency, as well as succession planning: “Some smaller firms of chartered surveyors have dispensed with the partnership model and gone down different routes, but only a minority have opted to become limited companies.”

Some are moving towards LLPs, he adds, while others have looked at hybrid structures. “But, on the whole, chartered surveyor firms are still run as partnerships because it’s a proven model, providing significant national insurance benefits, as well as continuity and simplicity of running the business over the long term.”

Malcolm Hollis is one practice that has switched from a standard partnership to an LLP, and has found this has worked well from a risk perspective. “It opened up the chance to mix all the benefits of a partnership with those of a limited

company, such as liability protection,” says senior partner John Woodman FRICS. He admits this has also meant more paperwork and more rigid accounting procedures and disclosure requirements, but adds the firm now also has the flexibility to make decisions on how it is managed in a timely manner.

Alan Pemberton FRICS is managing partner at Tuffin Ferraby Taylor, which became an LLP in 2004 as its founders looked to exit the business. At the time the model was very much in vogue, he says, mainly from the perspective of limiting any individual’s exposure, but he has since found the cultural implications just as important. “It comes down to what is the main culture of the business,” he says. “Is it build to sell, or legacy and succession? We’re very much the latter.”

Being able to make changes to the structure of the firm is also easier with the LLP model, Pemberton adds. “It means you can review and amend the agreement quite easily, as opposed to a board of directors who have to be voted on and off, which can be at the vagaries of investors and shareholders.”

LIMITED APPEALThe alternative decision would have been to create a limited company, which protects owners from personal liability beyond their invested capital but requires more onerous accounting and reporting. This model also has more potential to be divisive, Pemberton suggests, depending on who has shares.

Global surveying consultant Turner & Townsend switched to a limited company model in 2008, ahead of an anticipated initial public offering that failed to materialise as the economy took a turn for the worse. Since then the business has grown and, with a flotation no longer needed to raise funds, the firm reverted to a partnership model in 2015. There were several reasons for this, says chief executive Vincent Clancy MRICS, including safeguarding its independence, but an important factor was being able to reward and motivate staff by offering them the ability to become partners.

Not everyone, though, has felt the need to change structure. Jeremy Leaf FRICS set up as a surveyor in 1984 as a sole trader, and has been happy to remain so. “I don’t think it’s held me back,” he says. “I have one chartered surveyor who has been with me 29 years. I know that if I was to sell the business then acquiring companies might want it to be a limited company but I have no reason to think about a sale at the moment. I’m not going to hide behind a limited company umbrella where I can limit my exposure.”

STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT

BUSINESS Does the shape of your firm work for you or your employees?

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Sole trader An individual trading as him or herself.

Partnership Two or more people combine to run a business and are personally liable

for its debts.LLP A separate

legal entity offering partners a greater

degree of protection.Limited company A

separate legal entity that protects owners from personal liability

beyond their invested capital but requires more onerous accounting.

Employee ownership An emerging model under which an employee ownership trust holds shares on

behalf of employees.

FIVE-POINT PRIMER

MAY 2016_MODUS 41

One option some practices might consider is employee ownership, whereby larger numbers of staff can share in the business. Gary Davie, corporate partner at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, says the recent introduction of a capital gains tax exemption when a controlling interest is sold to an employee ownership trust provides a useful incentive for those looking to protect the long-term interests of the business, while securing a tax-efficient exit for shareholders.

“Employee ownership is growing in popularity,” says Davie. “In addition, the income-tax breaks on future profit-related payments made to staff, which can be achieved using this model, represent a further incentive – payments can be up to £3,600 a year.” This can be particularly useful in motivating individuals to perform to the best of their ability, he adds.

This kind of model appeals, at least in principle, to Woodman. “As we continue to grow we may need to look at the structure to make sure we are operating in a way that is going to give our employees the strongest possible growth opportunities,” he says. “We might decide to become a limited company via a model that provides greater employee ownership, as this would empower staff.”

Colin Brown, associate director in tax services at Baker Tilly, provides further advice on business structure on the RICS Small Business Hub:

“Whether you are an individual starting out in business, or an established

professional firm, getting the structure right is important for all successful businesses. The choice of business structure will depend on your particular circumstances, taking account of all the relevant issues, including tax.”

To read the full version of this article – plus others on topics such as business models for small firms and fee income – go to rics.org/smallbusiness and click on “Business advice”.

Foundations

IS YOUR BUSINESS STRUCTURE FIT FOR PURPOSE?

“As we continue to grow we may need to make sure we are operating in a way that is going to give our employees the strongest growth opportunities”

JOHN WOODMAN FRICS Malcolm Hollis

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LEGAL 101

How is IPMS measuring up?DAVID CORDERY, senior associate, projects and construction, Trowers & Hamlins

Since the start of 2016, it has been a mandatory professional requirement for chartered surveyors to adopt international property measurement standards (IPMS) when measuring office buildings, unless otherwise instructed by their client.

What has changed? IPMS constitutes more than simply a change in terminology. For example, IPMS 2, which broadly replaces the Code of Measuring Practice’s familiar gross internal area, requires measurements to be taken to the inside finishes of internal walls, rather than to the finished surface provided by the initial builder, such as blockwork or a plaster coat.

IPMS 2 also requires certain external areas, such as balconies and accessible roof terraces, to be included within the overall gross area calculation.

How is IPMS being used in practice? Although surveyors are generally well prepared for the change, many other professions across the industry have not necessarily been moving at the same pace.

Some property companies, recognising that their existing portfolio will have been measured and valued using the Code of Measuring Practice, but knowing that remeasuring all of their properties in one go would not be practical,

have decided to measure on both bases until IPMS is established across the whole industry.

How will this affect my contracts? It is common for legal contracts such as development agreements, forward-funding agreements and agreements for lease to contain provisions requiring newly built or refurbished offices to meet specific criteria for gross or net internal areas. The consequences of a building not achieving its minimum or maximum areas can include reduction in rent, liquidated damages or even termination provisions.

To minimise the risk to a developer, the building contract should contain sanctions for the failure of the contractor to meet specific target areas. These can include damages for a breach of the area requirements within the Employer’s Requirements, a flow-down of liquidated damages, or a right to terminate the building contract.

Given the interrelationship of property agreements with the building contract obligations, the inconsistent use of measurement standards could be very significant. It is important, therefore, to ensure that all such provisions are updated to IPMS, or, if a client insists on keeping the old measurement standards, that this is expressly set out and is consistent across the suite of contracts. trowers.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION on IPMS, visit rics.org/ipms

42 RICS.ORG/MODUS

To find out more: t 024 7686 8584 w rics.org/dpp e training@rics.org

Developing professionals in propertyThis blended face-to-face and online course has been designed for professionals requiring knowledge of asset management.

The course will provide skills and expertise in: • Property development and valuation• Development appraisals• Property life cycle• Business interactions within the property sector as a whole• Legal positions in relation to letting, surrender, renewal

and rent review.

MAY 2016_MODUS 43

really is about establishing best-in-class standards and incorporating all the elements in your project that deviate from this ideal scenario. This may include the procurement route, environmental targets, basements, design efficiency, or architectural features.

Information overload These days, “big data” is very much at the heart of a surveyor’s working life. We can easily get overwhelmed with cost data, and we need to learn how to collect it, interpret it and manage it. Efficient data management is all in the balance: keep it as simple as you can, focus on the important bits first and allocate responsibilities. Demonstrating good cost data management could even become part of staff appraisals.

Standards practice It is essential that we rapidly embrace international property measurement standards (IPMS). A group of Mace graduates started using it six months ago and found that the application of IPMS 3 – which replaces net internal area – took some time to get to grips with. In parallel, we must educate our clients so that they are as clear as possible about its benefits.

SONIA DESLOGES MRICS is a senior cost consultant at Mace Group and director of APC Support apcsupport-ltd.co.uk

Question of perception Quantity surveyors and cost managers know that, by definition, a cost estimate is not intended to be 100% accurate, but it must set the cost limit for the project within reasonable parameters. The challenge is that accuracy is subjective and is perceived differently from one client to another. Therefore, it is crucial that quantity surveyors establish what accuracy means to each of their clients and manage their expectations early in the process.

New Rules OK Look to RICS best practice to assist your need for greater accuracy. For instance, quantity surveyors tend to price “on-costs” such as preliminaries, risk/contingency, inflation and professional fees as a percentage of their estimate. This is acceptable in a project’s early stages, but as more information becomes available, they should refer to groups 10-15 in the New Rules of Measurement (NRM) 1 for

greater accuracy, and to improve client service.

Best in class Another technique that is often misunderstood is benchmarking. Far from being about calculating averages for a building type, benchmarking

The CPD Foundation offers UK members a convenient and comprehensive way to meet their CPD goals for one annual payment. Sign up at rics.org/cpdfoundation

CPD: ON DEMAND

RICS PROPERTY MEASUREMENT – MANDATORY PRACTICE STATEMENT Alexander Aronsohn (above), RICS Director of Technical International Standards, explains how the Code of Measuring Practice is changing to incorporate IPMS. cpdfoundation.com/webcasts/218 ››CPD hours: 1

THE EMPLOYER’S AGENT/CONTRACT ADMINISTRATOR Burges Salmon partner Marcus Harling (above), looks at how risks can be managed with the use of a certifier. cpdfoundation.com/webcasts/211 ››CPD hours: 1

ESTIMATING AND COST PLANNING: NEW APPROACHES AND BEST PRACTICE. Improve your outcomes and client service. Presented by Sonia Desloges (above). cpdfoundation.com/webcasts/227 ››CPD hours: 1

CPD boosterRelated content from RICS

UPPING YOUR ESTIMATION

Foundations

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT How do you ensure that you achieve the highest level of accuracy in your cost planning and estimating?

MAY 2016_MODUS 45

Mobile Mapper 120It is: A lightweight, compact, global navigation satellite

system (GNSS) hand-held mapping device, designed for quick and accurate geographic data collection and mapping.

It’s ideal for assisting geomatics, land or rural surveying professionals with asset or land management tasks, or for area measurements and map creation.

How does it work? It is indispensable for data recording when we’re carrying out tree safety surveys. It helps us record clear, accurate information about individual trees in the field, while ensuring we have the exact location for future monitoring and implementation of any

remedial work required. It can also survive a drop or two, as well as high and low temperatures. Price: from £2,395Search: “MobileMapper” at spectraprecision.com

MARC LIEBRECHT MRICS is director in the forestry consultancy team at Savills, Lichfield, UK

Foundations

Booksrics.org/shopSURVEYED

Is there a book, website or app you couldn’t be without? Email editor@ricsmodus.com

“I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT” MARC LIEBRECHT MRICS

Building information modelling (BIM) has become a fundamental part of the building industry, and the technology is redefining the roles and working practices of its stakeholders.

Authored by experienced quantity surveyors, BIM and Quantity Surveying is designed to help quantity surveyors and students understand what BIM means for them, and how they should prepare to work successfully on BIM-compliant projects. Through a series of case studies, the guide demonstrates how firms have integrated core quantity surveying responsibilities such as cost estimating, tendering and development appraisal into high-

profile BIM projects. For those in construction project management roles, the implications of BIM for project management, facilities management, contract administration and dispute resolution are also explored through case studies.

The authors believe the role of the quantity surveyor is likely to permanently shift as a result of BIM, and cover both the organisational and practical aspects of this crucial industry development.

BIM AND QUANTITY SURVEYING Steve Pittard FRICS and Peter Sell MRICS Taylor & Francis, £24.99

ALSO THIS MONTH››Start-up MyCaptR is developing an app that lets you 3D-scan a room in about three minutes, and view the point cloud image in real time. It could help professionals quickly survey a building’s interior, or help people decide how best to remodel a home or office. mycaptr.com/en››Is virtual reality the future of the hospitality industry? JLL’s Real Views blog looks at how innovative hotels are virtually transporting potential clients to exotic locations, all from the comfort of their room via VR headsets. bit.ly/realviewsVR

MODEL EXAMPLE

BOOK

BCIS Building Maintenance Price Book 2016 Essential for property professionals who want to avoid the dangers of undercharging or overpaying for maintenance work.£145

BCIS Painting and Decorating Price Book 2016 The most reliable price book available to the sector, suitable for projects up to approximately £30,000.£44

Watts Pocket Handbook Back in print for the first time in years. Provides technical and legal information across a comprehensive spread of property and construction topics.£19.99

46 RICS.ORG/MODUS

UK Summit 20167 June 2016, LondonEnsuring your business strategy is fit for the future

An exclusive event aimed at key players, the UK Summit provides a forum to debate and discuss the most important dynamics and emerging thought leadership shaping the future of the UK’s built environment.

Chaired by business expert Steph McGovern, keynote presentations and discussion points on the day will cover future cities, investment in future real estate markets, disruptive technology and the global business economic outlook.

Find out more: rics.org/uksummit

Untitled - Page: 1 2016-04-04 13:24:53 +0100

MAY 2016_MODUS 47

It has been a few weeks since UK chancellor George Osborne delivered his Budget. Although the “sugar tax” may have taken the headlines, the underlying economic message was a commitment to move public finances into the black within five years, based on an agenda to balance the books and boost productivity and growth.

Budget highlights included:››The launch of a “Lifetime ISA” from April 2017 for adults under the age of 40, with a maximum contribution of £4,000 a year and a 25% bonus. The standard ISA investment limit will rise to £20,000 at the same time.››A cut in the main rates of capital gains tax to 20% for higher and additional rate taxpayers and 10% for other taxpayers.

››An increase in the personal allowance for 2017/18 to £11,500 and the higher rate threshold to £45,000.››An extension of entrepreneurs’ relief to cover long-term external investors in unlisted companies.››Two new £1,000 tax allowances for property income and trading income, starting in April 2017. Individuals with income within this allowance will no longer need to declare or pay tax, and they can choose to pay tax on the excess income over the allowance, rather than calculate their actual profit.››A cut in corporation tax to 17% in 2020 and greater flexibility in the use of tax losses by smaller companies.››An extensive revamp of business rates, permanently doubling the small-business rate relief.

››Restructuring of stamp duty land tax on commercial properties.››Special rules will ensure that the full amount of profits from offshore property developers trading in UK land will always be subject to UK tax, whether or not the person to whom they arise is a UK resident.

Overall, nothing in the Budget reduces the need for careful consideration of how to structure your assets in a tax-efficient manner. Taxpayers need to ensure that they are making maximum use of available allowances, reliefs and other planning measures to help achieve their financial goals. In particular, the changing pensions landscape has increased flexibility but brought added complications, which means costly traps for the unwary.

FOR A NO-OBLIGATION financial review, visit sjpp.co.uk/rics, email rics@sjpp.co.uk, or telephone +44 (0)800 953 3030. St. James’s Place Wealth Management is RICS’ Preferred Provider of Wealth Management Advice*

Levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances.

*Advice is provided by representatives of St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services. For more details, visit sjp.co.uk/products.

RICS is an appointed introducer to St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc, which is authorised and regulated by the FCA.

Advertorial

BENEFITSTo view the latest offers, new partners and promotions, visit rics.org/benefitsplus

How tax efficient are your finances in light of the recent Budget changes?

KEEP THINGS SWEET

AS GOOD AS OUR WORD

Wills

48 RICS.ORG/MODUS

EVENTSFull RICS events listings online at rics.org/events For enquiries, call +44 (0)20 7695 1600. All prices are +VAT

››RICS APC Prep Day 26 May, StirlingCombining plenary sessions, workshops and a mock interview, this event offers comprehensive guidance on all aspects of the final assessment. CPD: 6.5 hours £130 rics.org/apcprepday

››RICS Rural Conference15 June, Cirencester Keynote speaker John Varley, from Clinton Devon Estates, takes a closer look at how rural estates can contribute to the UK economy. Further sessions will explore rural housing challenges, valuation, and what to expect in a compliance visit.CPD: 5.5 hours £125 rics.org/ruralconference

››RICS Diversity and Inclusion Conference29 June, LondonMoving the discussion on RICS’ Inclusive Employer Quality Mark (IEQM) to the next level. With countless companies pledging their support for IEQM, the event will build upon this with discussions around the IEQM online self-assessment tool, launched this March.CPD: 5.5 hours £195 rics.org/diversityconference

UNITED KINGDOM››RICS CPOs in Practice RoadshowMay, various locationsThe UK government’s plan to boost infrastructure to unlock growth potential means there is huge demand for surveyors who understand compulsory purchase orders (CPO). This roadshow will guide you through the process so you are fully equipped to advise clients. CPD: 3.5 hours £80 rics.org/cporoadshow

››RICS CPD Days5 May, Exeter; 24 May, Birmingham; 8 June, CardiffRegional conferences full of CPD within land, property and the built environment, with breakout sessions tailored to meet your specific learning requirements.CPD: 6 hours £145 full day, £90 half day rics.org/cpddays

››RICS Real Estate Auctioneering Conference16 May 2016, LondonExpert speakers will be focusing on the challenge of building awareness and appreciation of the property auction sector and approaches to increasing the industry’s share in overall UK property sales. CPD: 3.5 hours £150 rics.org/realestateauction

››RICS North East Summit17 May, NewcastleThis year’s summit will consider the practical implications of local government reforms for the region’s surveyors. Hear an overview of the north-east’s economic performance and assess prospects for sustainable growth. CPD: 5.5 hours £135 rics.org/nesummit

››RICS Dilapidations Conference, Scotland 19 May, GlasgowThe latest legal updates, techniques for effective negotiations and an overview of the principles for diminution in value. Workshops will help you get to grips with claim, condition and repair, and the art of conducting effective negotiations. CPD: 5.5 hours £100 rics.org/scotlanddilaps

››RICS QS and Construction Conference25 May, LondonThis year’s annual conference will combine insights into the key challenges facing the industry with technical guidance on a range of practical concerns. Topics covered will include skills shortages, essential soft skills and contractual considerations.CPD: 6 hours £220 rics.org/qsconference

The RICS UK Summit provides a forum to debate and discuss at the highest level the dynamics shaping the future of the UK’s built environment, and the thought leadership emerging as a result. The half-day programme combines keynote speeches and discussion-style formats, delivered by speakers at the forefront of their profession who are leading the way in futureproofing their industry.CPD: 4 hours £195 rics.org/uksummit

7 June, QEII Centre, London

RICS UK SUMMIT

INTERNATIONAL ››RICS Cross Border Valuation Conference12 May, BrusselsThe international trading environment is in a state of constant flux and this affects the regulatory, valuation, accounting and financial environment in which global businesses operate. The RICS Cross Border Valuation Conference returns to Brussels, providing a comprehensive programme to explore the changing needs of businesses in this fast-paced world. CPD: 4 hours £220/€302.72 rics.org/cbvaluation

MAY 2016_MODUS 49

NORTH WEST››Leonard Arthur Mooney MRICS, 1929-2016, Wirral››Jack Shackleton MRICS, 1929-2016Greater Manchester››Donald Alwyn Walton FRICS, 1931-2016High Peak››Robert Craig Waters FRICS, 1930-2016, Bolton

SOUTH EAST››Keith William Bailey FRICS, 1930-2016Winchester››Michael Clifton Thomas Bokenham FRICS 1943-2015, Godstone››Roger O’Mahony Brown FRICS, 1934-2016, Pinner››John James Burgess FRICS, 1920-2016Haslemere››Ronald Cooch MRICS1930-2016, Pinner››Geoffrey Reginald Hackett MRICS1924-2016, Waterlooville››William James Hale FRICS, 1928-2016, Essex

SOUTH WEST››Alan F Crane FRICS1926-2016, Marlborough››William Ernest Robinson MRICS1923-2016, Swanage

WEST MIDLANDS››Rev. Thomas Mark Carter FRICS1936-2016, Stafford››Geoffrey Herbert Hadfield MRICS 1923-2016 Sutton Coldfield››Leonard Keith Lovewell FRICS, 1933-2016 Stoke on Trent››Mervyn Harold Raybould FRICS1958-2015, Dudley

YORKSHIRE & HUMBER››Denis Henry Clarke Chapman FRICS1934-2016, Scarborough

SCOTLAND››Thomas Losh Atkinson FRICS, 1951-2016Castle Douglas››Alexander Sanders Mckechnie James MRICS 1924-2016, Glasgow

WALES››Ernest Royston Matthews FRICS1921-2016, Cardiff››Roy John Piggott FRICS, 1926-unknown, Penarth

IRELAND››Andrew David Fogarty MRICS, 1960-2016Co Wexford

EUROPE››Martin Holub MRICS1961-2016, Euthal

If you are facing hardship after the loss of a family member, or if you are considering leaving a legacy, please contact LionHeart, the charity for RICS members and their families. Call +44 (0)24 7646 6696, email info@lionheart.org.uk, or visit lionheart.org.uk.

OBITUARIES

EASTERN››Nigel James Patrick Hutton AssocRICS1960-2016››John George West MRICS, 1924-2016Cambridge

EAST MIDLANDS››Paul Reginald Jackson AssocRICS, 1945-2016Grantham

LONDON››Peter Lewis Banks FRICS, 1938-2015London››Anthony Tom Brett-Jones FRICS1922-2016, London››George Frederic Paulley FRICS1929-2016, Uxbridge››John Adrian Ratcliffe MRICS, 1962-2016London

NORTH EAST››Paul Graham Sigsworth AssocRICS, 1956-2016Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Please email obituary notifications to contactrics@rics.org or call +44 (0)870 333 1600

Notices

Fred Jones, former chairman of the Governors of the College of Estate Management and the RICS Benevolent Fund, and RICS Liveryman, has died aged 92. He was a gentleman and a thorough professional with a real concern for others and was enormously respected by all who knew him.

After completing his tour of operations as a Lancaster pilot during World War II, for which he was awarded the

Distinguished Flying Cross, Fred joined Sturt & Tivendale, a north London firm of chartered surveyors and auctioneers. He completed a postal course with the College of Estate Management and progressed through the firm to become senior partner.

He was a trustee of the Headley Court rehabilitation centre (formerly for RAF servicemen), which the firm supported in many ways.

He is survived by Molly, 91, his devoted wife of 70 years, three children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

FREDERICK DAVID JONES FRICS, 1923-2016

CONDUCTMr Stephen Bray, Surrey, KT24Registration Panel hearing – 08.03.16Mr Bray made an application for readmission into membership, which was heard by a Registration Panel. The Panel allowed Mr Bray’s application and granted his readmission as a professional member of RICS, with immediate effect.

Mr Yiannaki Stavrou, Barnet, EN4Registration Panel hearing – 08.03.16Mr Stavrou made an application for readmission into membership, which was heard by a Registration Panel. The Panel has refused Mr Stavrou’s application.

Mr Ross Etherson, Glasgow, G12Disciplinary Panel hearing by way of written representations – 16.03.16The Panel heard the case against Mr Ross Etherson by way of written representations. The Panel considered whether Mr Etherson may be liable to disciplinary action under RICS Bye-Law 5.2.2(d) by reason of having been convicted of a criminal offence, namely that on 26 February 2015 he was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court for 21 counts of supplying articles for use in fraud, contrary to section 7(1) of the Fraud Act 2006. The Panel expelled Mr Etherson from Membership of RICS.

Michael Durham, Suffolk, IP30Disciplinary Panel hearing by way of written representations – 17.03.16The Panel heard the case against Mr Durham by way of written representations. The Panel considered whether Mr Durham may be liable to disciplinary action under RICS Bye-Law 5.2.2(d) by reason of having been convicted by Willesden Magistrates Court on 19 May 2015 for offences contrary to sections 194(1) (a) & (2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and sections 3 & 6 of the Forgery & Counterfeiting Act 1981. The Panel expelled Mr Durham from Membership of RICS and ordered him to contribute towards RICS’ costs.

rics.org/conductcases

50 RICS.ORG/MODUS

Do you want to work for a private firm with a corporate attitude - a firm that is quality driven and that has a strong tradition of VALUING its surveyors as INDIVIDUALS.

Valunation is part of one of the country’s largest independent and privately owned Estate Agency groups with over 200 branches and we’re looking to further expand and strengthen our national team of residential valuation surveyors.

This is your opportunity to make a positive and rewarding change to your working life and join a leading name in the residential surveying marketplace where we pride ourselves on the emphasis we give to the quality, rather than the quantity, of what we deliver.

We have vacancies for RICS qualified and registered experienced residential surveyors, who are highly motivated. You must be familiar with undertaking valuations and surveys for both lenders and private clients

There are immediate vacancies in London and the South East, North Leeds and Derby but new vacancies are being added all the time, so send us your CV and we will contact you when a vacancy comes up.

We offer a competitive benefits package including private medical care, life insurance, BMW car scheme or car allowance, together with a generous bonus scheme. We are also happy to consider part-time or flexible working.

If you are interested in joining us we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email your CV directly to kimberley.stockley@valunation.com or call Paul Lancaster on 07974 090 113 or David Atter on 07973 543 010 for a confidential chat.

Residential Valuation Surveyors

The June issue will be published on Tuesday 7 June Recruitment copy deadline

Wednesday 4 May

You’ll Be Glad You Called us FirstRESIDENTIAL SURVEYOR VACANCIES (AssocRICS/MRICS) Full-Time and Part-Time. London particularly Central,W,SW,NW,N,NE,E,EN,RM,IG,SE,BR,CR,KT,SL,UB,HA,WD, codes. Plus: Barking, Barnet, Bath, Battersea, Berks, Bexley, Birmingham, Bishops Stortford, Bournemouth, Bradford, Bristol, Bromley, Bucks, Camberley, Cambridge, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Chester, Chichester, Chingford, Clapham, Cobham, Coventry, Croydon, Dartford, Derby, Devon Nth, Doncaster, Dorking, Ebbsfl eet, Enfi eld, Epsom, Epping, Essex, Guildford, Horsham, Ilford, Inverness, Kent E/Sth, Kingston U Thames, Leeds, Leicester, Loughborough, Manchester N/Ctrl/E, Mansfi eld, M.Keynes, Maidstone, Medway, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northampton, Nottingham, Norwich, Oldham, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Romford, Reading, Redhill, Saffron Waldon, Salford, Sheffi eld, Slough, Somerset Nth, Southampton, Southend, Staines, Surrey, Sussex, Swindon, Tiverton, Uxbridge, Watford, Woking. Also: ZHours/PTime: Scarborough, Wakefi eld, Bradford, Lincoln, Anglesey, Luton, Welwyn, Wigan, Worcester. Also: Prestige Staff Surveyors - Call for locations

Experienced in mortgage vals, HBR’s or building surveys ideally. Employers include smaller local practices and all major surveying organisations and lenders. Outstanding remuneration and benefi ts packages. London basic salaries to £65k (£90-120k OTE).

Please call Jeff Johnson on 07940 594093 or email your CV in confi dence to: jjohnson@mlarecruit.com or to Connect via linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeff-johnson-6615b714

NEW VACANCY LOCATIONS DAILY. 21 years expertise fi nding the right job for you www.mlarecruit.com

Recruitmentricsrecruit.com / To advertise, email milos@wearesunday.com or call +44 (0)20 7101 2772

anthonysaunders@cuthbertlake.co.uk - 020 7405 1953

Sole principal of long established central London practice would like to form association with another similar firm, or general practice surveyor with own

client base, to share offices and facilities.

MAY 2016_MODUS 51

Recruitment

Perhaps the time has come to stop waiting?

All good things come to those who wait

All good things come to those who wait

That’s what they say. Well, maybe you have waited long enough and now it is time to find out how good a sensible working regime could be?

We are looking for contract/consultant chartered surveyors to join our nationwide team of professionals undertaking residential valuation, homebuyer and building survey work. We expect the highest professional standards so this

is no easy ride, but we respect quality, respect professionalism and respect the fact that you want a work-life balance.

If you’re interested and want a chat, then please email me your CV:

sean.king@metropolis-surveyors.com

Perhaps the time has come to stop waiting?

That’s what they say. Well, maybe you have waited long enough and now it is time to find out how good a sensible working regime could be?

We are looking for contract/consultant chartered surveyors to join our nationwide team of professionals undertaking residential valuation, homebuyer and building

survey work. We expect the highest professional standards so this is no easy ride, but we respect quality, respect professionalism and respect the fact that you want a work-life balance.

If you’re interested and want a chat, then please email me your CV:sean.king@metropolis-surveyors.com

52 RICS.ORG/MODUS

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.comTo view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

With a two decade sector association, wide ranging (and often exclusive) client base and in-depth knowledge of each company through years of close working, we welcome enquiries (in confi dence, without obligation and however speculative) from: • Residential surveyors already

working in the sector • Residential surveyors who left the

sector post 2008, but would like to return with refresher training

• Semi-retired surveyors (with residential experience) keen to keep active on a part-time/fl exible basis

• MRICS-qualifi ed surveyors with relevant – although perhaps not direct – inspection or valuation experience.

• Staff Valuers/ Residential Surveyors keen to work client side

We can help you achieve: • An improvement in earnings, be

that basic salary or a bonus scheme that offers greater incentives

• A reduction in hours or a move to part-time or zero hours working

• A reduction in the volume of work that you are expected to handle

• An improvement in the general quality of your instructions

Current vacancies include:

Opportunities for experienced Residential Surveyors within corporate environments: All London postcodes (N, NW, W, SW, SE & E), Essex (SS, CM, RM, CO, IG & E), Hertfordshire(AL, SG, WD, EN), Bedfordshire/Luton (LU, MK), M4 Corridor generally (SL, RG, OX, SN), East & West Sussex (BN, TN, RH),

Dorset, (DT, BH), Hampshire (SO, PO), Surrey (CR, TW, KT, SM, GU), Kent (ME,TN, CT, BR, DA), Plymouth, Gloucestershire (GL), Bristol (BS), CB, S, NR, Cardiff/South Newport (CF, NP), Chichester, Basingstoke Aberdeen, Northants, Uxbridge, Harrow, Twickenham, Swindon, Leicester, Yorkshire. Remuneration includes a basic salary of £40-65k (depending on location), bonuses (based on fee income), a car (or allowance), healthcare and pension.

Opportunities for fi rst time entrants / Trainee Residential Surveyors nationally Our client is an independent, well-established and growing fi rm of chartered surveyors undertaking the full range of survey and valuation services for main lenders and private clients. They are able to train enthusiastic chartered surveyors from most backgrounds so previous residential surveying experience is not essential. Opportunities currently exist in London, Kent, Sussex, Bucks, Midlands, Wales and Cheshire, with additional vacancies following weekly. Basic salary to £50k + Bonuses + Car allowance

Opportunities within panel– appointed, non-corporate practice-based environments Our clients are traditional, independent private practices who service main lender, private client and in-house (agency) instructions undertaking the full range of residential reports for high average fees. Their ethos is quality

over quantity (but not at the expense of security) and, as such, surveyors working for them are not put under the same pressures as they might be elsewhere in the sector. Vacancies exist in the following locations immediately with additional needs following on a near weekly basis: South London, South Hampshire (Portsmouth/Southampton/ Winchester), Chilterns, North West London, North East London/Essex, Kent, Oxford, Bristol/Bath. Chichester, North London, Reading, St Albans, Bromley, Dartford, East London, SW London, Loughton/ Chigwell, Romford, Colchester, Chelmsford, Milton Keynes. Basic salary circa £50k+ with excellent “zero threshold” bonus scheme, quality car and benefi ts.

To fi nd out more or apply, contact:

James Irving 0208 514 9120Jamesi@bblproperty.co.ukwww.bblproperty.co.uk

We are recruiting nationally for both high street and specialist lenders who require experienced Valuers to work in-house in the following locations (with additional following on a weekly basis):

Croydon (CR)East London (E)North Northampton (NN)Watford (WD)Slough (SL)Surrey (KT) & (TW)Bristol/BathMidlandsAberdeenHullEssexKent Oxford

Would you like to focus on quality over quantity with a single reporting format, a workload comprising mostly Mortgage Valuations (no Building Surveys), a tight-knit patch, market leading tablet technology and an outstanding remuneration package that isn’t commission led?

Opportunities for Staff Surveyors / Valuers UK wide

Opportunities for Residential Surveyors UK wideWith pay reviews completed, withheld bonuses paid and 2016 well and truly underway, how does your current deal stack up against the various other opportunities out there? You could respond to a variety of adverts and run the risk of someone discovering your curiosity… or…you could speak to the agency whose client base makes up the bigger picture and explore the market discreetly with no obligation or risk…what have you got to lose?

To fi nd out more (without obligation), apply for one of our immediate needs or register (in confi dence) for future vacancies in your patch please contact:

Greg Coyle 0208 514 9116GregC@bblproperty.co.ukwww.bblproperty.co.uk

Suitable Surveyors will need to meet the following criteria: • MRICS/FRICS qualifi cation (though

AssocRICS may be considered with suffi cient levels of experience)

• VRS accreditation• PII claim free• Strong track record

in their chosen patch • A stable career history demonstrating

strong commitment to past and present employers.

As well as the obvious workload, lifestyle and team benefi ts, successful Staff Surveyors can expect a remuneration package comprising: • High basic (up to £65k)

depending on location • Profi t share or bonuses based

on multiple (quality) factors as opposed to volume only

• High quality prestige company car• 6 weeks holiday to start • Market leading Pension• A wide range of health, lifestyle

and wellbeing benefi ts• Preferential staff mortgage rates

MAY 2016_MODUS 53

RecruitmentRecruitment

With a two decade sector association, wide ranging (and often exclusive) client base and in-depth knowledge of each company through years of close working, we welcome enquiries (in confi dence, without obligation and however speculative) from: • Residential surveyors already

working in the sector • Residential surveyors who left the

sector post 2008, but would like to return with refresher training

• Semi-retired surveyors (with residential experience) keen to keep active on a part-time/fl exible basis

• MRICS-qualifi ed surveyors with relevant – although perhaps not direct – inspection or valuation experience.

• Staff Valuers/ Residential Surveyors keen to work client side

We can help you achieve: • An improvement in earnings, be

that basic salary or a bonus scheme that offers greater incentives

• A reduction in hours or a move to part-time or zero hours working

• A reduction in the volume of work that you are expected to handle

• An improvement in the general quality of your instructions

Current vacancies include:

Opportunities for experienced Residential Surveyors within corporate environments: All London postcodes (N, NW, W, SW, SE & E), Essex (SS, CM, RM, CO, IG & E), Hertfordshire(AL, SG, WD, EN), Bedfordshire/Luton (LU, MK), M4 Corridor generally (SL, RG, OX, SN), East & West Sussex (BN, TN, RH),

Dorset, (DT, BH), Hampshire (SO, PO), Surrey (CR, TW, KT, SM, GU), Kent (ME,TN, CT, BR, DA), Plymouth, Gloucestershire (GL), Bristol (BS), CB, S, NR, Cardiff/South Newport (CF, NP), Chichester, Basingstoke Aberdeen, Northants, Uxbridge, Harrow, Twickenham, Swindon, Leicester, Yorkshire. Remuneration includes a basic salary of £40-65k (depending on location), bonuses (based on fee income), a car (or allowance), healthcare and pension.

Opportunities for fi rst time entrants / Trainee Residential Surveyors nationally Our client is an independent, well-established and growing fi rm of chartered surveyors undertaking the full range of survey and valuation services for main lenders and private clients. They are able to train enthusiastic chartered surveyors from most backgrounds so previous residential surveying experience is not essential. Opportunities currently exist in London, Kent, Sussex, Bucks, Midlands, Wales and Cheshire, with additional vacancies following weekly. Basic salary to £50k + Bonuses + Car allowance

Opportunities within panel– appointed, non-corporate practice-based environments Our clients are traditional, independent private practices who service main lender, private client and in-house (agency) instructions undertaking the full range of residential reports for high average fees. Their ethos is quality

over quantity (but not at the expense of security) and, as such, surveyors working for them are not put under the same pressures as they might be elsewhere in the sector. Vacancies exist in the following locations immediately with additional needs following on a near weekly basis: South London, South Hampshire (Portsmouth/Southampton/ Winchester), Chilterns, North West London, North East London/Essex, Kent, Oxford, Bristol/Bath. Chichester, North London, Reading, St Albans, Bromley, Dartford, East London, SW London, Loughton/ Chigwell, Romford, Colchester, Chelmsford, Milton Keynes. Basic salary circa £50k+ with excellent “zero threshold” bonus scheme, quality car and benefi ts.

To fi nd out more or apply, contact:

James Irving 0208 514 9120Jamesi@bblproperty.co.ukwww.bblproperty.co.uk

We are recruiting nationally for both high street and specialist lenders who require experienced Valuers to work in-house in the following locations (with additional following on a weekly basis):

Croydon (CR)East London (E)North Northampton (NN)Watford (WD)Slough (SL)Surrey (KT) & (TW)Bristol/BathMidlandsAberdeenHullEssexKent Oxford

Would you like to focus on quality over quantity with a single reporting format, a workload comprising mostly Mortgage Valuations (no Building Surveys), a tight-knit patch, market leading tablet technology and an outstanding remuneration package that isn’t commission led?

Opportunities for Staff Surveyors / Valuers UK wide

Opportunities for Residential Surveyors UK wideWith pay reviews completed, withheld bonuses paid and 2016 well and truly underway, how does your current deal stack up against the various other opportunities out there? You could respond to a variety of adverts and run the risk of someone discovering your curiosity… or…you could speak to the agency whose client base makes up the bigger picture and explore the market discreetly with no obligation or risk…what have you got to lose?

To fi nd out more (without obligation), apply for one of our immediate needs or register (in confi dence) for future vacancies in your patch please contact:

Greg Coyle 0208 514 9116GregC@bblproperty.co.ukwww.bblproperty.co.uk

Suitable Surveyors will need to meet the following criteria: • MRICS/FRICS qualifi cation (though

AssocRICS may be considered with suffi cient levels of experience)

• VRS accreditation• PII claim free• Strong track record

in their chosen patch • A stable career history demonstrating

strong commitment to past and present employers.

As well as the obvious workload, lifestyle and team benefi ts, successful Staff Surveyors can expect a remuneration package comprising: • High basic (up to £65k)

depending on location • Profi t share or bonuses based

on multiple (quality) factors as opposed to volume only

• High quality prestige company car• 6 weeks holiday to start • Market leading Pension• A wide range of health, lifestyle

and wellbeing benefi ts• Preferential staff mortgage rates

5 4 RICS.ORG/MODUS

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

This is a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic surveyor wishing to specialise in Development and Valuation, playing an active role in our ambitious growth plans across the South West looking after existing clients, developing new opportunities and winning new business. We are a very successful Commercial Team, specialising in Land Development with a diverse range of clients.

You will be a qualified surveyor with experience wanting to progress into a more expansive role. You will be involved in residential development consultancy covering schemes in both greenfield and regeneration.

If you want to find out more and apply please visit www.brutonknowles.co.uk/dev-and-valsurveyor or please call Scott Winnard, Land Development Partner for an informal discussion on 01452 880187.

Want a better future?We can help you shine.

Development & Valuation Surveyor, GloucestershireCompetitive Salary, Company Car/Car Allowance, Pension, Bonus and Healthcare

LOOKING TO LEARN A FEW NEW TRICKS?

Join our growing team of residential surveyors to benefit from bespoke iPad software, your own dedicated booker and excellent bonus earning potential.

www.sdlsurveying.co.uk

If you’re part of the VRS scheme, email your CV to hr@sdlgroup.co.uk

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

QUANTITY SURVEYORS AND SENIOR QUANTITY SURVEYORS OF ALL LEVELS SOUGHT TO MEET RAPID COMPANY EXPANSION

Location Nationwide

Excellent Salaries + Car/Car Allowance + Generous Pension + PHI

Sector Experience Sought- Gas, Oil, Nuclear, FMCG, Utilities, Commercial and Traditional Building

Hargreaves Jones is a Commercial and Project Services consultancy serving the Oil, Gas, Nuclear, Utilities including Overhead Transmission Lines, Pharmaceuticals, Fast Moving Consumer Goods sectors (FMCG), and Commercial and Traditional Building sectors. We pride ourselves on delivering commercial & project services

to clients engaged in capital construction and engineering activities on both large and small infrastructure projects for blue chip clients, or their respective design and project management service providers.

The continued expansion and success of our growing business, presently averaging 34% year on year since 2006, and recently acknowledged as placing Hargreaves Jones in the top 50 QS Firms in the UK, is reliant upon fi nding enthusiastic, motivated professionals to join our growing business.

For a confi dential discussion please contact Liz Moore on 0161 817 3340, alternatively send a recent copy of your CV to elizabeth@hargreavesjones.com

www.hargreavesjones.com

HARGREAVES JONES RECRUITMENT 2016

MAY 2016_MODUS 55

RecruitmentRecruitment

To find out more about life at e.surv, contact one of our team today for a confidential discussion:

Russ Hewitt (Operations Director) 07775 544842Paul Marcus (North) 07775 544866

Tim Wood (South) 07800 705547David Blagden (Consultants) 07968 932017

Alternatively, email your CV to our Talent Acquisition Team:matthew.siddons@lslps.co.uk or call Matt on 07794 392858.

This is a technological leap forward for our industry and when you factor in our compact postcode coverage, you start to understand why we’ve been the UK’s leading residential surveyor for so long.

We’re genuinely excited about the improvements our new technology will bring, enabling our surveyors to work smarter, earn faster, and deliver a more efficient service to our clients and customers.

“There is no doubt, that each and every one of our surveyors will benefit from this exciting new technology and the impact it will have on their ability to take more control of their working day and indeed their work life balance.” John Munro - Performance Improvement Director.

As a surveyor, you know that a healthy work/life balance can be a challenge in today’s market.

But don’t just read about it. Contact any of our directors listed below and they’ll be more than happy to share their excitement with you.

There’s really never been a better time to join e.surv.

Our package includes a competitive basic salary, generous incentive scheme, and excellent benefits including private medical care, life assurance, share-save, additional holiday purchase and much more.

We are seeking employed and consultant surveyors across the UK.

There’s no doubt that our industry is changing, but we welcome that. That’s why we’ve spent the time and effort to revolutionise the way our surveyors work, introducing exciting new iPad technology across our business.

Celebrating success since 1987

IT’S GETTING EXCITING

For a full list of our opportunities, visit www.esurv.co.uk/jobs

56 RICS.ORG/MODUS

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

Opportunities to join Harvey Donaldson & Gibson throughout ScotlandChartered Residential Surveyors/ RICS Regulated Valuers. Locations: Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Central Belt

Harvey Donaldson & Gibson is one of the largest specialist residential surveying practices in Scotland. The original partnership of Harvey Donaldson & Gibson was established around 50 years ago. Our company is a trusted and well-regarded organisation, which has helped thousands of sellers across the length and breadth of the country to get their properties ready for sale.

• An excellent opportunity has arisen for talented Chartered Surveyors to join one of Scotland’s fastest-growing surveying practices.

• Fantastic remuneration package. • Great recurring workload.

Apply in strictest confidence to: Harvey Donaldson & Gibson Rubislaw Den House 23 Rubislaw Den North Aberdeen AB15 4AL Email: frances.wilson@hdg.co.uk

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

The South Coast’s leading independent Estate Agent and Surveying firm are looking

to appoint 2 staff members due to expansion:

PART OR FULL TIME MRICS LANDLORD & TENANT/VALUER

Rent Review and Lease Renewal Negotiation skills are essential and an ability to perform bank

lending panel valuations is an advantage.

FULL TIME PROPERTY MANAGERThe candidate must have experience of managing commercial and residential investment portfolios.

If you wish to join a growing firm in Dorset or Hampshire then we look forward to receiving your application.

natasha.tudor@goadsby.com HR Officer

Prendos is a well established multi disciplinary

property and construction consultancy company

in New Zealand, employing over 120 staff. As

we continue to grow, we are seeking chartered

building surveyors for our Auckland office.

Successful applicants shall have a broad range

of commercial experience and a minimum 5 years

PQE. We offer a flexible working environment

and excellent performance based income.

For some insight from one of our team, please see

the My Way article on Michael Gray in April Modus.

If you are ambitious and would like to enjoy the idyllic

Kiwi lifestyle and ever increasing and diverse work

opportunities, then we invite you to forward your

CV via email to: careers@prendos.co.nz

BUILDING SURVEYORS Auckland New Zealand

MAY 2016_MODUS 57

RecruitmentRecruitment

Requirements: VRS Essential, Associate RICS considered

Due to ongoing growth we have vacancies in London and the Home Counties for quality individuals that want to be part of a successful business.

Email recruitment@tgsurveyors.co.uk for more information or contact Dominic Easterby on 01932 736 540

Part of the Badger Holdings Group

Work.Life.Balance If you are a surveyor looking for the best of both when it comes to

work, life, balance then look no further...

Excellent earning potential

Choose your working week

Great benefits available

Feel valued and appreciated

Be part of a great team

58 RICS.ORG/MODUS

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

CHARTERED SURVEYOR REQUIRED IN BUSY

PRACTICE FOR:

• Building Surveys• Specification of Works• Property Maintenance

• Defect Diagnosis

Good prospects for those willing to work hard in a friendly firm

APPLYDavid Aspey BLE MRICS

10A The Drive, HoveEast Sussex, BN3 3JA

daspey@sussexsurveyors.com

MIDLANDS-BASED VALUATION SURVEYORS RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL

Thrive in a environment that rewards effort with uncapped earning potential. Take control of your career and work towards the future that you want without the risk of business startup. If you are a Midlands-based residential or commercial valuation surveyor with the ambition and drive to be more than just an employee, this is the break you need. We have two opportunities to fi ll. Building on a great brand with 25 years trading history, you’ll be able to exercise your entrepreneurial fl air within an environment of time-tested structured systems and the support of like minded surveyors who are already achieving their life goals. Finally, this is your opportunity to break free of the corporate treadmill and take control of your career. Effectively running your own business unit carrying out your valuations embedded in a secure business model that eliminates startup risk, we want driven individuals who know what they want and are not afraid to demand it. It’s an exciting and secure opportunity fed from longstanding relationships with private and institutional clients, effective marketing and innovative products. Carpenter will provide the brand, tools, people and environment you need to build the business you want around your talent and expectations. Together, we’ll work towards the future you want with unlimited earnings, personal control and the unmatched feeling of knowing there are no boundaries. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of starting your day not working for somebody else and with the fi nancial rewards and freedom that come with personal ownership. Are you ready? For more information call Mike Carpenter on 07973 271923 in confi dence, or email your detailed CV to mike.carpenter@carpenter-surveyors.com

Work is offered on a non-exclusive, Ltd Co or Self-employed basis with FULL PI Cover provided by our client enabling suitable surveyors to enjoy all the financial benefits of consultancy working with none of the usual drawbacks (i.e. not being able to service existing clients, expensive

PI premiums & run off cover etc..). Whether you seek supplementation of existing workload, your first consultancy agreement or simply an improvement on the terms you currently work under we would like to hear from you.

To express your interest in confidence or discuss further without obligation please contact: Jamie Davies Direct: 0208 911 1079jamied@bblproperty.co.ukwww.bblproperty.co.uk

Our client, a top tier national panel manager URGENTLY seeks Freelance Residential Surveyors for high quality fee sharing opportunities in the following locations IMMEDIATELY

Scarborough • Thames Valley • Cumbria / South Lakes • Essex • All Kent postcodes • All London postcodes • Cambridge • Norfolk & Suffolk • Yeovil/Somerset • Carlisle • Peterborough • Northants • Essex • Winchester • Chester/ North Wales

Freelance and ZH Surveyors required nationally (LTD Co and Self Employed)

MAY 2016_MODUS 59

Recruitment

For full job specifications please visit www.arnoldandbaldwin.co.uk/jobs

“I feel like an asset rather than just a number”

“I feel like I’ve developed more in the first six months at this company than any previous job”

“Flexible working (home office options etc) allows me to work in the most efficient way”

“I especially like how knowledgeable and helpful everyone is (particularly as a trainee!) – it is fantastic to be based in a supportive office with all your colleagues where ideas

and anything unfamiliar can be discussed and clarified”

“It’s great to work alongside experts who are happy to share knowledge and advice”

We’re recruiting more fantastic surveyors…

Our team members love working with us…

Call Joe Arnold for an informal chat on 07765 033650 or email

talent@arnoldandbaldwin.co.ukto apply.

Arnold & Baldwin is an award winning, independent firm of Chartered Surveyors operating in London and the South East. We would like to hear from applicants who share our core values of being ‘honest, approachable experts’. We have openings for MRICS/FRICS qualified residential surveyors with a wealth of experience they can bring to the team. We are also looking for AssocRICS Surveyors who would like to gain MRICS accreditation. We have a fantastic training programme in place and value continued professional development.

Our core business is undertaking quality surveys and valuations for banks and building societies in London and the South East, meeting tight deadlines and delivering a best in class service.

Three positions are currently available: Senior Residential Valuation Surveyor, Residential Building Surveyor and AssocRICS Residential Valuation Surveyor.

60 RICS.ORG/MODUS

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

TIME FOR A CHANGE OF DIRECTION?We are still looking for residential surveyors (both experienced and recently qualified)

as well as surveyors from other RICS disciplines wishing to transfer their skills, to carry out residential valuations and surveys in the following locations:

South Birmingham • Reading • Camberley • Nottingham/Derby • Slough/Uxbridge • Plymouth • Watford • East London/Essex • Norwich • Leeds • Oxford • Preston • Dartford

For the right people we will consider any location in England and Wales and also offer flexible/part time working arrangements.

We are especially interested to hear from Assoc RICS Surveyors with relevant residential survey and valuation experience.

If, for you, quality comes ahead of quantity and you like the idea of working with us in a culture of partnership, please email your cv to our Operations

Manager, Jon Charlesworth, FRICS, JCharlesworth@landmarksurveyors.co.uk or give him a call on 07825 634137

EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONSULTANTS

Our newly formed Professional Services Division is looking for surveyors who have specialist knowledge in Leasehold Reform, Party Wall Matters, Expert Witness or Landlord and Tenant. This is an excellent opportunity for those

who wish to add an additional revenue stream to their business.

To discuss working in a partnership with us please call Martin Geoghegan, MRICS on 07484 039321 or email MGeoghegan@landmarksurveyors.co.uk

MAY 2016_MODUS 61

Recruitment

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WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL OF PASSIVE HOUSE?

Surveyors should consider

becoming certified as a Passive House designer or consultant. This is a

good way to acquire some useful expert knowledge,

and also to provide evidence for

clients.

Building to the Passive House Standard is neither

difficult nor expensive. It is a low-tech solution with the

potential for high profits. Once a developer knows how it works, they will probably

never want to build any other way.

A Passive House

has such high levels of energy efficiency that the minimal remaining energy demand can be covered by renewables alone. Which

means the building produces pretty much no carbon

emissions at all.With

Passive House technology, we can reduce the energy consumption of a

building by up to 90%.

The principle works for all building

types, and is growing in use for offices. What is holding back its more

widespread adoption is that local professionals need to

have expert knowledge to achieve the

standard.

Mind map

Wolfgang Feist Director, Passive House Institute, Darmstadt, Germany

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ASK THE BIG QUESTIONS MAY 2016