With the increase in demand of office space on a rise post 2008 recession, it would only make sense that we are seeing cranes in the sky everywhere we look. But what is up and coming? A notable development which is currently being built for occupations in late 2017 to 2018 is 100 Bishopsgate.

Tenants are increasingly looking to alternative London locations in their quest for the best possible deals. As tenants come out of their current leases, many of which were drawn up mid-recession when prices were low, they are faced with a sobering conundrum; stay in their current location where rents have almost doubled, or look elsewhere to alternative London locations that offer better bang for your buck. Ollie Salter, from Morgan Pryce has noted how more and more tenants are looking to these alternative locations. 

What has the future got in store for this quirky historic village situated in the middle of the West End? We all know it has come a long way from the time it was full of strip clubs and night walkers. An area famous for the time a naked woman rode its streets on a white house is now home to office space and chain stores.

Demand is strong throughout London for all types of office space, in all types of locations. From Knightsbridge to Shoreditch, London Bridge to Swiss Cottage, there is a limited amount of supply of space. Recent relaxations in planning regulations have further increased the pressure on supply/demand situation, with many landlords looking to convert their offices into highly-valuable residential units. 

It is common knowledge that London’s market is drenched with overseas investors making up more than 75% of the market share. It is now being seen that investment in the rest of the United Kingdom is also becoming increasingly offshore based. In the last decade the level of overseas ownership in just commercial property has increased by £129% for all of Britain! It has now reached a stunning high of £94 billion’ worth of commercial assets are owned by an overseas investor. 

There are many definitions for sustainability but the most highly recognised by those in the property world and government is from Brundtland Commission report ‘Our Common Future’ 1987 – “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. 

Where business has gone, the government appears to be following. Over the last few years we have seen big business, included the banking and insurance sectors, moving their staff away from central London and out to the fringe areas or even the fringe areas encircling the capital in an attempt to save on rental and to provide arguably added convenience to civil servant employees in the form of parking and cycle options. 

The Hammersmith Towers, individually known as Landmark House and Thames Tower, are situated adjacent to each other on Hammersmith Bridge Road. They are steel frame constructions with the Thames Tower office space arranged over ground and ten upper floors and Landmark House arranged over fifteen floors – together they total 135,448 sq. ft. and have achieved rents of approximately £25 psf in early 2014. Landmark Tower was let to a series of tenants largely on subleases from Diageo which expired in March last year.

Investors in UK commercial property could see record returns this year. Research carried out by M&G Real Estate has shown that estimated returns this year will be 20% more than at any time during the past 25 years.  The report, just published, forecasts that consistent investment from both the UK and overseas investors and steady investor confidence combined with an unusually liquid market will result in these high returns. 

With increased competition for investment opportunities in central London’s office market, regional opportunities have become an attractive consideration, especially for small-mid-sized UK institutions.  Rhodri Mason, surveyor at Morgan Pryce has noted how regions are becoming more popular for commercial property investments throughout 2014,