As property braces itself for the Comprehensive Spending Review, Nick Johnstone considers the repercussions of a “once-in-a-century” moment in government property policy.
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A scruffy 200,000 sq ft office block is about to come on to the market in Edinburgh. Its occupier, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is cutting costs …

The government must overhaul how it deals with its properties as it is impossible to make savings using the current processes, Topshop founder Sir Philip Green has said in his efficiency report.
Green has this afternoon published his review of government efficiency, and has criticised the government for not managing its …

John Rowan & Partners head of affordable housing Mash Halai and A2Dominion regional development manager explain how to use renewable energy technology in affordable housing schemes:

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The Strata Tower in Elephant and Castle (pictured below) – which is the first building to ever include wind turbines as an integral part of …

One fifth of local authorities have yet to to sign up to new energy efficiency scheme the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency, according to new research.
Councils have until 30 September to sign up for the CRC, which aims to increase the cost of energy by forcing companies and public sector …

There are ten days than three weeks left to register for the government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme. Here, Knight Frank head of sustainability David Goatman gives his view on what you should be doing now:
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You’ve registered right? No? Oh dear.
If you are one of the many property companies …

A ban on councils selling green electricity into the national grid is to be overturned, climate change secretary Chris Huhne said yesterday at the Local Government Association’s annual conference in Bournemouth.
Huhne said he wants councils to be allowed to sell the electricity they produce from renewables to the national electricity …

Thousands of hectares of open space on social housing estates are being wasted and are worsening inequality, according to a report by government adviser the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).
In a report published today, CABE says that there a huge divide between the green space available for …

Quangos including the Carbon Trust and the Energy Technologies Institute should be scrapped to fund a new green investment bank, according to government adviser Bob Wigley, chair of the Green Investment Bank Commission and Yell.com.
Today, Wigley’s commission, which was set up by chancellor George Osborne in 2009, has published a …

Anthony Coumidis, sustainability and energy director at property and construction consultancy McBains Cooper says local authorities should interpret their “10% renewables” planning rules differently to drive down the cost of green energy:
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Current planning permission regulations say new builds must generate at least 10% of their energy needs from on-site renewable …

As the three-way battle between the major parties reaches its climax, we give you a run down of policies that would affect public property after the election.
Labour: Keep steady
Efficiency savings
Labour wants to push ahead with cuts to property running costs, axe unneeded quangos and “sharply” reduce spending on consultants. It …