Green with envy
Could this be the best job in property? The Calthorpe Estate, owner of the prestigious 1,550-acre Calthorpe Estate in Birmingham, is on the hunt for a new chief executive to replace Richard Allen, who retires this year. The new big cheese will be required to provide leadership and direction for the historic landed estates owned by the Gough-Calthorpe family, running a healthy looking property portfolio, conservatively valued at around £160m with just £20m of debt. So far, so good, but the real clincher is that Calthorpe Estates manages cricketing Mecca Edgbaston, and whoever gets the job would be entitled to watch all the games played there – time permitting. Enquiries via headhunter Odgers Berndtson. Howzat!?
From D’Café to De-caffed
While many of us have coffee to thank for our survival, for agencies it is fees that keep them alive. And that is certainly the case at DTZ’s City office. News reached Diary this week that the agent was closing its cleverly named D’café following a review of DTZ’s occupational space. It seems around half the floor occupied by the café is now needed to house more fee-earners.
High times at Oakglade
Times are hard at Manchester-based commercial and residential property company Oakglade. The firm, which owns around 100 sites in and around the North West, collapsed in April after running out of cash. KPMG, which is running the company while it is in administration, has discovered at least one reason to chill out. Partner David Costley-Wood is reported to have discovered a marijuana farm hidden in one of its properties. Cosmic, man.
Chuck gets tough out East
American news website Huffington Post ran a piece this week following the story of tenants in East London being forced out of their homes by landlords hoping to cash in on increased demand for accommodation during the Olympics. It quoted National Landlords Association official Chuck Norris. Had the hard-hitting star of Delta Force and Missing In Action taken up the cause of Stratford’s outpriced renters? Sadly, it appears the news site was actually referring to NLA policy manager Chris Norris. Shame.
Funding needn’t be murder
Diary knew something odd was afoot when a press release landed with the subject “Hercule Poirot”. What’s a fictional Belgian detective got to do with commercial property? Well, actor David Suchet, a keen boater and chairman of the River Thames Alliance, is joining his celebrity buddies fronting efforts to raise money to turn the long derelict Cody Dock in East London into a public green space and artists’ studios through “crowd funding” – an initiative which asks the public to provide donations for public works. Website www.spacehive.com/codydock has already raised £56,000 towards the scheme. Whether it will raise the £83,000 still needed remains a mystery
Sad Shane’s flat note
Diary suspects many teenage daughters of EG readers would have been heartbroken at boyband Westlife’s announcement last year that they will be splitting up. Now, in a further blow, band member Shane Filan’s property company Shafin Developments has been placed into receivership in Ireland. KMPG has been appointed receiver of the eight-year-old firm by Ulster Bank. Oh dear, to paraphrase one of the band’s hits, Filan is obviously not “flying without wings”.
Irvine Sellar and his very good elf
Last week’s Channel Four documentary The Tallest Tower: Building the Shard provided an in-depth look at what it called “one man’s desire to leave a lasting mark on the capital”. The man in question was industry veteran Irvine Sellar, who bought the Shard’s London Bridge site in 1998 and now, 15 years later, after all manner of incidents and against a backdrop of massive opposition and one of the worst recessions in history, is seeing his colossal vision realised. It was, of course, compelling viewing for anyone in the property industry. But Diary couldn’t help spotting a distinct similarity between the tycoon and American actor and Elf star Will Ferrell. Sweet.
