EG’s must reads: 23-27 September

Here’s a wrap-up of some of the top stories on EG from the past week. Work is under way on 1 North Quay, Canary Wharf Group and Kadans’ life sciences tower on the Docklands estate. The pair are confident their scheme can handle the heat of competition from other clusters in the capital: “There isn’t a better scheme in London, so I’m not scared,” said Tom Venner, chief development officer for CWG, in an exclusive interview with EG.‘There isn’t a better scheme in London’: CWG and Kadans on their lab tower The Portman Estate and Derwent London are creating a new retail and leisure destination in London’s Marylebone. The pair plan to develop a 28,500 sq ft parade of shops and restaurants called Loxton Walk, launching next year.Portman and Derwent team up for new retail destination More than 500m sq ft of commercial floorspace is in need of EPC renewal in the next 12 months, meaning landlords will be keenly awaiting news of the government’s review of the rules. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero announced last week that it plans to review regulations and timelines around EPC standards which require all commercial buildings to be a minimum EPC B by 2030 or face obsolescence.‘We just need certainty’: industry calls for clarity on EPC rules The consultation over revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework has closed, with real estate asking the government for a planning policy that “supports the development of homes of all tenures”. The consultation launched in July this year, seeking views on a series of policy proposals that included increasing planning fees, as well as local plan intervention criteria and appropriate thresholds for certain nationally significant infrastructure projects.NPPF consultation ends with call to support housing of all tenures A pilot version of the UK’s first cross-industry standard for net zero carbon-aligned buildings has launched. The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard is a free-to-access technical standard that will enable the sector to prove that built assets align with the UK’s carbon and energy budgets. The standard is the result of a collaboration begun in 2021 between groups including the Better Buildings Partnership, RICS, RIBA and UK Green Building Council, with Related Argent chairman David Partridge chairing the initiative’s governance board.Industry launches UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Other stories you mustn’t miss: Urban&Civic’s Nigel Hugill: ‘Our time has come’ Law firm signs for new Birmingham office Cineworld landlords oppose court restructuring plan Life Science REIT ramps up retrofits Mobile gaming company eyes West End office deal BL’s Richards rejoins Jones at LondonMetric Knight Frank appoints Cushman partner to lead life sciences team CIBSE acquires new Farringdon HQ For your listening pleasure from EG Property Podcasts Dealmaker of the Month: Joanna Kearvell, Chandler Garvey Image © Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates