MORNING NEWS: City on tenterhooks over Tenter House

Good morning. Here’s your daily round-up of the latest news and views from EG and a collection of real estate-relevant headlines from the national papers. The City of London Corporation’s planning committee is gearing up to debate particularly divisive plans for a new office block in the Square Mile, and has been recommended to approve them despite the scale of opposition. Freshwater Group’s proposals for the redevelopment of Tenter House at 45 Moorfields, EC2, would create a part-14, part-21-storey block of nearly 368,000 sq ft. The project has received almost 100 public objections, most from residents of the nearby Barbican estate and focused on issues such as loss of light, increased traffic, noise pollution and, in one instance, the loss of a pub.  Nonetheless, officers have recommended it for approval at a 29 October meeting. That will be a busy session for the committee. It will also be debating Dominus and Cheyne Capital’s plans to redevelop law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s old London offices into a student accommodation block and, a short stroll down Fleet Street, proposals to turn an old HSBC bank into a mini-golf and bowling venue. Both projects are recommended for approval. Plenty of retail chains are struggling. But as some scale back their real estate portfolios, one online brand is setting out new ambitions for bricks-and-mortar shops. Launched in 2016 by co-founders Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, Sosandar sells clothes through its own website, but also through third-party retailers. But having opened its first physical shops this year and with a fourth on the horizon, its founders tell EG: “The high street is not dead. In fact, it’s thriving in certain areas where competition for space is fierce. It’s really about picking the right locations.” And EG’s Q3 Radius Leaderboards show a resurgent office market, particularly in traditional hotspots like London’s West End. You can find out which agencies topped the rankings tomorrow, but today we take a look at which markets posted the most impressive uplifts in activity. And the difference is stark; even the highest placed agent in the rankings from the equivalent period of last year would have failed to make this year’s top five. There’s also news on the final parcel of land to be unlocked as part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy; new hires at surveyor Trinovant; and a surge in office-to-resi applications. All of the news from EG, plus a selection of headlines from the nationals: Controversial City office tower up for approvalPlanners take a putt on City mini-golf venueFleet Street PBSA scheme tipped for go-aheadWhy growth lies in store for fashion brand SosandarResurgent market as offices and retail bounce backBritish Land picks new finance chiefHome REIT set to repay Scottish Widows loanMajor industrial scheme unlocked at final Olympic legacy siteCapital & Centric confirms next phase of Eyewitness WorksTrinovant appointments reunite former Hollis colleaguesCushman & Wakefield adds AY pair to retail teamQ3 industrial take-up slumps to lowest level since 2020London office-to-resi plans rocket after size cap liftedAustralian investor buys luxury Irish hotel for €30mJTRE’s Triptych Bankside hits 100% retail occupancyDaejan appoints manager for County Durham shopping centreCaddick embarks on next phase of Leeds’ Rose Wharf revampSutton picks development partner for town centre regeneration schemeDTZ buys Edinburgh Waitrose and Kwik Fit sitesBidwells appoints capital markets partnerNewcore agrees £80m financing package with HSBCLong Harbour chooses Way of Life for £300m Walthamstow schemeAbrdn reappoints JLL for national property management mandateResolving the binary debate of retrofit versus redevelopmentGender-informed planning: creating safer spacesMapletree looks to offload £450m PBSA portfolioAEW asking £140m for New Oxford Street assetBig UK property sales to test market appetite after slumpUK housing crisis has a back-to-the-future fix (£)Arsenal explore Emirates expansion to match rivals’ income (£)The ‘irresistible’ real estate bet gripping investors (£)Young people get it: Canary Wharf is now a place ‘to work, live and play’ (£)Can the private sector deliver Labour’s housebuilding boom? (£)