Good morning. Here’s your daily round-up of the latest news and views from EG and a collection of industry-relevant headlines from the nationals, all perfectly curated to set you up for the week ahead. Specialist lender Paragon is suing Knight Frank over what it claims is a faulty valuation report it produced for a proposed student accommodation development in Aberdeen. Knight Frank, which denies the allegations, provided the report in 2016 for a lender called Titlestone Structured Finance. Titlestone was acquired by Paragon in 2019. Court papers show that Knight Frank valued the student development – a 173-bed scheme now known as Fraser Studios – at just over £16.8m. With the loan against the development now in default, and Paragon unsuccessful in selling the property, the lender is claiming that there were various faults and omissions in the valuation report. It is seeking as much as £11m in damages. Knight Frank denies the claim, countering that Titlestone was “guilty of impudent lending”. While Knight Frank and Paragon battle it out in the High Court, a gaggle of retail property professionals are leaving the blustery conditions of the UK behind for a more sunny outlook at the Mapic conference. EG’s retail reporter Shifali Gorka caught up with a handful of them on the way over to the South of France to take the temperature of the retail sector and to find out what the big topics of conversation might be out in Cannes this week. Definite green shoots, rebounding retailer confidence in physical spaces and the increasing importance of experience were all key topics for conversation. “There are definite green shoots across the wider marketplace and more people can now see the general shape of what the future looks like compared with the pre- and post-Covid periods,” said Tim Wilks, director at bowling chain Lane7. “We are continuing to see confidence among retailers in their bricks-and-mortar spaces,” added Beth McDonald, managing director of Derby’s Derbion Centre. “This increased confidence by retailers in physical retail is coinciding with a wave of new innovative occupiers who are taking spaces across UK retail destinations.” Talking of green shoots, London-based developer and investor GPE is setting itself some strict targets to help it do its bit to be greener and help save the planet. The firm has introduced a circularity score across its portfolio that will measure the percentage of reused materials in them. It has set an initial target of 40% for new developments and refurbishments started after 1 April next year, 50% for schemes started after 1 April 2030 and 60% for all new schemes by 2040. Initial findings across its current portfolio show there is a long way to go, with new builds managing a score of just 25% and refurbs a score of -55%. Chief executive Toby Courtauld said: “Our new circularity score will challenge us to innovate further and faster than ever before as well as stimulating the growth of a deeper and better functioning market for reused materials. We also expect that our actions will encourage a more valuable and nuanced debate on what constitutes truly sustainable development rather than the currently polarised discussion around retrofit versus new build.” Sustainability was one of the categories in last week’s epic EG Awards, of course. In case you missed the best party ever thrown in real estate, you can get a flavour for what happens at an EG Awards bash by flicking through a small selection of images from the night and find all the winners here. And don’t forget, if you need to stay one step ahead of the competition this week, EG has you covered with a look ahead to what to expect in UK real estate with the EG news agenda.  All of the news from EG, plus a selection of headlines from the nationals: GPE seeks to reuse 60% of materials in new schemes by 2040Knight Frank sued over Aberdeen student accommodation valuationCapitaLand plans European expansionRetail and leisure players search for the essential experiencePlans in for new Notts PBSA schemeBrookfield promises £900m backstop on CWG refiTrump wants Newmark chair as secretary of commerceBlackRock appoints new head of European real estate strategic partnershipsArup restructures boardIN PICTURES: The EG Awards 2024EG Awards winners crowned at glittering night of celebrationEG’s news agenda: What to look out for this weekPolice object to plans for Chinese super-embassy in London (£)Labour must bring planning officers out of retirement to hit housing targets, says Savills (£)UK property sector hit by fears of resurgent inflation (£)‘Working from home is great for us’: coffee chain eyes UK growth (£)London City, Birmingham and Bristol airports go up for sale (£)The property silver lining in Labour’s tax-grabbing policies (£)Matt Moulding sells Manchester airport business park for £180m (£)We need business rates reform soon to save high street, say bosses (£)Tracey Emin wins fight to protect brutalist Margate tower block (£)House price growth forecast cut by Knight Frank (£)UK business cutting back growth plans after Budget tax rises, warns CBI (£)Airbnb to extend its long-term rental marketplace to UK tenants (£)Czech property tycoon braces for hit from €500m freezing order (£)