MORNING NEWS: Why rents should rocket for London’s best offices

Good morning, and welcome to your Thursday round-up of news, views and interviews from EG, plus some real estate-relevant stories from the papers. Good news for prime office owners in the capital – the team at Carter Jonas reckons a supply-demand mismatch will help to boost advertised rents for the best workplaces in London this year, and also that the trend for downsizing will weaken on the back of improving weekly occupancy rates and growing headcounts in some business sectors. More on the agency’s Q1 report here. Not everyone will be on board with that notion of getting back to the office, as I discovered in the comments underneath a LinkedIn post I wrote about leasing earlier this week. Here’s my leader column from this week’s magazine on the never-ending arguments over WFH versus returning to the office. And whatever your view, rising rents or optimism over occupancy probably won’t be enough to cheer up those inside the City of London Corporation now waiting to see whether Michael Gove will block plans to demolish the closed Museum of London building and neighbouring office block Bastion House and build a 780,000 sq ft office block in their place. Although the corporation’s own planning committee has approved the plans. Gove has issued a holding direction that stops approval until he decides whether to call in the proposals for review. All the news from EG, plus a selection of headlines from the nationals: Low vacancy for London’s best offices drives up rentsSEGRO grows rent roll amid positive occupier activityBritish Land and GIC sign hedge fund for Broadgate preletHome REIT to take action against former investment managerPalace Capital offloads £15m of assetsReal Estate Balance appoints new chairThe WFH versus office debate isn’t done yetDealmaker interview: New rules in tough timesNiche is in as investors turn to alternative assetsPlanners approve new hospital on Cambridge Biomedical CampusMake solar roofs condition of planning, says CPRERapid repricing in UK and Nordics brings opportunities, says SchrodersParis Garden redevelopment plans bloom with Southwark nodPublic-private partnerships: more than a sales pitchControversial London Wall scheme gets green light but Gove presses pauseLife sciences market set to shift up a gearTopland to transform Cardiff’s Tiger Tiger into student bedsStratford office blocks get consent for education useMontagu Evans hires former GL Hearn MDStanhope takes on management of 8 BishopsgateCBRE’s Dakin set to retireDelancey lodges £400m King’s Cross lab plansLeeds city centre office take-up ticks upFears interest rate cuts will be delayed after inflation falls less than expected (£)Jeremy Hunt: Britain set for an inflation ‘soft landing’ (£)Rental market expected to cool after record 9.2% price rise (£)WeWork races to raise cash as Adam Neumann offers to outbid rivals (£)Michael Gove vows to reduce ground rents to ‘peppercorn’ levels over time (£)Britain incapable of reaching net zero targets amid supply shortages, report warns (£)Gatwick owner strikes £1.3bn deal for Edinburgh airport (£)Squatters move into Marco Pierre White’s Leicester Square restaurant days after Gordon Ramsay pub (£)