At Property Agents International’s annual conference in Torquay last week, Paul Knight of Watson Temple was elected the new president, taking over from Knigth Frank & Rutley Scotland’s Iain Hay.
The conference talks had two themes. The first was retail development, which was discussed from the economic point of view by economic and development consultant Harvey Cole, while the institutional investors’ view was given by Howard Taylor of the Prudential’s estates division.
Both agreed that the future still seemed bright for retailing in Britain but looked at the problems facing the balancing of in- and out-of-town development.
The second main theme was the trend towards takeovers of estate agents by financial institutions — an issue particularly pertinent to the PAI as an association of independent agents.
Incoming president Paul Knight noted that there had been some changes of membership caused by some of the recent takeovers, though no general decline, and he had no worries that the PAI would continue to thrive as the voice of the independent agent representing the provinces in these London-focused days.
