On the record newbuild


rentals essentiallivingreceivedfull planning permissionindecemberforits redevelopmentoftheberkshireHouse officeblockinMaidenhead.the14-storey schemeisthefirst office-to-residential privaterentedsector(Prs)conversionto winapprovalandwillprovide68newhomes. theexisting1960stowerwillbe


Permission grantedfor uk’s firstoffiCe- to-resiPrivate


transformedtobecomeacenterpiece ofMaidenhead’stowncentre,providing spaciousstudioapartmentsalongwith largeroneandtwobedroomunits. the schemewillbeoneofthefirstuKblocks designedforrentingfromthegroundup. built toinvestmentgradequality, itwill featureahost ofon-siteamenities,aspart ofessentialliving’sambitiontotransform rentingintoalifestylechoice,ratherthana stop-gaptohomeownership. basingitsmodelonthehugelysuccessful


usmulti familyhousingsector,the berkshireHousesitewill includea‘club- lounge’, topfloorterrace,atop-rangegym, twooffice/meetingroomsandsecondfloor landscapedcommunalamenityarea.there will alsobea24-hourconciergereflecting essentialliving’sambitiontocreatea service-ledcultureinrental.construction willbeginearlyin2014.


events


newvenue foraleP ConferenCe


TheAssociation of Leasehold EnfranchisementPractitioners (ALEP) held its autumnconference at the Royal College of Surgeons in London on 22 October. The event was attended by more than 200 delegates. Thekeynote speaker,HerHonour


HazelMarshallQC, spokeonthe role of theexpertwitness,followedby barristersEllodie GibbonsandMark LovedayfromTanfieldChambers, whospokeonthenewFirst-tier Tribunal of thePropertyChamber. Toby Craig,fromTheBarCouncil, wasfollowedbyTomJefferies of LandmarkChamberswhothen provided a case lawupdatewhich proved so popular thatALEPreceived arequest foranincreasednumber of cases to be discussedatfutureevents. ALEP’s spring conference,will


take placeatthe Royal Collegeof Surgeons on 20 March 2014.For


more information, go towww. alep.org.uk.Turn topages44-45 of this issue formoreonthe First-tier Tribunal fromEllodie Gibbons


Flat Living Issue 17 Maintenance


Couldyour maintenanCe Costsgooff therails?


TheAssociation of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) has highlightedapotentially costly problemfor anyone living in or managing ablock of flats located closetoarailway line. Network Rail’s Asset Protection


teamstipulatethatwhere external worksare to be carried outona property,theremust be horizontal clearance of at least 4.5mfrom thenearest rail,and that no part of anycrane,other plantorany temporaryworksmust encroach or be able to fall within3mof the nearest rail. Thismeans that any work to upper storey windows, gutters or roof work on a block running adjacenttoarailway line would be affected as the plant (scaffolding, ladders or possibly


also pole systemsfor cleaning windows) couldfallwithin3mof thenearest rail. NetworkRail’ssolutionfor this


is forthe blocktoenter into a Basic Asset Protection Agreement with them. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the level of fees quoted for the services they will provide under this agreement, couldmake the proposed works uneconomic. This will impact on budgetswhen planning formajor worksadjacenttorailway lines andcould even affectroutine tasks such as window cleaning.RMC directors andmanaging agents should be aware of this issuewhen drawingupmaintenanceplans and contact Network Rail at the earliest opportunity.


consultation


Charges CommunitiesSecretary Eric Pickleshas announcedplans to crack downon councils that sting privateleaseholders with huge bills for their share of repairs. Mr Picklessaidhewas outraged


government CraCksdown onCounCil


that somecouncils were targeting hard-working leaseholders,often thosewho have bought through the Right to Buy scheme, with extortionate bills for the upkeep of theirbuilding. Theproposals,the subjectof


apublicconsultationlastyear, wouldensurethatcouncilsthat getgovernmentfunding to help maintaintheir tenants’ homes couldinfutureonlycharge leaseholdersamaximumof £10,000 over afive-yearperiod forrepairs,or£15,000 in London. There is currently no universal limit to council charges.


energy savings berkshire House: a first for the uK Prs


newflatsCould savefamilies morethan£400 Peryearin


energybills Familieswholiveinnewflats built to 2013 standards could savemore than £400ayearontheir energy bills when compared to their neighbours in older homes, according to newanalysis by theNational Housebuilders Confederation (NHBC) and Zero CarbonHub. NHBCandthe Zero Carbon


hubcarried outananalysisof recent figures on projected energy emissionspublishedbythe Department ofEnergy and Climate Change (DECC) reveal an enormous gulf betweenthe energy costsof runningolder flats compared to new ones.Lookingfurtherahead,those annual savingscould be even greater in 2016,whenfurtherGovernment zero carbon homeconstruction targets comeinto effect. Theresearchconcludesthatnext


year a1-bedroomground floor flat could be 47%cheaper to run(£440), based on costs of £500 compared to an updatedVictorian equivalent whichcosts £940 Giventhe recent energy price


hikes,NHBCbelieves these calculations couldbeonthe conservative side.


11


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