Property consultancy GL Hearn is bringing its expanded development team to MIPIM 2015 in Cannes, as it announces a renewed focus on growing services to meet the greater demand for development in London. The team is now one of the UK’s largest multidisciplinary practices, working across the country but with a special focus on the capital.
Over the past 12 months, GL Hearn has been expanding its range of development consultancy services and concentrating its London expertise in one
dedicated team. A particular focus has been placed on working more closely within the public sector, among all of London’s boroughs and the Greater London Authority, whilst deepening its knowledge of opportunities for developers out on the capital’s streets.
GL Hearn’s London expertise is highlighted in a number of recent achievements, including:
- Advising on over £1bn of residential developments in London in the last year alone and 12,000 residential units in the last six months;
- Consulting on 3 million square feet of infrastructure projects in the capital;
- Providing planning advice on around 10% of London’s 238 towers in the pipeline, including 15 high-rises in Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea;
- Developing the innovative site-finding tool: Major Opportunity Search Tool (MOST), to identify the capital’s brownfield sites with the greatest potential;
- Launching the third edition of the Annual Planning Survey in conjunction with the British Property Federation and providing recommendations to make London’s planning system more efficient. The latest edition found that major developments in the capital take on average half a year (26 weeks) to receive planning approval.
Commenting on GL Hearn’s expanded London Development team, Shaun Andrews, head of London Strategy, said:
“The opportunities, challenges and complexities in London are unique. With the capital’s population set to reach 10 million by 2030, innovative solutions will be needed to tackle shortfalls in housing, commercial space and infrastructure. By focusing efforts on growing our London team, GL Hearn is now in the best ever position to tackle the capital’s property needs.”