Prop-arazzi

Last night the Belfast Telegraph Property Awards were held in Belfast last night - here are some of the winners:

Young Property Agent of the Year: Alana Simpson from Osborne King

Commercial Property Agency of the Year and Commercial Letting Agency of the Year: BTWShiells

Residential Property Agency of the Year: Halifax Estate Agents

Commercial Property Developer of the Year: Cusp

Residential Property Developer of the Year: Carvill Group

Property Development of the Year: Victoria Square

Residential Property Development of the Year: Riverside Mill in Antrim, and eco village Woodbrook in Lisburn

Investment Deal of the Year: Victoria Place in London by Ewarts

Pictured above: Julie Boyd from Savills and Mary-Kim Doherty from Carson McDowell

We hosted a very successful event this morning with Department for Social Development. Please see below for the governmnet press release. Photos to follow.

 Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie MLA has emphasised how urban regeneration must be linked to improving the local economy.

The Minister was the first guest at a Belfast business breakfast organised by International PR Company, Weber Shandwick.

Margaret Ritchie said: “Urban regeneration is one of many important paths in our route towards a shared culture and a shared future. When regeneration is done right, it transforms not just buildings and architecture, but the way people feel about public space and how we use it.

What I want to focus on today is my Department’s priorities for the successful regeneration of our towns and cities. I want to make the most of the benefits we have achieved in recent years.

If I can sum up my message to you, it is, that in today’s environment where the economy is the key political driver, social and environmentally-responsible urban regeneration must also be linked to improving the local economy.”

The Minister made it clear that the current economic climate presents a significant challenge for urban regeneration and said that she will continue to work to tackle disadvantage in Northern Ireland’s communities.

Weber Shandwick has offices across the UK and today’s meeting was the first business breakfast meeting addressed by a Northern Ireland Assembly Government minister.

The invited audience representing developers, planners, legal firms, financial institutions and the voluntary and community sector enjoyed the breakfast at the Belfast Holiday Inn.

The Irish Times has reported that IRISH NATIONWIDE Building Society is considering taking legal action against the Reuters news agency after it published an inaccurate report that the institution was holding “talks with its lenders to avoid insolvency”.

Reuters retracted the story late on Friday night, admitting that “material elements” of the story were incorrect and that it “contained false information”.

A spokesman for Irish Nationwide confirmed to The Irish Times yesterday that “the society is discussing the matter with legal advisers”.

The society’s chief executive, Michael Fingleton, told the Sunday Independent that the story was “irresponsible, false and untrue”, adding that “in the present highly sensitive economic, financial and commercial climate, the putting out of such statements is tantamount to commercial sabotage”.

Reuters did not check the story “in the way that you would expect”, Mr Fingleton said, adding: “We believe that we have the evidence to support our case.”

Woops!

This graph from the BBC website says it all:

London-based commercial property finance and insurance specialist dd2group is to set up in Ireland.

Former Irish rugby international and Jones Lang LaSalle investment agent Paul Wallace (pictured above) is to head business development at its new Dublin office, which will also cover Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile oop north, the Committee for Social Development at the NI Assembly will tomorrow begin it’s enquiry into Town Centre Regeneration in Northern Ireland. They will be taking oral evidence for the next two weeks and will keep you posted as to what they will find.

The University of Ulster have published figures which have appeared in the Belfast Telegraph this morning stating that house sales in Northern Ireland could set to fall up to 30%.

Professor Stanley McGreal one of the authors of the UU House Price Index said that ‘there is no doubt that house sales are considerably down’.

With the recent withdrawal of the Northern Ireland Co-Ownership scheme by the NI Executive this could signal a rocky period for house buying, building and selling in the region for the next 6 months.  Will the NI market ever be normal?

This Thursday Belfast will have another striking feature added to its increasingly spiked skyline with the addition of an amazing 45m high latticed glass dome which will sit atop the highly anticipated £400m landmark Victoria Square development.

With 98 stores over three floors, up to 20 bars, cafes and restaurants, 1,000 parking spaces, a 1,800-seat cinema and 106 apartments, Victoria Square offers retail, leisure and living all in one space it will provide over 3,000 new jobs according to one of the leading Belfast newspapers.

Here at Prop-a we have had a detailed look at the artitst impressions and from what we have witnessed is that the mixed use retail and residential merges seemlessly in what is beyond doubt Belfast’s new premier shopping district.

It would not be right if we did not mention the media coverage of the new development and the build up PR which has been textbook and has grabbed the attention of an increasingly salivating public in the run up to the VIP opening this Wednesday and the grand public unveiling on Thursday. Best of luck to the guys behind the curtain pull and congratulations on a job well done!

Weber Shandwick Dublin are carrying out the international launch of the new Chicago Spire - a 2,000ft twisting tower with 150 floors, contains 1,200 unique and modern residences which begins in Dublin with a four-day exhibition in the grounds of Fitzwilliam Square.

To celebrate the launch, a VIP guest list (Liam Neeson and wife Natasha Richardson have flown in) has been invited to an exclusive event in Fitzwilliam Square, where they will have the opportunity to meet “starchitect” Santiago Calatrava - and gain a sneak preview of the stunning apartments in the unique building.

The most expensive penthouse is on offer for €27m! Wow!

NI finance minister Peter Robinson MP (DUP, East Belfast) has scrapped proposed legislation to tackle climate change by deciding NOT to implement the changes to building regulations in Northern Ireland which would have forced property developers to build more environmentally friendly homes.

The new regulations would have made it compulsory for new buildings to have small wind turbines, wood fuelled boilers and solar panels - but with the change of mind by the Minister who has a strong grip over the NI Executive this will not be so and could be ages before such renewable energy sources are employed for all new homes.

As the Irish News reported in it lead’s story last week that this U turn comes in spite of the draft Programme for Government promising to reduce Northern Ireland’s Carbon Footprint by at least 25% by 2025.

As 2007 draws to a close The Times Property Section online - Bricks and Mortar has published an excellent report and run down of the UK property market winners and losers by region on a handy map with figures supplied by Halifax. The report also includes a brief forecast for 2008.

Here’s the skinny -

The look back!

London: Cut above the rest with the best homes oblivious to the global credit crunch

England Midlands: Middling. Growth has flattened and is likely to go on drifting

Scotland: Has set the pace - prices north of the border have risen the most

Wales: Lagged behind - low growth reflects caution by both buyers and sellers

Northern Ireland: Has had a good year. Although the tail end of the year has seen house price growth slow considerably

The look ahead 2008…

London: Knight Frank expects annual growth of 3 per cent across Greater London and Savills says that the market should recover to record growth of 5 per cent by the end of next year

England Midlands: Savills’ predictions are more positive, with a rise of 1.5 per cent in the West Midlands and 2 per cent in the East Midlands

Scotland: HBOS expects Scottish prices to rise by 4 per cent, more than anywhere else in the country

Wales: Halifax predicts a house-price growth rate of 0 per cent for 2008

Northern Ireland: Halifax predicts that house price growth in Northern Ireland will be 0 per cent in 2008