It has been an exceptionally busy two weeks for industry events, particularly with Techstars Startup Week Dublin running from Monday to Friday.
- Proptech Ireland hosted a session on ‘Artificial Intelligence Use Cases for Real Estate’ with presentations from Antony Slumbers, Mihai Penica & Damien Browne of Standard Access, Dr. Houssem Jerbi of Smart PMO and Lucinda Kelly of Popertee.
- Property District kicked off the C-Suite Sessions 2020 in the RDS Members Club with a masterclass in ‘Space As A Service’ with Antony Slumbers, the proptech expert who coined the term ‘Space as a Service’!
- I had the opportunity to chair the MBA Summit Europe 2019 (organised by Barry O’Sullivan of the Executive Summit) on Friday/Saturday with MBA students from across Ireland and the UK. The speaker line-up was excellent (full write-up to follow!). John Savage of Ronan Group Real Estate set a challenge for participating teams in the Consulting Challenge to present strategies for meeting fast-changing industry demands.
- Also, I was delighted to MC an informative session and panel discussion hosted by C+W O’Brien Architects, featuring John Fleming of Tide Construction & Vision Modular Systems, Arthur O’Brien of C+W O’Brien Architects, Declan Wallace of Evolusion Innovation and Gary Cooper of Ronan Group Real Estate: Rebuilding Ireland Through Modular Construction – “Developers should prioritise the best quality build, at the best price, as fast as possible – our modular production offers them reduced risk, certainty of progress, certainty of cost & reduced production times. We can do all of this along with a smaller site footprint, which in an urban setting means better builds, with significantly lower emissions & waste” John Fleming – Construction Network Ireland http://www.constructionnetworkireland.com/rebuilding-ireland-modular-construction/
- The next big industry event will be hosted by PlaceTech on November 5th in Dublin: and features Michael Guerin of Smart Dublin, Lauren Poon of CallisonRTKL, Karen Muldowney of Shapoorji Pallonji and Sherry Fitzgerald’s Joanne Geary. I hope to see you all there!
Before we get stuck into the general property news of the week, below are a few local and international stories that might be of particular interest:
- This weekend, the team at Buyers Broker is working to identify owners of properties across Ireland that are capable of being brought back into use with only a few days upgrading work. Many of the local authorities have committed to a fast turnaround of these properties – including final survey/inspection – so that bureaucracy will not stand in the way of a family getting access to a home this side of the Christmas holidays. This is an essential and now urgent call out to any owners of properties anywhere in Ireland that are currently vacant, or to any estate agents or indeed members of the public who might be aware of such properties to please register these with the team at VacantHomes.ie: https://buyersbrokerinternational.com/2019/10/property-owners-urgent-action-required-to-impact-families-in-time-for-christmas/
- “Latest reports suggest that parts of Dublin city centre are likely to breach EU and World Health Organisation guidelines for air quality in 2019…” | Sonitus Systems http://www.sonitussystems.com/news/air-quality-monitoring-with-sonitus-systems
- Housebuilding: Dublin’s urban sprawl is only getting worse https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/housebuilding-dublin-s-urban-sprawl-is-only-getting-worse-1.4061437?mode=amp
- Is Facebook’s billion-dollar housing pledge enough? https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/24/20928658/facebook-pledge-california-housing-crisis-billion-dollar-scale-problem-help
If you missed last week’s round-up, you can catch up here: https://propertydistrict.ie/category/sunday-property-review/
As always, you might let me know if I have missed out on any relevant property news by emailing carol@caroltallon.com.
(Apologies in advance for any typos, it’s difficult to get good help on a Sunday. Also, I use voice to text dictation so just sound out anything that really doesn’t make sense in a strong rural accent and that should help!)
SUNDAY LISTEN
Property Matters: Ireland’s First Weekly Property Radio Show (& Podcast!):
Ireland’s first weekly property radio show, Property Matters, launched In January 2019 on Dublin South FM 93.9 and is now available internationally via iTunes and Spotify podcast (www.iPropertyRadio.com). Seasoned political broadcaster, Bryan Fox, and I (Carol Tallon) team up to deliver 60 minutes of industry chat with guests from the areas of planning, construction, property and proptech. Produced by Katie Tallon of Hear Me Roar Media.
For Construction Safety Week 2019, we are joined in the Property Matters studio by:
- Dermot Carey, Director of Safety, Training and Skills at Construction Industry Federation (CIF)
- Fiachra Morrison, Clinical Hypnotherapist at Dublin Hypnosis and Therapy Centre
- Vincent Doyle, HSEQ Manager of Townmore Construction
Listen back to this episode here: https://anchor.fm/ipropertyradio/episodes/Property-Matters–October-22nd-2019-e81496
Listen back here: https://anchor.fm/ipropertyradio/episodes/Property-Matters–October-8th-2019-e6em6l
*Listen back to all #PropertyMatters episodes here: https://anchor.fm/ipropertyradio
Email the Property Matters team at hello@iPropertyRadio.com
PLACEMAKING
PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- Bus Connects redesign: New routes towards Howth and direct into city centre https://www.thejournal.ie/bus-connects-redesign-4862055-Oct2019/
- Fears Kildare Village-style retail outlet in Cork may harm city trade https://amp-irishexaminer-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/fears-kildare-village-style-retail-outlet-in-cork-may-harm-city-trade-959903.html
- Seven-storey co-living development in Rathmines appealed after council rejects planning permission https://www.thejournal.ie/rathmines-co-living-appeal-4865472-Oct2019/
*PLACEengage: The future of speedy, successful placemaking for property developers is here – Property developers and project owners ready Public Consultation are encouraged to contact the PLACEengage team for full details*
OTHER PROPERTY NEWS
- In the Sunday Independent today: Wells House and land on market for up to €7.5m – Independent.ie https://amp.independent.ie/business/commercial-property/wells-house-and-land-on-market-for-up-to-7-5m-38633668.html
- Murdock Builders Merchants plans on cross-border growth – Independent.ie https://amp.independent.ie/business/jobs/murdock-builders-merchants-plans-on-crossborder-growth-38633690.html
- In The Sunday Times today: Secretive Italian Count Padulli di Vighignolo outed as buyer of cut-price Luggala https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/secretive-italian-count-padulli-di-vighignolo-outed-as-buyer-of-cut-price-luggala-bn0wq5hbr
- Also in the Times, Gavin Daly reports : Autodesk has designs on doubling workforce in Dublin https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/autodesk-has-designs-on-doubling-workforce-in-dublin-vg8tzd6nk
- Green Reit advisers in line for €9.5m sale bonus https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/green-reit-advisers-in-line-for-9-5m-sale-bonus-jd76wqnf7
- One of the big stories in The Sunday Business Post today: ‘Up in the Air: How thousands of lets on Airbnb could be illegal’ By Aaron Rogan, Rachel Lavin. Airbnb is routinely accused of having harmed the Irish housing market. Every time, it responds that its platform is simply driven by locals sharing their own homes. But with a new Dublin City Council taskforce set to tackle illegal lets, the tide might be about to turn for the tech giant: https://www.businesspost.ie/news/up-in-the-air-455619
- Autodesk (above) has a commercial feature on Digital Construction 2019 in The Sunday Business Post, maintaining that: ‘Digital technology holds key for Irish construction’ (of course, I agree!).
- What’s the typical price of a three-bedroom home near one of Dublin’s rail stations? It’s the week in numbers https://www.thejournal.ie/house-near-rail-station-price-week-in-numbers-4868888-Oct2019/
- A renovated garage, a model of micro living https://www-irishtimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/homes-and-property/a-renovated-garage-a-model-of-micro-living-1.4059308?mode=amp
- The Knight Frank Dublin PRS Tenant Survey shows who is renting, why they are renting, where they are renting and what they are looking for in rental accommodation. See full results of their Dublin PRS Tenant Survey here: https://lnkd.in/eqXFQBb
- City Hall committed to lowering housing list says councillor https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/City-Hall-committed-to-lowering-housing-list-says-councillor-dca73339-e30f-4264-89c8-5aa66634eb56-ds
- How Dublin became a city of sprawling suburbs https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/how-dublin-became-a-city-of-sprawling-suburbs-1.3327242?mode=amp
- “SoftBank will pay former WeWork CEO and current non-executive chairman Adam Neumann around $200 million to leave the board of directors, give up his voting shares and support SoftBank’s takeover…” #WeWork
https://www.axios.com/adam-neumann-wework-softbank-takeover-306243f9-95d5-40ef-b388-b06ef8d8bafd.html
- Neumann has escaped the WeWork debacle. But Softbank may not https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/27/neumann-escaped-wework-debacle-softbank-may-not
- Two Dublin WeWork office deals unravel https://www-irishtimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/two-dublin-wework-office-deals-unravel-1.4059424?mode=amp
- Developer offers 471 apartments for social housing in Dublin https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/developer-offers-471-apartments-for-social-housing-in-dublin-1.4058268?mode=amp
- Home completions rise 34pc as €1.3bn spent by ‘cuckoos’ – Independent.ie https://m.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/home-completions-rise-34pc-as-1-3bn-spent-by-cuckoos-38623113.html
- Investment in Irish commercial property surpasses €2.4bn https://www-irishtimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/investment-in-irish-commercial-property-surpasses-2-4bn-1.4059055?mode=amp
- Gold bricks: US fund snaps up Dublin property portfolio – Independent.ie https://m.independent.ie/business/commercial-property/gold-bricks-us-fund-snaps-up-dublin-property-portfolio-38618372.html
- Another 400 tracker rip-off cases emerge despite end of probe – Independent.ie https://m.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/property-mortgages/another-400-tracker-ripoff-cases-emerge-despite-end-of-probe-38629519.html
- Plans for nine-storey social housing scheme ‘greedy’ https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/plans-for-nine-storey-social-housing-scheme-greedy-1.4058289?mode=amp
- Nationwide safety inspections begin on construction sites | IrishExaminer.com https://amp.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/nationwide-safety-inspections-begin-on-construction-sites-958586.html?__twitter_impression=true
- Growth of Dublin must continue even as we strive for balanced regional development https://www-irishtimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/growth-of-dublin-must-continue-even-as-we-strive-for-balanced-regional-development-1.4059108?mode=amp
- Construction site deaths up this year https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/construction-site-deaths-up-this-year-1.4058366?mode=amp
- Institutional investor buys controlling stake in Lotus Investment https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/institutional-investor-buys-controlling-stake-in-lotus-investment-1.4059036?mode=amp
- Davy lines up €115m purchase of St Stephen’s Green centre stake https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/davy-lines-up-115m-purchase-of-st-stephen-s-green-centre-stake-1.4058983?mode=amp
- Developer David Daly launches D4 office scheme https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/developer-david-daly-launches-d4-office-scheme-1.4056899?mode=amp
- 52.6-Acre Site in Bray, County Wicklow on the Market for €27.5m – Construction Network Ireland http://www.constructionnetworkireland.com/52-6-acre-site-bray-county-wicklow-market-e27-5m/
- Speculative development finance secured for major Dublin development https://news.cbre.co.uk/speculative-development-finance-secured-for-major-dublin-development/?_lrsc=343c2c70-86e1-458d-93a6-e040cba50fc7&utm_source=elevate&utm_medium=linkedin
- Nama to pick glass bottle site partner in early 2020 https://www-irishtimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/nama-to-pick-glass-bottle-site-partner-in-early-2020-1.4060446?mode=amp
- Marlet gets €45m from sale of 56 Dublin docklands apartments https://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/marlet-gets-45m-from-sale-of-56-dublin-docklands-apartments-1.4061774?mode=amp
- Scotch House ready for take off at €55 per square foot https://www-irishtimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/scotch-house-ready-for-take-off-at-55-per-square-foot-1.4055291?mode=amp
- Quintain launches Irish subsidiary to develop more than 9,000 homes http://www.quintain.co.uk/news-and-media/press-releases/2019/quintain-ireland
- Construction insolvencies leap by 55% in three months | Construction Enquirer https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2019/10/23/construction-insolvencies-leap-by-55-in-three-months/
THE AGILE AGENT
GETTING IRELAND’S PROPERTY MARKETPLACE DIGITAL BY DEFAULT
Our C-Suite Sessions 2020 at The RDS Members Club kicked off earlier this week with a masterclass in ‘Space As A Service’ delivered by Antony Slumbers, the UK proptech expert who coined the term ‘Space as a Service’: Full details here: https://propertydistrict.ie/c-suite-sessions-a-masterclass-in-space-as-a-service-spaas/
Masterclass notes will be circulated via email early next week.
To get involved in future C-Suite Sessions 2020 or to sign up for free Proptech Prompts, please
PROPTECH AND CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION
- From smart design and planning right through to the smart property transaction, where does your Irish-led or Ireland-based #proptech business sit? Pease take five minutes to add or update your details to our internationally-shared listing here: SIGN UP HERE: *PROPTECH INNOVATORS and STARTUPS *
- Image above: Proptech Ireland hosted a session on ‘Artificial Intelligence Use Cases for Real Estate’ with presentations from Antony Slumbers, Mihai Penica & Damien Browne of Standard Access, Dr. Houssem Jerbi of Smart PMO and Lucinda Kelly of Popertee. Full write-up to follow, on https://prop-tech.ie/proptech-ireland-use-cases-for-artificial-intelligence-in-real-estate/
- Banks and landlords want to overturn federal rules on housing algorithms https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/22/20925861/housing-algorithms-hud-landlord-discrimination-automated-tools-banks-lenders
- These Are The Top Real Estate Tech Trends In 2020 #proptech https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2019/10/22/these-are-the-top-real-estate-tech-trends-in-2020/
- Why BIM is a must for manufacturers | BIM+ http://www.bimplus.co.uk/analysis/why-bim-must-manufacturers/
NEW FACEBOOK GROUP FOR IRISH PROPERTY BUYERS & INVESTORS
Crowd-sourcing answers topical property questions:
As many of you might know, my annual property book The Irish Property Buyers’ Handbook (since 2011) was rebranded in 2018 and will now appear as part of The Property Insider series, published by Oak Tree Press, the first three titles are now published and available here.
From 2019, the publishers and I want to ensure the content remains topical and we are doing this by crowd-sourcing home buyer and investor queries, with crowd-sourced and editorial team answers. Join the Facebook Group here to contribute: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IrishPropertyBuyers/