Internet update

Citation

Almond, N. (2002), "Internet update", Property Management, Vol. 20 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/pm.2002.11320bag.001

Internet update

My first experience in the world of commercial property, and of property management, was working for Birmingham Heartlands Development Corporation in the early 1990s, a time when Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) were at the forefront of urban regeneration. At that time the Internet was hardly known; my recollections are of a relatively slow system based around text. Marketing was therefore limited to traditional "old" media such as leaflets and press advertisements. Today things are very different, and unlike a decade ago, the Internet is being used to its full potential in promoting regeneration.

All the main regeneration bodies in England, Scotland and Wales have Web sites. In England, English Partnerships (www.englishpartnerships.co.uk) has the role of overseeing regeneration and development in England through working in partnership to create sustainable regeneration and development, including for example former coalfields, New Towns and land formerly part of the UDC portfolio. The Web site is neatly laid out, with an expanding contents list in the top left hand corner, detailing the various sections, including a comprehensive "A-Z" list of contents.

A range of publications is available to publicise the work of English Partnerships, from the basic newsletters, annual reports and corporate plans, to more specific publications on development sites such as Greenwich or Milton Keynes; and practice guides on urban design and sustainability. Most publications are available to download free in "pdf" format, although a few more specific publications are available to purchase. Within the pressroom section, current and historic news releases are available, if arranged rather clumsily in a long list without a search or filter facility. If you wish to be kept up to date an e-mail news alert service is available by registering a few details.

A key part for many will be the development opportunities that exist, provided under the "developing assets" section. Brief information on different sites is available, though to find details on specific development sites you will need to take the link to a separate Web site, www.englishsites.com, which is an interactive database of strategic development sites in England. A search engine is provided allowing two types of search to be performed. The first is by property use i.e. distribution, industrial, office, research & development or all. The second, general search, enables you to enter various criteria from Government office regions, site area, location (at town level) or the distance from motorway, seaport or airport. I chose the latter and simply selected the North East region and sites of a size no less than ten hectares. A total of 11 development sites were returned, including one in the North West! Not sure how that one crept in. The results are listed a few to a page, with a map indicting their location, together with brief address details. Clicking on a particular site brings forward more details, including a photograph, and links to details on planning, demographics and specific organisations in the region; e.g. for a site in the North East, links are provided to the Regional Development Agency (RDA) One North East, North of England Partnerships, Invest UK and advice for small and medium sized enterprises.

If you are interested in contacting the various RDAs, choosing the RDA's link under regional information on the home page enables you to select the appropriate RDA from the regions in the drop down menu; or you can simply try the links listed in Table I.

Table I. Regional development agencies and their URLs

In Scotland, the main economic development body, Scottish Enterprise (www.scottishenterprise.com), provides a similar level of information to that of English Partnerships. The site is structured around five key sections on "developing skills", "starting a business", "developing business", "overseas customers" and finally a section on Scottish Enterprise itself. This latter section contains news releases and some details on Scotland itself, including key facts, Government information and links to universities and colleges in Scotland.

The property section is tucked away under the "Start Your Business" section. The level of information is rather brief, perhaps explaining why it does not have a section to itself. In the main this area relies on links to other Web sites relating to specific projects including Lomond Shores, Ravenscraig and Pacific Quay. If you are after a property, you should take the link to the Scottish Property Network (www.scottishproperty.co.uk) which provides a search facility enabling you to find the properties available in Scotland based on the criteria you enter including property type, size, and various address criteria. The database has over 3,000 entries, with the results returned in a list providing the address, size and property type, with links to further details.

For those wishing to go to Wales, the Welsh Development Agency's Web site (www.wda.co.uk) provides a useful level of information, including comprehensive information on funds available to businesses in Wales, with a link to the Welsh European Funding Office for more detailed information. If you are native to Wales and wish to view the site in Welsh, simply click on "Cymraeg". As with the other development agencies the other information is of a similar level, with the details on development sites provided on a separate Web site, www.propertywales.com. Before you can perform a search, you will need to fill out some basic registration details, though once completed, the search facility is simple allowing you to restrict details by land, land with buildings, or both, plus a size range from the list provided. The results are returned in a list which includes an address and reference, with a link providing a description of the site, its location, size, planning and funding available.

While preparing this editorial, a colleague kindly suggested the following site – www.regeneration-uk.com – which is aimed at providing practitioners with "an easy to use reference guide to regeneration information on the Internet". And that is precisely what it does in a simple, but very effective way. If you are into regeneration, then the chances are you will find the right Web site from here. A comprehensive list of "live development projects" is provided, with over 30 projects listed from Canary Wharf in London, to Laganside in Belfast. Should you find a regeneration project missing, why not click on the "suggest a site" button and fill out the form. You can even report a link that no longer works – a useful addition it has to be said, given the number of times links can change.

It is not just regeneration projects that are listed, but also links to regeneration organisations and inward investment agencies. In the case of the latter, a total of 11 links are provided to inward investment agencies within London, with over 60 across the UK. A whole variety of other links are also provided under key headings provided on the left of the screen, with a series of discussion forums also available.

This is of course just a snapshot of what is available. If you are unable to find what you want, why not try using one of the various search engines. I personally favour google (www.google.com) and found a couple of examples, including Pacific Quay, Glasgow (www.pacificquay.com) and Millennium Point, Birmingham (www.millenniumpoint.org.uk). And finally, if you are wondering what has been achieved overseas, why not take a look at how four old gasometers in Vienna were turned into a complex of apartments, shops and leisure facilities by visiting http://195.3.87.81/s21presse/bginfos/index.php. If this link fails try www.gasometerwien.at and you should be redirected to the appropriate site.

Dr Nigel AlmondAssociate DirectorATIS Real WeatherallsLondonE-mail: nigel.almond@atisweatheralls.com