Insights & Reports

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Insights 20.05.26

For years, the UK’s innovation story has been told through the lens of the Golden Triangle. Oxford, Cambridge, and London have dominated headlines, investment flows, and political attention.

UK Investment Hotspots: The Rise of a Distributed Innovation Economy

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Insights 20.05.26

For the past few years, the commercial property world has been debating the same question: will AI shrink the need for office space? It’s an understandable fear. If automation replaces tasks, and in some cases whole roles, shouldn’t we expect a smaller footprint?

Rethinking Office Space for the AI Era: Demand Isn’t Falling. It’s Moving

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Insights 20.05.26

The UK’s single‑family rental (SFR) market is expanding at a pace few predicted. In 2025, half of all build‑to‑rent investment flowed into single‑family homes - a dramatic rise from just 5% three years earlier. The Building Safety Act, rising construction costs for high‑rise schemes, and a growing appetite for stable, inflation‑linked income have all pushed investors toward suburban housing.

Single‑Family Housing: Why the UK Still Hasn’t Found the Right Model

Insights 19.05.26

The UK’s technology economy is expanding at extraordinary speed. AI superclusters, quantum labs, advanced manufacturing facilities and hyperscale data centres are no longer speculative ideas, they are becoming the defining infrastructure of the next industrial era.

Powering the Technology Boom: Why Clean Energy Must Evolve as Fast as the Innovation It Fuels

Insights 19.05.26

The English planning system is under extraordinary pressure. Local authorities are stretched thin, plan‑making cycles have drifted far beyond their intended timelines, and the cumulative cost of delay is felt across the entire development ecosystem.

Unlocking Growth: AI's Role in a Smarter Planning Future

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Insights 19.05.26

Switzerland has eight million people and produces giants like Roche and Novartis. Denmark, with six million, is home to Novo Nordisk. Israel, with nine million, generates more than twice as many unicorns as the UK. Our challenge isn’t scale. It’s ensuring that what we create here stays here — and that we capture the full economic value of the innovation we spark.

UKREiiF 2026: Innovation Unlocked

Insights 22.04.26

On 15 April 2026 the government published their response to the BNG consultation that was launched in May 2025. A summary of the BNG policy changes and timeline for implementation is provided here.

Government Response to BNG Consultation

Insights 13.04.26

With the Scottish Parliament election set for 7 May 2026, attention is turning to how the next government will balance economic growth, environmental ambition and the practical realities of managing land and rural businesses.

Scottish Election 2026: What Lies Ahead for Rural Scotland

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Insights 08.04.26

Co-living's future depends less on development fundamentals and more on truly understanding its residents' needs and motivations.

Who Actually Lives in Co-living - and What Do They Want Next?

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Insights 06.04.26

The government’s proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) are seeking to bolster development within 800m of any ‘well connected’ station.

Full Steam Ahead? Understanding how Heritage may impact the new ‘Well Connected Stations’ policy

Insights 01.04.26

The Government has confirmed their response to the Future Homes and Buildings Standards (March 2026), providing long-awaited clarity on how new homes and buildings in England will need to be designed and delivered.

Future Homes Standard: what it means for delivery

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Insights 24.03.26

Understanding how long Local Plan examinations take in 2026 is critical for developers and promoters navigating the planning system, with timelines, average durations and increasing delays shaping decisions on when to submit applications and pursue appeals.

How Long Are Local Plan Examinations Taking?

Cambridge Residential Rental Market Report, Spring 2026

The Cambridge residential rental market is entering 2026 with renewed momentum and a clearer sense of direction. Following a period of stabilisation, demand is strengthening, rents are edging upwards, and a new regulatory framework is bringing much-needed certainty for both landlords and tenants.

15.04.26

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Cambridge Industrial Databook March 2026

Cambridgeshire Industrial Market 2025: Renewed Demand from Knowledge Industries.

18.03.26

Oxfordshire Industrial Databook - March 2026

Oxfordshire Industrial Market Shifts to SME Demand as Rents Climb.

18.03.26

M1 South Industrial Databook - March 2026

M1 South Industrial Market 2025: Milton Keynes Leads Take-Up as Rents Rise.

18.03.26

Norfolk & Suffolk Industrial Databook - March 2026

Norfolk & Suffolk Industrial Market Growth Driven by Energy Investment.

18.03.26

The Biggest Reset in F1 History with the UK Motorsport Cluster at its centre.

A follow-up to our Driving Innovation at Speed report, published to coincide with the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

13.03.26

Rural Outlook 2026

Rural businesses, landowners and energy investors are operating in a landscape shaped by continued reform, environmental ambition and shifting market dynamics as we head in to 2026.

10.03.26

M1 South Offices & Labs Databook - February 2026

The Milton Keynes office market continues to benefit from business relocations and plans for a new Warner Brothers theme park has given a further boost to demand. Prime office rents rose by 11% in 2025 and the shortage of Grade A space in the city centre is likely to support further rental growth.

25.02.26

Norfolk & Suffolk Offices & Labs Databook - February 2026

The Norwich office market continues to see steady demand and requirements rose to their highest level in three years at end-2025. The main issue now facing the market is a shortage of Grade A space, reflecting the lack of new development in the city.

25.02.26

RE-N-GAGE Economic and Social Value Assessment 2026

Every £1 invested in early intervention programmes supporting at-risk young people generates up to £4.52 in savings to the public purse, according to a new independent study by real estate adviser Bidwells and youth charity RE N-GAGE.

17.02.26

Oxford Offices & Labs Databook - February 2026

The Ellison Institute of Technology adds further global strength to Oxford’s innovation ecosystem.

16.02.26

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Cambridge Offices & Labs Databook - February 2026

Global occupiers and local innovation driving demand.

16.02.26

Feb 2022

Offices & Labs Databook webinar - Jan 2022

Find out how the offices & labs market is performing across the Arc at our latest Arc Market Databook webinar.

03.02.22

Nov 2021

Landowner-Led Development - part 1

Part 1 of our "Landowner-led Development" series with Farmers Weekly

09.11.21

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Oct 2021

'Landowner-Led Development' - three-part series

This three-part webinar series with Farmers Weekly, 'Landowner-Led Development', explores the opportunities available for landowners in building a legacy through development. In case you missed it, you can watch all of the recordings below.

12.10.21

Sep 2021

London Real Estate Forum 2021

The London Real Estate Forum is an annual thought-leadership conference held at the Barbican Centre, 29–30 September 2021, bringing together key decision-makers from the industry, government, investment and business communities to drive sustainable investment and development in cities.

29.09.21

Jun 2021

Royal Highland Show - breakfast briefing

In partnership with Shepherd and Wedderburn, we are bringing together rural leaders to share their unique perspectives on key issues, opportunities and challenges facing the rural sector in Scotland.

18.06.21

Apr 2021

Under the microscope: Lab design for the future

As the science & technology sector evolves, so too must its real estate. The utilisation of AI, robotics and cloud-based research data is changing the way scientists work and the spaces they occupy. Demand and pace of start-ups and spin-outs is rapidly changing the market.

14.04.21

Feb 2021

Unleashing the Arc: Spatial Framework

With MHCLG set to launch plans for the much anticipated Arc Spatial Framework, what does the development industry and local leaders expect to see in the framework and how can government ensure that it is a success?

19.02.21

Jan 2021

Unleashing the Arc: Academia, Science and Tech

The Arc is home to world-leading Science and tech companies. But how can we ensure they attract the best talent, from top universities, to enable this sector to flourish? And can we provide the development and infrastructure needed to retain them?

14.01.21

Dec 2020

Under the microscope: Booming Science and Tech clusters

Over the last 12 months, our research has built up a unique database of science and tech businesses and the floorspace they occupy across the clusters, which tells a myriad of stories about future advances.

03.12.20

Nov 2020

Unleashing the Arc: Build, Build, Build

With central Government proposing an Arc-wide spatial strategy and four development corporations for the Arc, is MHCLG now striking the right balance with local policy-making to Build, Build, Build at the pace required?

25.11.20

Oct 2020

Unleashing the Arc: Is the green belt choking green economic growth?

While the Government is planning for large-scale infrastructure and economic growth in the Oxford to Cambridge Arc, the Wildlife Trust is promoting it’s bold green vision for the region. We will discussed how we can create a regional ‘green infrastructure plan’.

22.10.20

Oct 2020

WEBINAR: Local Plan Watch Autumn 2020

Bidwells' latest webinar provided an update on the progress of local plans coming forward across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and London, plus strategic planning opportunities arising from the Planning White Paper.

05.10.20

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