Blog
MEET THE NEWBIES
Harris Lamb has been on the recruitment trail in recent weeks, having welcomed a host of new faces to the team – and one familiar one. Since launching its Environmental Department in February this year, the business has been inundated with projects, and Dr Holly Smith has… Read More
BIODIVERSITY IMPACT CALCULATIONS EXPLAINED
Principal Ecologist Rob Harrison reports on the recent Biodiversity Impact Calculations course run by Balfour Beatty on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM): Biodiversity Impact Calculations are a useful tool for determining how development impacts natural resource. It provides… Read More
BACK ON THE TRAINING TRAIL…
Last weekend saw the Worcester City 10k run, and as usual, our resident road runner Fiona Mellor donned her trainers to take to the streets. One of 2,200 people taking part in the event, Fiona completed the course in 55 minutes. L-R, Fiona,… Read More
FANCY FOOTWORK FOR A GREAT CAUSE
This week saw Harris Lamb compete in the Higgs & Sons charity football tournament in aid of Dudley Mind. The event raised a massive £10,000 and saw 43 teams take part. Captain Tom Morley (or Tomaldo as we’re calling him this week) reports: We were in… Read More
SPRING STATEMENT 18: IS THE 2021 REVALUATION PLEDGE JUST ANOTHER PIECE TO FIT INTO THE RATING JIGSAW?
By Andrew Hulbert, Director The latest twist in the revaluation tale was unlikely to be welcomed as long as problems with the current Check Challenge Appeal system continued to prove problematic. Philip Hammond’s pledge in the Spring Statement to bring forward 2022’s Revaluation to 2021 came hot on the heels… Read More
TEAM HL ARE ON THE BALL
Team HL donned their shin-pads and yellow shirts this week to take part in Telereal Trillium’s five-a-side football tournament. Captain Tom Morley reports… We’re always up for a bit of healthy competition at Harris Lamb, so an invitation to take on a selection of… Read More
INVESTING IN NOTTINGHAM: WHERE TO FOCUS WHEN THE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION BUBBLE BURSTS
By Rob Haigh, Agency At the beginning of this year, I was asked by thebusinessdesk.com to make a few predictions for 2018, and one of those was my conviction that residential developers will continue to focus on the conversion of redundant upper floor… Read More
GOVERNMENT LAYS DOWN 20 PER CENT INCREASE IN PLANNING FEES
An increase of 20 per cent will be applied to all existing planning application fees as a result of new regulations brought in earlier this month. The House of Lords approved the regulations that introduce the fee increase, along with other changes to the fees regime, in December. The changes… Read More
THE GIFT OF GIVING
This Christmas, Harris Lamb is pledging its support to Birmingham Christmas Shelter to help ensure that the homeless, vulnerable and lonely people of the city can enjoy the festive season. Having been operating for more than 30 years, Birmingham Christmas Shelter became a registered charity… Read More
IT'S A START…
Andrew Hulbert, Director, Business Rates Many will have welcomed Philip Hammond’s efforts in today’s Budget to address concerns from retailers, licensees and business owners around their bills, but not quite enough has been done by the Chancellor to alleviate them completely. Most notably, the switch from the retail prices… Read More
FORGET THE X FACTOR: JAMES SET TO JUDGE THE PUBLICAN AWARDS 2018
We’re rather proud to announce that James Ward of our Licensed & Leisure team has been asked to be a judge in the Publican Awards 2018, launched last month by The Morning Advertiser. Entries for these awards have been extended until this Friday and the… Read More
WHEELIE HARD WORK, BUT ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Team HL joined thousands of cyclists yesterday to take place in Velo Birmingham – a 100-mile ride through Birmingham, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, in aid of a host of good causes. Fiona Mellor and Andy Groves pulled together all the pedal power they could muster for the epic ride… Read More
A musical legacy or a refusal to live in the present?
The revelation that The Specials’ Ghost Town has been chosen as the best song out of Coventry has caused something akin to outrage in the Harris Lamb office this week… The Belgrade Theatre launched a campaign to find the favourite song performed by Coventry and… Read More
BLACK COUNTRY AUTHORITIES ISSUE CALL FOR SITES AS CORE STRATEGY REVIEW IS LAUNCHED
Sam Silcocks of Harris Lamb Planning Consultancy on what local authorities in the Black Country are looking for. The Black Country Authorities have issued a Call for Sites alongside its Issues and Options consultation for the Black Country Core Strategy Review. The Core Strategy… Read More
BUSINESS RATES HIKE CLAIMS ITS FIRST PUB TRADE VICTIMS
Well, as we feared, increased business rates have taken their toll on a number of pubs across the UK, resulting in their closure. The Morning Advertiser has reported that the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has cited climbing… Read More