May 2021
Long Hot Summer
“Long Hot Summer” was written by Paul Weller in June 1983 and recorded in Paris and was the third single released by The Style Council. Released in August that year the song reached No 3 in the charts and was the band’s biggest hit.
The release of the song coincided with a heatwave in Britain that summer, something that Weller couldn’t have known about when the song was written. One of the legends of British music, Paul Weller achieved fame with The Jam during the 1970s and 80s with 18 consecutively released top 40 singles, including 4 chart toppers. Biographer Sean Egan commented that they “took social protest and cultural authenticity to the top of the charts.” Released in January 1982 and entering the charts at No 1, A Town Called Malice has a significant place in popular culture, including a key scene in the Billy Elliott film and being played before every home game of both Crystal Palace and Millwall.
A long hot summer is what we are all hoping for, after the miserable May we have had. The forecast for the next couple of weeks is promising!
The most recent step on England’s Covid roadmap has seen a further opening up of the economy, with indoor hospitality providing some shelter from the rain and a much-needed boost to this sector. Confusion reigns regarding international travel and of course the Indian variant is of growing concern in some parts and has the potential to delay the more general opening of the economy towards the end of June.
I had my 2nd jab last week and the impact of the Indian variant is demonstrating the benefits of being vaccinated fully and encouraging some of those that were initially reluctant to step forwards. Social responsibility has been described as an individual’s obligation to work and cooperate with other individuals and organizations for the benefit of society at large.
More of this would undoubtedly benefit all of us in so many ways, not just the obvious and immediate health reasons. The first lockdown and the start of the social movement towards a kinder society seems more distant than a year away as we start to go about our consumption driven lives again. Perhaps there will be a lasting legacy that will come through more clearly later.
There is no doubt that the commercial property market is extremely buoyant with activity on many fronts and owners and occupiers confident to commit to significant projects, based upon long-term optimism.
New projects this month include being appointed on a new 40,000 sq ft industrial development in High Wycombe together with circa 60,000 sq ft of serviced hardstanding, being appointed by one of the Ambulance Trusts to help them relocate 3 existing bases into a new hub and two new significant management instructions relating to a large industrial estate and a multi-let retail and residential development. We have let another restaurant in High Wycombe town centre, adding to the significant volume of other lettings that underpins this sector and the resulting transformation of White Hart Street where there have been 4 restaurant lettings since Covid started with a 5th in hand.
There is much to be optimistic about, despite the obvious and ongoing health concerns and of course we can’t be complacent about the global health picture. Whilst the UK has had an incredible vaccine rollout, much of the rest of the world is poorly protected and vulnerable and in an age of global trade this is of significant concern.
Michael Garvey
New Instructions
10 St Marys Street
Wallingford – Ground floor retail outlet in prominent position within Wallingford town centre. 593 SQ FT TO LET.
Unit 9, York Way
High Wycombe – A self-contained 2-storey office building with a mix of open plan and private offices/meeting rooms, located on the Cressex Business Park. 1,295 SQ FT FOR SALE.
Unit 28, Chess Business Park
Chesham – Industrial Unit with fitted offices on the first floor and 4 car parking spaces. 2,972 SQ FT TO LET.
Unit 10, March Place
Aylesbury – Ground floor unit with offices and 6 car parking spaces. 2,440 SQ FT TO LET.
2 Grovebury Place Estate
Leighton Buzzard – Mid-terrace industrial unit with office and ground floor workshop. 5,905 SQ FT TO LET.
Deals Done
Ex-Services Club, 62-64 Walton Street
Aylesbury – Substantial modern brick fully equipped club in prominent location. 9,563 SQ FT LET.
Sheldons Piece House
Watlington – Detached industrial unit with a detached two storey office building and workshop. 28,239 SQ FT LET.
29 Station Road Approach
Great Missenden – Completion of mid-terraced retail unit to a green grocers, benefitting from double frontage. 959 SQ FT LET.
38 West Street
Marlow – Set on the 1st and 2nd floor of this period frontage property . 1,207 SQ FT LET.
Unit 15, Manor Courtyard
High Wycombe – Ground floor office space with 2 parking spaces. 487 SQ FT LET.
Corporate Rebrand
Most of the best-known brands evolve their corporate logo from time to time and Chandler Garvey is no different.
Coinciding with the launch of our new residential division, we have made some subtle updates to our brand and as part of this and reflecting the increasing work we are undertaking within the residential sector, we are now simply Property Consultants.
We have been busy communicating the new brand guidelines to our suppliers and organisations that we work with and if you want a copy of these please contact my colleague Leah Pawley (lp@chandlergarvey.com).

Vital EPC Update

The Government looks likely to raise the minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) for to let commercial properties to Grade B by 2030 and is currently consulting on interim requirements, most likely minimum Grade C by 2027.
This is not as draconian as it may sound. The average EPC grade for commercial properties today is D.
There are over 1 million commercial EPCs on the Government’s database so we recommend landlords go to www.epcregister.com and enter the postcodes of all of their properties to find those which already have EPCs (some may have been obtained by their tenants).
Consider obtaining EPCs for properties that do not yet have one and start to plan now for improving those with poor grades, making good use of any void period as this is by far the easiest time to undertake work.
Vital have been producing high quality EPCs, throughout the Thames Valley and nationally, since they were first introduced. We can provide EPC upgrade advice which is bespoke to the building and takes account of client priorities.
We strongly recommend seeking this advice before going ahead with a refurbishment to ensure the right outcome at the lowest cost. For free and friendly initial advice please call 0345 111 7700.
How do we do?
Here at Chandler Garvey we strive to provide the best customer service for our clients.
Please feel free to fill in the questionnaire by clicking on the link below, with your honest opinion about the service we have provided for you.

Would you buy a home that used to be an office?
Earlier this month the City of London announced plans to build 1,500 new homes in former office blocks left vacant due to the Pandemic.
Since 2015, property developers have been allowed to convert offices into apartments without getting full planning permission, under a system called permitted development rights – and that policy now applies to shops and warehouses, too.
There are plenty of pros to converting commercial properties to homes, however, it can come with some potential pitfalls, such as being able to get a mortgage. Remember offices and shops were not meant to be used as bedrooms, so check there is sufficient noise protection.
Another issue is that, if a property has just been converted to residential use, lenders will class them as new builds, even if they are decades or even centuries old. This will mean a higher deposit and a potential problem for first time buyers in particular.
Find out the uses of the buildings around the property. This could have a serious impact on your experience of living there.
You should also consider whether there are any restrictions on renovating or extending the converted property.
There are lots to consider when purchasing a converted property and although they are not everyone’s idea of a dream home, they do offer a chance to live in a central location at a more affordable price.

“Just One Thing”
We love a Podcast at Chandler Garvey and some of us have been listening to one on the BBC Sounds App.
Michael Mosley has launched “Just one Thing” – if time is tight, what is the one thing you should be doing to improve your health and wellbeing?
Check out this
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09by3yy/episodes/downloads to hear simple, scientifically proven top tips to change your life.

The fundamentals of biophilic design
Introducing more natural elements into any workspace environment can have a significant impact on employees. Particularly at a time when companies are asking basic questions about the future role their offices should perform.
Questions relating to the way a space supports collaboration and creativity – while also ensuring employees feel safe if and when they make the return.
The catch all phrase for creating office spaces that ‘bring the outdoors inside’ through a thoughtful blend of nature, space, and place, is biophilic design. A concept that’s growing in influence as employees seek more people-focused design, able to connect them to the wider, natural environment as lockdowns begin to ease.
It’s also a design philosophy that delivers immediate benefits. The RHS for example, suggests the greatest benefits of biophilic design, include wellbeing and productivity improvement. In addition, the use of plants can also:
- Reduce anxiety, tension, and fatigue by up to 37%
- Decrease symptoms of ill health by 25%
- Clean the air by absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen


Add in ‘living walls’, and businesses can look to enjoy:
- Increased productivity – up as much as 15%
- More social interaction – ‘small scale greenery’ is proven to have a positive impact on organisational cohesion
- A calmer workspace – living walls can help halve ambient noise in an office
Getting back to nature via inspired biophilic design is a sure-fire way to help improve productivity and wellbeing, as businesses look to ensure a safe return to the office. It’s also a good way to help reduce carbon emissions by introducing the technologies needed to cut energy usage and improve the working environment.
Form Workplace Solutions can help with both. We have a highly experienced design team with a long track record of bringing biophilic concepts to the office; And as a registered supplier with the Low Carbon Workspaces initiative, we can also ensure new innovations are delivered in the most cost effective way possible.
We’re bursting with ideas on how to bring future office designs to life. If you’re looking for expert know-how and practical support, then get in touch by contacting Alex Ryan on 01494 464686 or email us at info@formws.co.uk.
Data protection following the end of the transition period
Guidance has been released to help businesses and organisations to ensure they are data protection compliant after the end of the transition period for the leaving the EU.
The Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020. As part of the new trade deal, the EU agreed to delay transfer restrictions for at least four months.. On 19 February 2021 the European Commission published its draft decisions on the UK’s adequacy under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) and Law Enforcement Directive (LED). In both cases, the European Commission has found the UK to be adequate.
If you are a business outside of the UK, with no offices, branches or other establishments in the UK, but are offering goods and services to people in the UK or monitoring their behaviour, you will need to comply with the UK GDPR and may need to appoint a UK representative.
Guidance to explain the steps you need to take can be found on the Home – The ICG website.
If the EU Commission make adequacy decisions about the UK, most of the data protection rules affecting small to medium-sized businesses and organisations will stay the same.


If you are a UK business or organisation that already complies with GDPR and has no contacts or customers in the EEA, you do not need to do much more to be data protection compliant.
If you are a UK business or organisation that receives personal data from contacts in the EEA, you need to take extra steps to ensure that the data can continue to flow if the bridge ends without adequacy.
If you are a UK business or organisation with an office, branch or other established presence in the EEA, or if you have customers in the EEA, you need to comply with both UK and EU data protection regulations. You may need to designate a representative in the EEA.
Check what you need to do:
- Guidance for UK businesses and organisations who have no contacts or customers in Europe.
- Guidance for UK businesses and organisations who send or receive data to or from Europe.
- Guidance for UK businesses and organisations with a European presence or with European customers.
- Guidance for UK businesses and organisations who send or receive data to or from countries outside Europe.
Our Locations
Amersham
Phone: +44 (0)1494 723999
Aylesbury
Phone: +44 (0)1296 398383
High Wycombe
Phone: +44 (0)1494 446612
Marlow
Phone: +44 (0)1628 902488
Slough
Phone: +44 (0)1753 725700
