ACCORDING to a report in the Financial Times, people are now returning to their UK offices in their greatest numbers since the start of the pandemic, with average occupancy of workspaces between February 7 and 11 reaching 23.3% —levels last seen in November 2021, before the outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
With normal occupancy estimated at 60% for most companies and demand for offices currently 7% –14% lower compared with prepandemic years, Mat Oakley, head of European commercial property research at Savills, thinks ‘occupancy numbers will come up as the weather improves, and with a bit of peer pressure. But will it ever go back to levels we’ve seen before? I don’t think it will’.
Although it’s still too early to assess the full impact of hybrid working on the market for rural property, down in the West Country, Ed Clarkson of buying agents Property Vision has already seen a quantum shift in the attitude of owners and buyers in recent months: ‘It’s no coincidence that the latest figures from Nationwide put Taunton top of the list for house-price rises nationally last year,’ he says. ‘Many country-house owners whose families are based down here probably commuted to London four or five days a week in the past; they now find that they only need to be there for half that time, and can work from home in comfort for the rest of the week.’
Denne historien er fra March 02, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 02, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
