Like most passionate football fans who took to Twitter, radio phone-ins or as close as they could currently get to stadiums to vent their spleens, Diary could not be less interested in a European Super League comprising an effectively closed shop of the continent’s heavy-hitters – a plan which may have stalled, but seems unlikely to go away. We could devote a whole page to the topic but since we’re all about keeping things real estate, a couple of potential implications did come to mind.
First, could the untold riches on offer tempt Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to revive the club’s stadium redevelopment plans that were put on hold back in 2018? Conversely, with Everton excluded from the so-called “big six” and not invited to the party (so far), what might any lingering financial implications for the Premier League mean for the viability of the Toffees’ proposed waterfront ground?
And then there is Manchester United. Club legend (and pundit extraordinaire) Gary Neville – who knows a bit about property – did a bit of excoriating on Sky’s Monday Night Football. Among his many criticisms of Man U’s owner, the Glazer family, he unleashed both barrels on the state of the “Theatre of Dreams” itself: Old Trafford.
“These owners at Manchester United, they’ve allowed that stadium to rot,” Neville ranted. “It’s second rate. They don’t paint the steel. It’s rusty on the outside of the stadium. There’s no experience for the fans on matchday at all. They’ve got tens of acres around the actual ground that’s landbanked that they don’t invest in and create a Manchester United world.”
But with hundreds of millions potentially on offer if the ESL founder clubs can find a way to get it off the ground, could all that change? Will Man U be regularly welcoming Real Madrid and Barcelona to a shiny New Trafford by 2025? For all sorts of reasons, Diary hopes not.
First rate outta Compton
Property agency promo videos are not always renowned for their entertainment value. But a launch clip for boutique City Fringe firm Compton, posted on Linkedin earlier this month, was surprisingly watchable (they can put that on the posters). Co-founders Michael Raibin, Shaun Simons and Elliott Stern star in a three-minute romp through their past office deals from Clerkenwell to Shoreditch, featuring everything from a fully clothed dip in a rooftop pool (Diary is a little anxious about the expensive suit) to teasing their own coffee shop. As Raibin puts the finishing touches to an oil painting of the word “lease”, the other two sum up the whole thing rather well. “Is it art?” asks one. “I dunno, but I like it.”
Watch the video at: https://bit.ly/2ROCue2
The crypto factor
For Diary, “Crypto Island” sounds like it should be the Fortress of Solitude equivalent for Superman’s dog (before you write in, we know he spells it with a “K”). However, the Crypto Island in our inbox is, in fact, a Caribbean paradise where homes are for sale in Bitcoin. Indeed, the luxury smart-home development on the tiny island of Bequia (pronounced “Bekway”, we are helpfully told) is aiming to become the world’s first fully Bitcoin-enabled community. One Bequia is a development of luxury bars, restaurants and smart villas, offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, with a two-bedroom option starting at £700,000… well, whatever its Bitcoin equivalent is. “The adoption of cryptocurrency is far from a gimmick”, explains property developer Storm Gonsalves, sadly too late to stop its inclusion on the Diary page. “It’s a response to the very real challenges faced by island communities increasingly cut off from mainstream banking facilities.” Apparently, residents of small island nations are finding it increasingly difficult to send and receive money internationally because of “de-risking” by large international banks, which seems harsh. Have these bankers not heard, no person is an island.
Bravo Redrow
Congratulations to Redrow on its streamlined font (serifs are so last-century) and simplified logo, inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement and more easily recognised as a flower (we’d never really noticed before, but what the hell was that old design? A weed?). But even more praiseworthy is the housebuilder’s announcement that it is going paperless in its sales centres. For the environmental benefits we’ll forgive them renaming these somewhat cringeworthily as “customer experience suites”. Redrow’s digital-first approach includes interactive screens and site plans in its paperless sales environment. Last time Diary moved house we nearly drowned in paper, so any efforts to improve things on that front have to be welcomed.
It is easy being green
Or, at least, it seems straightforward for SHW, which is going green to commemorate Earth Day. If you are reading this on the big day (Thursday, 22 April), then check out the real estate advisory firm online and you will see that its familiar orange logo is rather more viridescent. But, as head of sustainability Thomas Coulson points out, the firm’s support for environmental protection goes way beyond Earth Day. “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do,” he says. “We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and making a difference. We are proud to join with the 1bn or more people around the globe in championing this year’s Earth Day theme #restoreourearth.”
Happy Earth Day to SHW, and everybody else.
