Gaming
Slow broadband can hamper rural commercial leasing, new report says
Slow broadband is a major constraint in the successful letting of commercial workspace in the countryside in the UK and has an impact on rents achievable according to new research. It is also becoming more of an issue in some locations for residential property available to rent, the latest analysis sector survey report from real estate firm Savills shows. The survey reveals that nearly 70% of respondents confirmed slow broadband is a constraint on letting residential property in rural areas and 80% confirmed slow broadband is a constraint on letting commercial workspace. The survey also showed that in many cases a poor speed deters potential tenants from even making an appointment for a viewing and where space is let, on average rents are 16% and 25% less respectively where the broadband speed is slow. ‘Broadband speed is now generally one of the first topics raised by perspective tenants who are looking to rent some commercial office space in a rural area,’ said Ben Knight, director of Savills Rural. ‘Where it is poor vacant periods are often longer and in some cases there is no demand for a building however good the space and other facilities are. And with more people choosing to work from home for at least part of the week it is becoming a more common question from perspective residential tenants,’ he explained. The report suggests that landlords looking to develop commercial space should assess the speed of broadband as part of the viability study and are in cases shelving a project if the speed is poor or taking matters into their hands and creating high speed networks using grant funding where applicable. While the start-up costs are significant around £20,000-£30,000 in the first year, annuity income from those using the broadband is a valuable new income stream and of course the likelihood of finding tenants for the commercial space greatly improves the report says. Two estates which have successfully developed their own broadband schemes are The Alscot Estate in Warwickshire and The Rushmore Estate in Dorset. The Alscot Estate near Stratford-upon-Avon established the network South Warwickshire Broadband in 2014 which has led to a diverse range of businesses occupying premises and a 100 per cent occupancy rate. The tenants all have access to upload and download speeds of up to 36Mb per second plus voice over internet protocol (VOIP) and cloud services. ‘The benefits to the estate of having full occupancy with happy tenants are extremely valuable. Increasingly estates are having to diversify away from agriculture as farm incomes are pressurized by weak commodity prices and former traditional farm buildings provide attractive offices once converted,’ said Knight. ‘At Alscot we were able to immediately connect a gaming business taking one of the serviced offices so that they were up and running within 24 hours, which created a great relationship with the tenant from the outset,’ he added. The Rushmore Estate in Dorset via Wessex Internet is now able to offer residential and commercial… Continue reading
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MLS# 476818 http://www.suttonsaskatoon.com Welcome to another Saskatoon property for sale brought to you by Mandie Reis Wawryk of Sutton Group – Norland Real… Continue reading
Anti-tobacco law to come into effect on January 21
Anti-tobacco law to come into effect on January 21 Staff Reporter / 22 September 2013 The Dubai Municipality has issued a comprehensive guide book to ensure the implementation of the executive regulations of the anti-tobacco federal law with only four months left for businesses to comply. The executive regulations were approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the Cabinet’s Resolution No.24 issued on July 21 this year, and will come into effect on January 21. In the run up to the deadline, the Dubai Municipality has begun a campaign. Assistant Director-General for Environment and Public Health and Safety Salem bin Mesmar told Khaleej Times that the civic body was “giving chance to people to know about the rules and will run campaigns to spread awareness to avoid hefty fines awaiting violators”. Cafés and sheesha joints will lose their licences if they allow customers to smoke in closed areas. “In addition, these establishments will not be permitted to open in residential areas without having a distance of 150 metres from houses, schools and mosques,” said the Head of Public Safety Section at the Public Health and Safety Department Sultan Al Suwaidi. “Smoking will not be allowed in any restaurant built in less than 1,000 square feet and it will be completely prohibited at entrances, in corridors, lifts, elevators, health facilities, entertainment or gaming areas, offices, cinema halls, meeting and conference halls, warehouses of shopping centres, canteens, places of prayer and ablution, areas of employees and rest rooms.” Smoking places in restaurants should not exceed 50 per cent of the dining area and non-smokers should not cross them. Additionally, each smoker should be given 20 square feet of space to avoid congestion. “The doors should be automatic and (the) sheesha preparing area must be separated from (the) food preparation area,” Suwaidi said. The working hours of cafés and sheesha shops will be from 10am to 12.30am. They are not allowed to sell tobacco products to those under 18 years or deliver them to unauthorised places. sajila@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
