Big Prop Social at the Brentford Gtech Community Stadium

Friday, June 9, saw the first of many planned events with a West London focus in the Oxford and Cambridge suite at the impressive Brentford Gtech Community Stadium.

Mathew Battle, UKPF managing director, hosted the session introducing the three speakers.

First up was Cllr Shantanu Rajawat, the leader of Hounslow Council, who opened the session with a speech about the vibrant changes in Hounslow. From Chiswick, Zone 2) in the east and Heathrow Zone 5 in the west. The council have set clear goals for delivering for their constituents with new homes and a quality public realm.

He was followed by Pavitar Mann, director at DevComms (London Office) and leader of the Slough Labour group, who spoke about the importance of the shared asset, Heathrow. Pavitar talked about collaboration with other boroughs to help solve shared problems, especially in infrastructure and transport links. She also extolled the virtues of the Elizabeth Line and its impact on Slough.

The final speaker was Dan Pagella, senior director of Arc Group, Hammersmith, who gave everyone some clear insights into the importance of Life Sciences for West London and the rest of the Golden Triangle. Dan reeled off many jaw-dropping statistics relating to the sector, highlighting the opportunities for the UK property sector.

This was followed by a Q&A tackling some of the significant challenges and opportunities facing the West London property sector, including the ‘elephant in the room’ ULEZ.

The discussion included a question from Andy Jansons seeking to understand better the requirements of the occupiers in the life sciences cluster.

Kate Bull, head of economic recovery & regeneration in Hounslow, helped by describing the progress and benefits of the West London Orbital (Rail) and the southern rail access linking Heathrow to Feltham and Richmond. Pavitar contributed to the discussion on the importance of the western rail access to Heathrow and the environmental impact of reducing road traffic around the airport.

Attendees enjoyed some quality networking time making many introductions in the Oxford and Cambridge suite overlooking the centre circle of Brentford’s pitch. The session ran from 1 pm to 3 pm.

The staff at Brentford provided excellent service led by the head of hospitality and events, Cecilia Marquis.

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