Alastair Walker

Important changes to the Commercial Building Disclosure Program

A view of Sydney's skyline from the Royal Botanical Garden. 30.07.12Following a comprehensive review of the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Program earlier this year, and public consultation on the proposed changes to the program, the Australian Government announced this week that the mandatory disclosure threshold on commercial office buildings will reduce from 2000 square metres to 1000 square metres starting 1st July 2017.

Importantly, this impending expansion of the regulatory requirements of the CBD program to include additional commercial office buildings, also comes with the announcement of reducing the regulatory requirements for the Tenancy Lighting Assessment (TLA) component by increasing the TLA validity period from 1 to 5 years from 1st September 2016. Continue reading

Opportunity the investment conundrum

Alastair Walker Backgroundv2-editedWhile Australia’s property market remains a safe haven, limited stock is a significant obstacle for overseas investors, says Napier & Blakeley’s managing director Alastair Walker.

“There is still a substantial amount of investment funds under management looking for a home – and the volatility in other markets serves as a reminder that Australia remains a safe haven,” says Walker (pictured), who oversees the independent property, development and sustainability consultancy.

The latest investment intentions survey from the Asian Association for Investors in Non-listed Real Estate Vehicles (ANREV) reports around AU$82.4 billion is expected to be poured into property in 2016, with the top three investment destinations in the regions of Tokyo, Sydney and Melbourne. Continue reading