ESG can lead to a fundamental transformation of today’s business environment but for that to happen the approach of both landlords and tenants must change, according to the participants of the ESG panel at Prague Property Forum 2022.

Remote working has changed people's perception of their workplace and increased their need for facilities and experiences tailored to their dynamic lifestyle. New trends and design concepts show that offices of the future will be reshaped into campuses that will encompass facilities for the working and urban living trends of the future in a unique space, Gavin Bonner, Vice President of Genesis Property, writes for Property Forum in an opinion piece.

The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic has decided on a one-year postponement of the effectiveness of part of the Construction Act. Instead of the planned central construction office, which the previous government of Andrej Babiš wanted, they are preparing the digitalisation of the process, the Czech Press Agency reports.

Property developer Prime Kapital has received the building permit for Pleiades Residence in Ploiești and will start construction by the end of spring.  

Romanian developer One United Properties said its first quarter turnover gained 81% to €70.5 million compared to Q1 2021, while its gross profit rose almost fourfold to €42 million over higher residential sales and rental income. 

Prague 3 has spoken out against a development project planned by the developer UDI Group in Žižkov. The town hall is bothered by the size of the project. The developer accuses the authority of arbitrariness and threatens to sue. Martin Roman, an ex-CEZ Group boss, has a stake in the project, writes seznamzpravy.cz.

The Hungarian construction industry started off this year with an exceptionally high Activity Start indicator: nearly HUF 1,300 billion worth of construction works started in Q1 2022. The Activity Start of EBI Construction Activity Report in the first quarter is a new record (construction works have never started in such a high value in one quarter) and exceeded the level of Q2 2021 (the highest so far) by almost 37%. Yet, this spike is mainly thanks to the launch of two major infrastructure projects, according to the EBI Construction Activity Report, prepared by Buildecon, Eltinga (creation of indicators and development of algorithms for aggregation) and iBuild (project research and project database).

Investment group DRFG has acquired land near the main railway station in Olomouc (the eastern province of Moravia in the Czech Republic) in March this year and plans to build flats and commercial premises there. It plans to build a multifunctional residential complex with retail space and offices on this brownfield site with a total market value of CZK 2.6 billion and an area of 43,000 sqm by 2025. The architectural design of the complex is currently being finalised. DRFG Group informed about its new acquisition and construction plans in a press release today.

Imobiliare, the digital platform in Romania owned by Ringier Group, has taken over mortgage broker DSA Advisor in a bid to diversify its portfolio, for an undisclosed sum.

Property developer Hagag Development Europe will invest over €20 million in H Primăverii 1, a new residential project comprising 18 apartments and 700 sqm of commercial spaces.