Property Consultative Group

The Property Consultative Group comprises the main representative bodies responsible for commercial and residential property development, ownership and use. It supersedes the previous Property Advisory Group and Property Industry Forum.

Terms of reference

To provide an opportunity for dialogue with the property industries about delivery of the range of Communities and Local Government policies and to provide the Department with creative solutions to issues of common interest.
To initiate discussion of issues where the property industries are aware of potential improvements to Government policy and its delivery.
To secure, in the public interest, the industries' assistance in promoting the Department's policies, and in particular their role in providing development to underpin the Sustainable Communities Plan.
To assist Communities and Local Government to fulfil its role as lead Department for the property/development industries, and in particular its specific responsibilities for policy and legislation on commercial property leases.
To provide advice (through the working groups) on specific, detailed issues.

Member bodies

Association of British Insurers	Association of Property Bankers
British Council for Offices	British Property Federation
British Retail Consortium	Confederation of British Industry
Home Builders Federation	Investment Property Forum
Law Society	National Association of Pension Funds
Property Managers Association	Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Meetings

The Minister for Housing and Planning will chair meetings of the main Group, which take place five times a year. The Agenda will include items nominated by the Department and member bodies, with a particular focus on the sustainable communities agenda.

Working groups

The main Group will be supplemented by ad hoc working groups to consider particular issues in greater depth. The working groups will include independent experts as well as nominees of the member bodies. Currently a working group advises on:

commercial property markets and leases:
1. current development in the land and property markets, and whether these require any Government action; and
2. current lease issues, including commercial leasing flexibility and legislative issues.