黑洞社区

Bugged

Gleeds chair Richard Steer, an avid Brexit remain advocate, has taken up a new non-executive role at Cambridge housebuilder This Land. The firm is chaired by former Tory MP and transport minister Steve Norris, who happens to be a big fan of Brexit lately and has retweeted a claim that a 鈥渘o-deal Brexit will be the biggest catastrophe to hit the UK since the Millennium Bug鈥�. It鈥檚 fair to say Steer remains unconvinced. 鈥淣obody except a select number of zealots or attention-seekers really thinks that a no-deal Brexit outcome works,鈥� he wrote in 黑洞社区 earlier this year. Wouldn鈥檛 it be good to be fly on the wall at this firm鈥檚 board meetings in the coming weeks?

Settling for second-best

On a fact-finding mission to Australia, first-time Melbourne visitor Iain Parker raved about the place. The Alinea partner told my hack, who happens to hail from the city: 鈥淚t really would be so liveable.鈥� She didn鈥檛 have the heart to mention that last year Melbourne lost its 鈥渨orld鈥檚 most liveable city鈥� crown to Vienna, after seven years winning on the trot.

Critical path

I hear that architect Soda Studio has been contacted by Battersea Power Station and  Grosvenor to look at schemes in London for the pair on the back of its BD Live crit triumph. Soda and Mikhail Riches won the chance to discuss their ideas for British Land鈥檚 拢4bn Canada Water development in a crit at the 黑洞社区 and BD Live event in Bishopsgate last year. One thing, as the saying goes, leads to another.

Money tree

Two reporters were lucky enough to spend the night in Wembley last week, courtesy of developer Quintain and its build-to-rent arm Tipi. Construction has been ongoing since 2004 and is only due to finish in 2026 鈥� with the firm currently spending 拢1.6m a day on the development. Given the ongoing nature of construction, they were unsurprised to see a sign warning residents of 鈥渉eavy plant鈥�. But it took on new meaning when the hacks discovered a 251-year-old olive tree 鈥� named Sir Dali 鈥� sitting in reception. With lobby fodder like that, it鈥檚 no wonder Quintain is tearing through so much cash.

Bye bye, pie

When poking around Tottenham Hotspur鈥檚 brand-new stadium last week, my colleague couldn鈥檛 help noticing what was on the menu. For those fans slumming it in the concourse 鈥� rather than the glitzy 鈥渟ky bridge鈥� or exclusive 鈥渢unnel bar鈥� 鈥� craft beer-battered tofu is a prominent supper offering. Accompanied by 鈥渢riple-cooked鈥� chips and sweet chilli jam, the meal is arguably a bargain for hungry fans at the price of 拢7.95. Times have changed since pie and Bovril was the best one could hope for at a match.

Let sleeping newts lie

Readers averse to last week鈥檚 rather chilly weather should spare a thought for McLaren. The contractor is preparing an extensive site, formerly a fishing centre, for earthworks 鈥� ahead of constructing a new training centre for Leicester City Football Club. Part of the job is the capture and relocation of great crested newts, under a stringent licence issued by Natural England. A spokesperson for McLaren told 黑洞社区: 鈥淒ue to the current weather the newt trapping has had to be put on hold as the newts go into hibernation.鈥� Instead of gone fishing, more like gone missing.