Insights & Reports

Thought leading insights, research and events that define our markets

Image of New housing estate Insights 05.06.25

Last week’s announcement, of the Government’s proposed strategy to accelerate housing delivery – including a potential Delayed Homes Penalty – has sparked debate across the industry.

Build-out bottleneck: Why penalties alone won't speed up delivery

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Speaking at the 2025 Superpower Conference, Lord Patrick Vallance delivered a powerful call to action: to unlock the full potential of the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster and turn the UK into a true scientific superpower.

Lord Patrick Vallance: Unlocking the UK's Scientific Superpower

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Image of _G4A4081 (2) Insights 05.06.25

A standout session challenged the UK to think bigger than the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. Leaders from across the country—Cambridge, Oxford, Glasgow, Liverpool, and beyond—explored how science-led growth can and must benefit the whole of the UK.

Beyond Oxford and Cambridge: How Science-Led Growth Can Deliver for the Whole UK

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Recorded live at the Creating a Scientific Superpower, this session features a compelling conversation between Lisa Flashner, COO of the Ellison Institute of Technology, and Richard Todd, Head of Built Environment at Bidwells.

Todd Talk: Inside the Vision: Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford

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Image of 25UKREiiF_0785 Insights 22.05.25

In this episode of Todd Talk, Richard Todd sits down with Carl Ennis, Country CEO of Siemens GB&I, to explore how AI is already transforming the built environment.

Powering Progress with AI – A Conversation with Carl Ennis, Siemens

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03_Amenity Building Insights 20.05.25

For years, the Build to Rent sector has been caught in an escalating "amenities arms race," with developers competing to offer ever more elaborate facilities.

The End of the Amenities Arms Race: What Renters Really Want in 2025

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The Build to Rent sector's geographic diversification story—once a tale of steady expansion from London into secondary and tertiary markets—has taken an unexpected turn.

BTR Investment Retreats: Focus Returns to Core Cities

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02_Living Street_S1 Insights 20.05.25

The Build to Rent sector faces an existential threat that could undermine years of growth and investment.

The Planning Crisis Threatening BTR's Future: When the Pipeline Runs Dry

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Image of HighRes_Billy Bolton_PresentMade_Eddington_103-Edit Insights 20.05.25

Amid the constant narrative of housing becoming increasingly unaffordable, new data reveals a counter-trend that challenges conventional wisdom.

Housing Affordability: A Surprising Recovery

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Image of HighRes_Billy Bolton_PresentMade_Eddington_318 Insights 20.05.25

The Build to Rent (BTR) sector is experiencing a seismic shift that's reshaping the entire landscape of operational living investment.

Single-Family Housing: How BTR Investment Is Shifting

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Image of 25UKREiiF_0221 Blog 19.05.25

UKREiiF 2025 brought together a panel of leading voices to ask a pivotal question: Are the latest planning reforms truly delivering progress, or simply adding new layers to an already complex system?

Navigating Planning Reforms: Is This the Path to Progress?

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Eddington_200421 38 Insights 09.05.25

The residential land and development market in 2025 to date has demonstrated significant activity and opportunity, alongside giving rise to new (and exacerbating some existing) challenges.

Land & Development Market Update May 2025

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Planning Reform and Productivity

Two quotes, half a century and a continent apart, explain why housebuilding has declined to 145,000 per year, less than half of the Government’s objective of 300,000 p.a.

2024
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The role of forestry and timber in a modern, green society

The UK has a productivity problem. One overlooked solution lies in the forestry sector. A strategic approach to increasing our domestic timber production and use could not only help decarbonize the construction sector but also provide a significant productivity boost to the UK.

2024
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The Productivity Engine

In Bidwells’ latest groundbreaking report, The Productivity Engine, we uncover the fundamental role that space plays in understanding - and solving - the UK’s productivity problems.

2024
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Enhancing the UK’s productivity through innovative urban development strategies

As the UK seeks to enhance its productivity and competitiveness on the global stage, innovative urban development strategies have emerged as a critical component of this endeavour.

2024
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Productivity Engine: Preface from Bidwells’ Senior Partner Nick Pettit

Productivity is measured by dividing the output of goods and services by the number of hours which people have worked.

2024
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Fixing the productivity puzzle: enhancing equitable access to medical innovation for economic growth

There is little debate about the causal link between a healthy workforce and greater national prosperity.

2024
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We must land on a strategy for our most precious resource

Making more efficient use of Britain’s most finite resource—land—is our best chance to enhance the country’s sluggish productivity. It’s as simple as that.

2024
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Productivity drives output, output drives employment and employment drives property income

Commercial property returns are variable by geography. This dispersion is significantly influenced by the resilience and growth in income.

2024
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Real estate can drive productivity by supporting regional centres of excellence

The United Kingdom, once celebrated for its industrial prowess and ingenuity, now confronts a dire economic reality marked by a persistent productivity crisis.

2024
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Enhancing science literacy beyond the lab will turbo-charge productivity

There’s an awakening in the world of deeptech investment that if you want results, you need specialists.

2024
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Cambridge Residential Rental Market Report, Spring 2024

Oxford Economics forecast a rapid decline in the bank rate this year and next, ending 2024 at 4% and 2025 at 3%.

Spring 2024
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Rural Outlook 2024 - Update on Rural Permitted Development Rights

Around 10 years ago, we saw the introduction of Class Q (agriculture to residential) and Class R (agriculture to a flexible commercial use) permitted development rights, which opened significant opportunities for barn conversions and rural diversification.

06.03.24
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10
May 2026

Bidwells Oxford Town & Gown 10K 2026

Bidwells Oxford 10k is the oldest run in the Town and Gown series. Inspired by a local boy Daniel Cleaver who had muscular dystrophy, it started in 1982. Daniel’s father and local runners set up the event as a fun run to raise money for muscular dystrophy and to this day all profits still go to our work.

10.05.26
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05
Oct 2025

Bidwells Cambridge Town & Gown 10K 2025

Bidwells Cambridge 10k is Muscular Dystrophy's autumn run of the series and will be back on Sunday 5 October 2025. Register your place now. Don’t miss out.

05.10.25
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05
Jun 2025

Creating a Scientific Superpower 2025

Brought to you by the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster & Bidwells, the Creating a Scientific Superpower conference returned for its fourth year.

05.06.25
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28
May 2025

Devolution, the opportunity for Oxfordshire

Bidwells and Cavendish invite you to an exclusive breakfast and panel session of insightful speakers, bringing together key experts to discuss the future of governance and growth in Oxfordshire. 

28.05.25
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20
May 2025

Bidwells at UKREiiF 2025

At UKREiiF 2025, we examined Investment for Growth in the Bidwells Pavilion. Visitors joined us for discussions on the biggest opportunities that were driving productivity, innovation, and impact.

20.05.25
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19
May 2025

Navigating Planning Reforms: Is This the Path to Progress?

UKREiiF 2025 brought together a panel of leading voices to ask a pivotal question: Are the latest planning reforms truly delivering progress, or simply adding new layers to an already complex system?

19.05.25
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23
Jan 2025

Oxford Local Plan Watch Winter Update & NPPF Insights

Join us this January for our Oxford Local Plan Watch Winter Update, a breakfast event that will dive into the latest developments in local planning and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

23.01.25
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21
Nov 2024

The Productivity Engine: Unlocking Oxford’s Economic Potential

Oxford is on the brink of transformative growth, with real estate and strategic infrastructure key to unlocking its economic potential. Join us to explore innovative housing, high-tech workspaces, and the future of Oxford’s productivity - shaping both local communities and the wider economy.

21.11.24
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18
Nov 2024

Housing Matters: finding collaborative solutions to the UK’s housing shortage

Join acclaimed author, barrister, and public speaker Hashi Mohamed for a breakfast panel session, followed by a keynote presentation, on 18th November 2024.

18.11.24
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06
Nov 2024

Bidwells at FBIS 2024

Join Bidwells at Stand FM628 at this year’s Farm Business Innovation Show, part of the Land Leisure and Tourism Conference at the NEC Birmingham.

06.11.24 - 07.11.24
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29
Oct 2024

AI Festival - The Future Workspace: How the Tech Evolution is Shaping Milton Keynes

Explore how evolving technologies, and the convergence of science and tech, are transforming workspaces and property demand in Milton Keynes.

29.10.24
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25
Sep 2024

BioWednesday: Being More Than an Ideas Factory

This seminar investigates the underlying barriers to innovative SME growth and discusses practical measures for enabling companies to reach their potential.

25.09.24
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