Give us more detail on office opening, property bosses tell PM

Property chiefs have called for further detail on when office workers will be able to go back to work, after the prime minister announced his plan to end lockdown this afternoon. Boris Johnson today outlined the government’s so-called roadmap to lifting coronavirus restrictions by June, saying that non-essential retailers would be allowed to reopen on 12 April. Hospitality will also be able to open on that date, albeit with an outdoor-only rule, but no date was given for the reopening of office workplaces. Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said it was “positive” to have exact dates for retailers, but added that the PM must do the same for offices “as soon as possible”. “While the future of the office will no doubt include a home-office hybrid for more employees, offices will remain a hub for collaboration, creativity and productivity, and a safe return is vital to recovery,” she added. Meanwhile, City of London Corporation policy chair Catherine McGuinness added that workers in the Square Mile were “eager to return to their place of work”. “We look forward to additional information in the coming weeks, particularly on when workers can return to offices,” she said. Johnson’s long-awaited plan, published in a 60-page document today, contains four stages for ending the harsh lockdown restrictions that will take place over the coming months. He told MPs that his roadmap was “cautious” and “a one-way road to freedom”. The PM added that infections would rise as a result of easing the lockdown, but the government hoped to control this. “There is no route to a zero-Covid Britain, or indeed a zero-Covid world,” he said. Alistair Elliott, chairman of Knight Frank, said it was “very disappointing that the government has yet to fix a date for when people will be encouraged back to the workplace”. “Many of the businesses which the prime minister has announced can begin to reopen will require the return of commuters in order to make this viable,” he added. “It is also particularly pertinent, given that mental health problems appear to be growing and mass working from home is an ongoing struggle for businesses. Industry now needs to be given clear guidance on how employers can re-engage their workforce.” Charles Begley, executive director of the London Property Alliance, added: “There is hope on the horizon and we are increasingly confident of a return to normality if the figures keep going the right way. In the meantime the government must continue to extend support such as the business rates relief and the furlough scheme to those sectors most impacted so they can survive until it is safe to reopen.” To send feedback, e-mail alex.daniel@egi.co.uk or tweet @alexmdaniel or @estatesgazette Photo © Guillaume Meurice/Pexels