Propernomics

Propernomics^® provides independent research into property markets and socio-economic impacts.

We love helping clients with research to test ideas, make the case for projects, develop policies and evaluate outcomes.

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The word “Propernomics^®” is a distillation of:

Proper – accurate, correct, genuine
Property – asset, attribute, quality
Research – study, test, discover
Economics – resources, factors, impacts

Inspired by these words, we provide clients with actionable research, dependable advice and expert evidence.

RESEARCH-BASED SOLUTIONS

Do you need help with:

Demonstrating or testing the benefits of a planning application or funding bid?
Evidence for a change of use or mix of land uses?
Market analysis to inform a property strategy, masterplan or consultation?
Evaluating the economic development impact or social value of a project?
Understanding the demographics or socio-economic profile of different geographies?
Research to stimulate debate, energise public consultation or inform policies?
Scoping the size, nature and direction of a market segment?
Optimising a survey or perception study to generate meaningful and robust results?
Or you simply want help to explore ideas, develop a strategy, or discuss your options?

Long experience, including expert witness work for public and private sector clients, means we hit the ground running and clients benefit from efficient, effective expertise. Feel free to pick up the phone or send a message; we’d love to help you. We can:

Add value to your property by justifying a change of use or mix of uses.
Optimise your project, masterplan or campaign through research.
Test and demonstrate the benefits to society and the economy of what you propose.
Develop robust, evidence-based policies and projects for economic and social purpose.
Critique or challenge the work of others.
Design a research project, analyse the findings, or write an insightful report.
Investigate topics or locations of interest and run bespoke research for you.

Propernomics also works as a “Critical Friend” to clients – so make contact if you want help to do similar work in-house; or to use us as a sounding board; or to hold others to account; or simply to discuss best practice.

Perhaps you’d like us to be your research department for a while?

What would you like to know? Always happy to discuss ideas!

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CLIENTS

CLIENT PROFILES

Propernomics’ work is split between the public and private sector, spanning industries and types of business.

Clients include: SMEs, large organisations and private individuals; economic partnerships; local and regional authorities; developers, consultancies and academic institutions.

The business is often recommended by Town Planners, Chartered Surveyors, Architects, Lawyers, Barristers and other professionals to support their clients with property research and expert evidence.

Use Propernomics to gain strategic insight, market advantage and added value.
Bespoke research, including expert witness reports, as well as regular market monitoring.
Evidence for informed decisions, desirable outcomes and robust policies.

Do contact us – always happy to discuss ideas!

CLIENT FEEDBACK

Your research shifted the dial for the client. Good effort!

An excellent witness!

What a turnaround from a few weeks ago!

The feedback from the delegates on your lecture was extremely positive and so if you are back in the UAE region please do let us know as you are very welcome to come back here.

We were very grateful for your support in undertaking the evaluation.

Many thanks for your contribution and an excellent presentation this morning. We had an excellent level of engagement throughout and a number of good connections have been made, which was one of the aims of the exercise.

Excellent work - your evidence left the other side no wriggle room at all!

Thank you for all your amazing work. It has been great to work with you and I look forward to finding another project to work on!

SERVICES

All our projects are tailored to clients and we are always happy to help design a brief. In addition to bespoke research, our services include these main categories of work (with further detail and examples below).

CATEGORIES OF WORK

Property market analysis
Market research
Socio-economic impact
Economic development
Evidence for town planning
Property strategies
Critical friend
Bespoke research to order – let’s discuss a brief!

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NATURE OF OUR WORK

Property market analysis

Propernomics delves deeply into demand, supply and pricing. With extensive experience of market monitoring, our research often reminds us of the market fundamentals – ultimately local economies and the property industry are driven by the needs of the "occupier" or end user of space. Market analysis can also reveal gaps in supply that should be filled, or surpluses where over-provision could be corrected through changes of use.

Market research

Primary research collects new data directly, such as through surveys or interviews, and complements secondary research, which uses existing sources to set context and spot trends. Combining both methods helps verify findings, fill gaps and support sound, evidence-based recommendations for confident decisions and robust policy-making.

Socio-economic impact

We also research and analyse demographics and socio-economic data. This can be helpful for feasibility studies, impact assessments and due diligence. Helping clients develop an “economic development narrative” or a statement on “social impact” can be especially helpful when writing funding bids or making the case for development alongside other policy considerations. Establishing true “net additionality” is especially important. Our work has been tested under cross-examination in public inquiries and we have produced rebuttal evidence to challenge the claims of other experts.

Economic development

Economic development involves the alignment of resources and factors of production to improve economic and social well-being. Our research for public sector clients helps create the policies and conditions for places to flourish. Our work for private sector clients helps them design and develop projects to deliver positive outcomes.

Evidence for Town Planning

Town Planners regularly come to Propernomics for help. Whether you are a Town Planning consultant in the private sector or working for a Local Planning Authority, or if you are a planning lawyer or barrister, you know the importance of evidence-based advice.

We write expert reports to support planning applications; we produce hearing statements and proofs of evidence to inform public hearings, inquiries and appeals; we also conduct research to inform policy, projects and best practice.

Property strategies

Decisions are easier and strategies more productive with research. Propernomics has helped clients with strategies for individual properties, large area masterplans, plus public policies for districts, functional economic areas and wider regions.

Critical friend

Wikipedia describes a critical friend as “a trusted person who asks provocative questions, provides data to be examined through another lens, and offers critiques of a person's work as a friend”. Propernomics has acted as a trusted adviser in this way for private clients, local authorities and fellow professionals.

Bespoke research

Research being research means that some projects are “exploratory” or involve testing a new proposition. What would you like to know? Let’s find out – always happy to discuss ideas!

EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK

Property market analysis

Propernomics’ research has covered a wide range of land and property types, including offices, industrial units, warehouses, housing, student accommodation, marinas, science parks, innovation centres, retail, leisure, retirement villages, care homes, hotels and other tourist accommodation, waterfronts and Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges.
Employment land studies – numerous projects for public sector and private sector clients, including: site assessments; property market analysis; critiques of Employment Land Reviews and their underlying assumptions; expert witness appearances.
Infrastructure funding business case for private landowners to support development of a new community of up to 6,000 homes at Welborne, near Fareham. Also gave evidence at the Local Plan Examination in Public regarding employment and the new community’s “jobs/homes trajectory”.
Salford CPO. Propernomics provided evidence on employment land requirements at a Compulsory Purchase Order inquiry (on behalf of solicitors set to lose their offices).

Market research

1,000 people said… A market research project for a landowner to consult the public on what they would expect from new communities. The research yielded insightful feedback on land-use priorities, especially the balancing of homes and employment, as well as design preferences, shopping habits, community facilities and governance. The research included feedback from different socio-economic groups and helped to inform masterplanning.
Electric vehicles and tourism. Literature review and analysis of demand/supply of tourist accommodation; combined with a survey of 750 electric vehicle drivers. Proof of evidence for planning appeal.
Reasons we'd pay more rent. A group of coastal local authorities commissioned a perception study of office occupiers to explore what improvements to their towns would encourage ongoing employment and motivate companies to pay more rent to help justify new development.

Socio-economic impact

New garden community proposal. The Duchy of Cornwall commissioned work for public consultation on the economic and social health of Faversham plus the advantages of complementary, mixed-use development nearby to create a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable development.
Socio-economic chapter of an Environmental Impact Assessment for a major, 15 year regeneration project for a Housing Association in London.
Funding bids for Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust (restoration and conversion of historic buildings for managed workspace, tourism use and craft workshops).
Research for Southampton City Council to make the case for public realm improvements in the city centre as a spur for further investment and regeneration.

Economic development

Propernomics has undertaken numerous studies of “managed workspace” of different forms, including Enterprise Centres, Innovation Centres and town centre “co-working” projects.
Hampshire County Council commissioned a perception study to gather stakeholders’ views on pressures and priorities for its economic development strategy.
Town centre regeneration. Part of a multi-disciplinary team led by Feria Urbanism examining future plans and ideas for Waterlooville town centre to inform a Supplementary Planning Document. Propernomics provided detailed analysis of socio-economic factors and retail trends for discussion with the public and the professional team.

Evidence for Town Planning

Socio-economic impact of a London restaurant. Called as an expert witness for Petersham Nurseries alongside hgh Consulting and specialist consultants. As a result of Propernomics' evidence, the Planning Inspector noted “a very positive contribution to the area from a social, economic and tourism point of view”.
Fawley Waterside Employment Report – market research, analysis of trends and estimation of jobs capacity for a new waterfront community. Included research into working practices, the coastal economy and marine sector employment. Propernomics’ presentations and report supported a major planning application prepared by Deloitte.
Expert witness on the merits or otherwise of a change of use – numerous cases weighing up the loss of employment land for residential use (including projects providing specialist housing for the elderly).
Successful defence of an office allocation for a local authority. The evidence (including extensive rebuttals at appeal) focused on property demand, supply and economic impacts.
A variety of projects for Winchester City Council including: a study of town centre sites, how shops are being used and vacancy rates; a critique of the retail evidence base and expenditure forecasts for forward planning; supporting a major community planning exercise and production of a town centre Supplementary Planning Document (alongside JTP).
Critical oversight of development proposals. Propernomics challenged plans for a regeneration site in Kent with the goal of achieving a more imaginative, culture and design-led outcome with wider public benefits.
Critique of proposed housing. Propernomics challenged plans for a new community that overestimated its employment and economic development benefits.
Economic Regeneration Statement for major office refurbishment and extension. In order to validate our client’s planning application, the London Borough of Islington required detailed analysis of: jobs that might be created, supported or lost; proposed employment uses and workspace; potential economic and community benefits; and the project’s “fit” with local regeneration strategies. Propernomics’ report helped the applicant to convey the benefits of the proposed development and to gain planning permission.
Evidence to weigh in the balance. Many of our cases involve property market research and socio-economic analysis to help Town Planners and Inspectors make evidence-based judgements on competing priorities.

Property strategies

Benchmarking a Science Park against its competitors for lessons learned and gathering market feedback to inform the board’s future development strategy.
Employment land and commercial mix. Propernomics acted as lead researcher alongside retained agents for the One Horton Heath non-residential development strategy – part of a major, housing-led development and delivery plan for Eastleigh Borough Council.
A marina operator commissioned research into the “drystack” market for multi-level storage of boat ashore. The project offered significant operational advantages to the marina, with benefits to their supply chain and the local economy.

Critical friend

Critical Friend to a private client requiring help to develop a property strategy for their family home and business premises. Propernomics helped to define key priorities and to establish a logical way to proceed with less stress and greater clarity of purpose.
Critical Friend to a local authority. The council needed help to prepare employment land evidence for Forward Planning purposes. Propernomics advised on best practice with Employment Land Reviews and helped the council blend its in-house work, cost-effectively, with that of consultants. Supplementary work by Propernomics also helped the council to achieve a robust policy position.

Bespoke research

All Propernomics’ projects are tailored to clients and some are especially bespoke. Please contact us to discuss a brief or the seed of an idea to research!

Bespoke research to order – let’s discuss a brief!

What would you like to know?

Do contact us – always happy to discuss ideas!

OUR APPROACH

Our approach is disciplined. Those of us that have worked in the field for two or three decades, or more, have been pioneers in our time! The discipline continues to evolve.

Our approach is mindful. Our research touches all forms of property used by society - from land to buildings and infrastructure - with implications for how we live, work and play. It is also interwoven with the labour supply, skills, investment decisions and natural resources upon which we all depend.

Our approach is methodical and thorough. We strive to provide clients with:

R Robust methodologies and outputs
E Evidence based and enthusiastic service
S Single-minded and purposeful focus
E Expert reports and exacting standards
A Adherence to best practice
R Recommendations you can act upon
C Client satisfaction
H Helpful ideas; always happy to help!

OUR STORY

Propernomics^® was established in 2010 to specialise in property research, market analysis, land use studies and socio-economic impact evidence.

The founder, Simon Ward, started his career as a Chartered Surveyor, based in London, working around the UK. In the 1980s he observed the early pioneers of property research at Cluttons and Hillier Parker (now CBRE) using mainframe computers to streamline property management, analyse market performance and generate valuations for pension funds. Simon’s initial research focused on the performance of particular buildings, the satisfaction of occupiers and identifying future property requirements.

Simon then spent 15 years as Head of Research at Vail Williams developing a robust, market-leading monitor of property demand and supply across southern England. The efficacy of the data and market analysis was endorsed and quoted by other leading property researchers, including Property Market Analysis and Focus (now CoStar) and was used in publications such as Property Week and Estates Gazette.

On the strength of his research at Propernomics, Simon has been called as an expert witness at public inquiries; a conference speaker and panellist; a guest lecturer overseas (Abu Dhabi for the University of Sorbonne); chairman of economic development research committees; and a judge for the RICS Awards (focusing on social value and community benefits). The discipline of property research continues to evolve with ever more sophisticated models and deeper links with Town Planning, development, masterplanning, economics and social value.

The roll-out of Artificial Intelligence brings exciting opportunities, counter-balanced by the salutary reminders that: data must be robust and serve a positive purpose; the property industry and the economy depend upon the value we create for people and businesses every day; and we operate as guests of the natural world with limited resources.

Do contact us – always happy to discuss ideas!