Home ›

Five Counties Conference 2010

Wednesday, 3 March 2010 - 8:00am - 5:00pm
Wycombe Swan theatre, High Wycombe

Over 300 chartered surveyors attended the Five Counties Conference 2010 for Commercial and Residential Surveyors held on Wednesday, 3 March 2010 at the Wycombe Swan theatre in High Wycombe, making this one of the largest one-day events for surveyors in the UK.

Delegates may download many of the presentations and slides from the conference by following the following link: conference presentations.

In the morning, delegates listened to a presentation by Tony Bowhill, a chartered surveyor and chartered town planner, on s106 agreements.  This was followed by Barry Gilbertson, former RICS president, giving his views on the property market in a presentation entitled Roots: Shoots: Fruits.  Peter Bill, former editor of Estates Gazette,  provided a reality check from the persepective of an experienced property journalist.

The conference was addressed by RICS president, Max Crofts FRICS.

After lunch, delegates divided into separate streams covering commercial and residential topics.  In the commercial stream:

  • Lynda Rawsthorne of the Valuation Office Agency examined the rating revaluation under the title: to appeal or not to appeal
  • Jacqui Joyce and Chris Ray, members of the RICS working party on PACT (Professional Arbitration on Court Terms) described this method of dispute resolution
  • Mike Hodge of Aitchison Raffety looked at the diffculties of practical valuation in the current market.

In the residential stream:

  • Tony Parish and Connor Flynn from the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) spoke about the hidden perils of poor electrical installation in domestic properties
  • John Byrne, GasSafe Register, examined the requirements and procedures for safety in gas installations
  • Barry Hall, chairman of the RICS Residential Survey and Valuation Group, provided an update and advice on using the RICS HomeBuyer Report.

In a collection at the end of the conference, delegates showed their generosity by giving over £500 in aid of Sue Ryder Care in memory of Michael Mountford FRICS, a member of the conference organising committee for many years, who had passed away in 2009.

The Five Counties Conference 2011 will be held on Wednesday, 9 March 2011.