London property professionals to provide free consultancy to charities
Registered charities will be able to get free property and construction consultancy with the launch of a new scheme aimed at encouraging and facilitating corporate social responsibility (CSR) amongst London surveyors, architects, engineers and other property related consultants.

Property Advice for London (PAL) will provide a match-making service for London-based charities to access specialist property expertise from established providers on everything from refurbishments and leasing to relocation and service charges.

The scheme, sponsored by Barclays Bank, will be run by CIC London (Construction Industry Council) and RICS.

These organisations will ensure that charity clients are matched with companies with the right experience, expertise and resources to provide answers to often complex property questions.

Mark van den Berg FRICS, chairman of CIC London and director of Northcroft Construction Consultants, said:

"It is interesting to chart the journey of CSR as a business issue. What may once have been perceived as an inconvenient luxury is rapidly becoming an essential business activity and demand for this scheme has been driven by property consultants as much as the potential beneficiaries.

"Charities increasingly recognise how the right property strategy is central to business success and PAL will provide them with professional property advice and guidance that would otherwise be expensive and difficult to access."

A launch event will be held at the Barclays Bank UK headquarters in Canary Wharf, London, on 22 May.