‘Diversity in the property sector leads to inclusive and resilient communities’
Inaugural Eastern Eye Property Awards celebrate Asian achievements in real estate, urban planning and regeneration
By Sarwar AlamJul 03, 2024
BRITISH ASIAN entrepreneurs were recognised for their contribution in developing the country’s property and real-estate sectors at the inaugural Eastern Eye Property Awards in London last Wednesday (26).
With the event’s focus on urban planning, commercial and residential development and regeneration of neighbourhoods, the ceremony showcased the achievements of Asians in Britain’s booming property market. These included prominent developers, leading hoteliers and also skilled professionals working in finance, law, consultancy and related service providers.
Amit Bhatia
Claire Coutinho, the keynote speaker who is secretary of state for energy security and net zero, paid tribute to the entrepreneurial spirit of generations of British Asians.
She said, “There are so many talented individuals, from small-scale organisations to large corporations. The entrepreneurial spirit you are bringing to your designs, your pioneering development, your dedication to turning around neighbourhoods and bringing [about] the regeneration the country needs – it’s not only just impressive, it speaks volumes about the contributions of British Asians in society.”
Jaimin Solanki
In his remarks, Jaimin Solanki, director of the Asian Media Group (AMG) and partner, Solanki Family Office, noted how the property market was vital to the foundation of the UK economy.
He said, “It employs 12 million people and remains the prime destination for foreign capital. Property underpins industry and business. Embracing diversity in property development and urban planning leads to more inclusive and resilient communities.
“When we design our cities and neighbourhoods with the needs of diverse populations in mind, we create spaces that are welcoming and accommodating for all. This approach not only enhances quality of life but also fosters a sense of belonging and social cohesion.
“This evening is about celebrating the positives of diversity and the contribution ethnic communities have made in the sector.”
In all, 12 awards were presented at the ceremony, which was held at the Park Plaza London Riverbank. There was also a panel discussion on the challenges facing the UK’s property and housing sectors,
Westcombe Group. Shailesh Solanki, OakNorth’s Deepesh Thakrar, Sunil Pankhania, Kamal Pankhania, Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
featuring Kamal Pankhania of the Westcombe Group, Summix’s Niamh O’Connor and Harry Murphy from Savills Workthere UK. (See page 15)
The Hinduja family took home the coveted Eastern Eye property developer of the year award for The OWO Raffles, which was launched last year by Princess Anne and attended by the who’s who of London society.
The award recognised the scale of one of the most ambitious residential and hospitality projects in the capital.
Shailesh Solanki, Stanly Daniel (who collected the award on behalf of Bestway), Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
The Hinduja Group partnered with Onex Holdings to restore the Old War Office (OWO) in Whitehall – a building completed in 1906 and one of the great edifices of the Edwardian age from where Sir Winston Churchill led Britain’s war effort during the Second World War.
The OWO Raffles was the Hinduja family’s foray into hospitality. The development was led by Shalini Hinduja, the daughter-in-law of GP Hinduja, the chairman of the group.
In a six-year restoration project estimated to have cost £1.4 billion, the original footprint was expanded from 580,000 sq ft to 800,000 sq ft. Three new floors were excavated below ground to create a ballroom and a swimming pool beneath ornate marble arches.
There are 120 hotel rooms, 85 residential apartments, nine restaurants, three bars, a spa and a gym.
“The OWO will be my greatest legacy to London for future generations to enjoy,” said GP Hinduja.
Shailesh Solanki, Akhil Mair, Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
Other award winners on the night included developers, interior designers, those from the legal and finance professions and hoteliers.
The crucial role of financiers in property development was recognised with the bank of the year award, which went to OakNorth Bank.
Harold Benjamin Solicitors. Shailesh Solanki, Vijay Parikh of Harold Benjamin Solicitors, Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
Since its launch in 2015, OakNorth has supported entrepreneurs in growing their businesses by using data and analytics and providing access to credit and personalised banking services.
In 2023, it provided lending worth £1.7bn, at a time when borrowing across all banks fell by 16 per cent.
Another sector recognised at the event was that of care homes, as an ageing population has driven development in that part of the property business.
Avnish Goyal, chair of Hallmark Luxury Care Homes, collected the Eastern Eye care home developer of the year award for his Hallmark Angmering Grange Luxury Care Home near South Downs National Park.
Shailesh Solanki, Amit Bhatia, Prakash and Ritu Chhabria (who collected the award of behalf of the Hinduja family), Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
Its features include a cinema, a café with adjoining cocktail bar, two hair salons and a traditional ice cream parlour. Residents also have access to landscaped gardens, a summer house, gardening club area, a Royal Mail post-box and fitness equipment.
The Eastern Eye hotel developer of the year award went to the Westcombe Group for its refurbishment of the Hampton by Hilton Old Street property in Shoreditch, London. The successful multi-millionpound project, using a high standard of sustainable construction, gained an “Excellent” rating from Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM).
The Bestway Group was recognised for its work in reducing the environmental impact of real estate as it collected the Eastern Eye sustainable business of the year award.
Hallmark’s Aneurin Brown, Shailesh Solank SBI UK’s Sudhir Sharma ,Avnish Goyal, Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake are pictured with other team members and guests
The group ensures that its real-estate assets – which are in excess of £1bn and include warehousing, commercial properties and residential developments – all embrace green and renewable energy solutions, reduce its carbon footprint and minimise the environmental impact.
Rina Patel, founder of Vastu Interior Design, collected the Eastern Eye interior designer award. Her recent projects included a property development in Chelsea valued at £15 million, but which subsequently sold for £22m.
Vijay Parikh, managing director at Harold Bejamin Solicitors, scooped the award for Eastern Eye law firm of the year.
Kiran Chauhan. Shailesh Solanki, Kirty Chovisia and Jonathan Kay (who received the award on behalf of Kiran Chauhan), and Kalpesh Solanki
The firm acts on behalf of high-profile retail brands including Ladbrokes, Kering Group, Head Masters and Balenciaga. Its recent projects include a €70m (£59m) refinance of a Dublin hotel and working for fashion houses Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent on two separate transactions in Sloane Street.
The Eastern Eye planner of the year award recognises how complex planning permissions can be, and how valuable and helpful professional cooperation is with local authorities.
Kiran Chauhan, from the London borough of Brent, won the award. Chauhan has, for the past two years, been the lead on the development of a mixed-use regeneration, industrial intensification of an existing estate in northwest London.
Shailesh Solanki, Shiraz Jiwa, Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
The scheme involves the co-location of at least 2,200 new homes.
The Valesco Group, the largest hospitality group in Europe and the sixth-largest globally, won the Eastern Eye property deal of the year, for the €460m (£390m) acquisition of the iconic Sequana Tower in Paris, France, that serves as the conglomerate’s global headquarters.
Shiraz Jiwa, founder and CEO of the Valesco Group, collected the award. Under his leadership, the company has built a €2.5bn (£2.1bn) pan-European portfolio in five years, with the backing of sovereign and institutional capital from Asia – unprecedented for such a young firm.
Shailesh Solanki, Ecolibrium’s Chintan Soni, Kalpesh Solanki and Nihal Arthanayake
The Eastern Eye property technology company of the year award went to Ecolibrium, a business that provides pioneering sustainability technology to organisations through data-driven solutions as they embark on their decarbonisation journeys.
Market Financial Solutions won the Eastern Eye specialist lender award. It offers a range of bespoke products, including delivering loans as large as £50m in as few as three days.
The Eastern Eye best mortgage broker award went to Akhil Mair, managing director of Our Mortgage Broker Ltd.
Kalpesh Solanki, Shailesh Solanki, Athul Santimon and Alex Jacobs from Market Financial Solutions, and Nihal Arthanayake
BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake hosted the event, which was held in association with Summix and supported by OakNorth Bank and SBI UK.
The awards also helped raise awareness and much-needed funds for the charity LEPRA, whose vision is a world free from stigma and disability due to leprosy. Guests donated generously to LEPRA projects in India and Bangladesh.
The Eastern Eye Property Awards are hosted by AMG, which publishes Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat news weeklies as well as the Asian Rich List and the GG2 Power List.
A MINUTE of silence will be observed in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, to remember those who died in the recent Air India crash. The silence will take place during the inauguration of the annual Rathayatra festival of chariots in the city centre.
Organisers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness confirmed the silence will be held at 11.20am, followed by traditional Hindu performances from Gujarat at Gallowtree Gate, outside Sports Direct.
The society’s president, Pradyumna Das, told Leicester Mercury: "Though a joyous occasion, this year's festival is marred by the tragic loss of so many lives in the plane crash, impacting families here in Leicester. Today we pray for the departed in hope for their reunion with the Supreme Lord."
The Air India flight crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12. Of the 242 people on board, only one survived – Leicester man Viswash Kumar Ramesh. Among the dead were 53 British nationals, including several from Leicester.
The welcome ceremony for the festival starts at 9am. The chariot procession will begin after the inauguration and reach Cossington Park at 2.30pm for a free celebration.
Pradyumna told Leicester Mercury: "While we observe a world plagued with division and disharmony, this festival shares the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita to encourage us to see the true spiritual nature of all beings. This means going beyond sectarianism and even religious affiliation. In the Rathayatra festival, the Lord of the universe, Jagannatha, rides through the city to offer his glance of love to everyone."
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The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. (Representational image: iStock)
MILLIONS of households in Britain will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter after the government changed the eligibility rules for the Warm Home Discount.
People on means-tested benefits will now automatically qualify for the discount, regardless of their property's size or energy score. This change is expected to extend support to 2.7 million additional households, including nearly a million with children.
The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. Under the previous rules, only those on the guaranteed element of pension credit or on means-tested benefits living in homes with a high energy score were eligible.
Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition told BBC: "With bills still hundreds of pounds higher than in 2020, millions will continue to face unaffordable energy and cold, damp homes this winter."
The expansion of the scheme follows the government's recent decision to reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for most pensioners.
Although energy companies will cover the cost of the expanded discount, it may be passed on to all customers through a rise in the Standing Charge, BBC reported. The government says savings from reduced energy company spending and improved debt management will offset this.
Energy UK's chief executive Dhara Vyas welcomed the move and said she hoped for "a new improved targeted support scheme".
Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently confirmed £13.2bn for the government's Warm Homes Plan to improve energy efficiency in homes.
TWO sisters studying at the University of Chester have drowned in mountain pools while visiting Snowdonia with university friends, an inquest has heard.
Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from the water at the Watkin Pools at Eryri in the Nant Gwynant area of Gwynedd on June 11.
The sisters, who were born in Pakistan but lived in Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, were both pronounced dead at the scene, according to reports.
Assistant coroner for north-west Wales Sarah Riley opened inquests into their deaths at the Dafydd Orwig Chamber in Caernarfon on Wednesday (18).
She said: "Hajra and Haleema had travelled to the Nant Gwynant area with friends from university. They have entered the water and sadly both died as a result of drowning."
Emergency services were called to the scene at around 9.30pm after receiving reports that one woman had been pulled from the water while another remained in the pools. Despite efforts by emergency crews to rescue the second woman, both students were tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
The multi-agency response involved Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, Wales Air Ambulance, and the Coastguard. Jurgen Dissmann, chairman of Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, said, "On behalf of Llanberis mountain rescue team, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the two women who sadly lost their lives. This was a complex and difficult callout for the team."
The pools where the tragedy occurred are part of a series of cascades and plunge pools on Afon Cwm Llan, which have been described on social media as an "absolute dream tucked away in Snowdonia" and "perfect for a refreshing wild swim".
Both women had joined Chester Business School earlier this year to study Master's degrees in International Business.
Vice-chancellor Professor Eunice Simmons said: "The University of Chester community is in mourning for the tragic loss of Haleema Zahid and Hajra Zahid and our heartfelt sympathies are with their families and friends during this incredibly difficult time. They touched the lives of many here at Chester - their friends, the cohort on their course and the staff who taught them - and they will be deeply missed."
Colleagues from Pakistan paid tribute to Haleema, who had previously worked at a telecommunications company in Islamabad. Dr Bilal Saeed described her as "an exceptionally compassionate, hardworking and kind individual" who had "touched the lives of many with her warmth, professionalism and unwavering dedication".
Another former colleague, Sheharyar Shahnawaz, remembered Haleema as an "amazing lady, very lively and energetic, someone you would want in your life". He revealed that she had become the pillar of her family following her father's death last year and had been "really excited for this new chapter" when he saw her before she left for the UK.
Riley added: "Investigations continue in terms of how they came by their death and the inquest is therefore adjourned to allow for completion of those investigations. I offer my sincere condolences to their family, friends and all who knew and loved them."
A YOUNG couple from Croydon were among those killed in last week's devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, it has been confirmed.
Vaibhav Patel, 29, and his pregnant wife Jinal Goswami, 27, died when their flight crashed just moments after takeoff on June 12. Goswami was seven months pregnant with the couple's first child, reports said.
The pair had travelled to Gujarat to celebrate their baby shower with family and friends. Their close friend Nirav Patel, who had known Vaibhav for over a decade, spoke of his shock at the news.
"The couple were in Ahmedabad to celebrate their own baby shower. It was on the 5 June. She was seven months pregnant. They were very happy," he told the BBC.
Patel and Goswami, who had been married for four years, had recently moved to Croydon from Southampton, where Vaibhav had previously worked at a Papa John's restaurant in Portswood.
His former manager described him as a "true gentleman" who "worked very hard and was a family man".
Nirav remembered his friend as someone who "always supported his family and friends", adding: "Vaibhav did not have a father, so he was the big son supporting the family back in India."
The funeral for both victims was held in India on Monday (16), with grieving relatives and friends gathering to pay their final respects.
Croydon Business Association expressed condolences over the tragedy, saying the incident had "profoundly affected the victims, their families and the wider community".
The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner was bound for London's Gatwick Airport when it crashed seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft lost altitude just 17 seconds after liftoff and slammed into a medical college hostel.
The disaster claimed 241 of the 242 people on board, plus at least 30 people on the ground. Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.
Only one passenger survived - 40-year-old British businessman Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, who was seated near an emergency exit and suffered serious injuries.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves across both India and the UK, marking one of the deadliest aviation disasters worldwide in a decade.
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Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran on June 18, 2025.
ISRAEL launched airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Thursday, while Iranian missiles damaged an Israeli hospital, escalating the ongoing conflict between the two countries.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign until Iran's nuclear programme is destroyed. “The tyrants of Tehran will pay the full price,” he said.
Defence minister Israel Katz said the military had been ordered to increase strikes on strategic targets in Tehran. He said the goal was to eliminate threats to Israel and undermine the “Ayatollah regime.”
Netanyahu has said Israel’s offensive could bring down the Iranian regime, and that the country would take all necessary steps to remove the “existential threat” posed by Tehran.
Over a week of Israeli strikes has targeted Iran’s military leadership, damaged its nuclear infrastructure, and killed hundreds. Iran's retaliatory missile attacks have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel.
Israel’s military said it targeted the Khondab nuclear site in Arak overnight, including a heavy-water research reactor. Heavy-water reactors can be used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons.
Iranian media reported that two projectiles landed near the facility. No radiation threat was reported.
The Israeli military also said it struck a site in the Natanz area, which it described as housing equipment for developing nuclear weapons.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says its programme is peaceful. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said Israel had violated international law by attacking its nuclear sites and added there were no casualties because the areas were evacuated.
Missiles damage hospital in Israel
On Thursday, several Iranian missiles struck populated areas in Israel, including a hospital in the south, according to an Israeli military official.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it was aiming at Israeli military and intelligence sites near Soroka medical centre in Beersheba. The hospital confirmed damage.
This marks the first time in years of conflict that Iranian missile attacks have killed civilians inside Israel. Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv as missiles were intercepted. Some made direct hits, according to Israeli media.
Emergency services said five people were seriously injured and dozens hurt across three locations. People were trapped in a building in a southern Tel Aviv neighbourhood.
A number of embassies in central Tel Aviv were located close to the impact zone. Buildings were also damaged in nearby Ramat Gan, a commercial area.
Emergency workers were helping residents, including children, after windows were shattered and buildings damaged by the blast.
“It’s very scary,” said Yaniv, 34, who lives nearby. He said his apartment tower shook from the explosion.
Regional conflict widens
The conflict between Israel and Iran has raised concerns about the involvement of other world powers and wider instability in the Middle East.
Oil prices rose after news of the Israeli strikes, amid concerns over potential disruptions to crude supply.
Since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, Israel has been fighting on multiple fronts. It has targeted Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Yemen’s Houthi group with airstrikes and assassinations.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Wednesday, president Donald Trump declined to confirm whether the US would join Israel’s campaign.
“I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said.
Trump also said Iranian officials wanted to come to Washington for talks. “We may do that,” he said, adding “it’s a little late.”
Trump has said the conflict could end if Iran agrees to strict limits on its nuclear programme. Iran has said it will not negotiate while under attack. Talks scheduled between Washington and Tehran were cancelled last Sunday.
Germany, France and Britain are now planning to meet with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi on Friday in Geneva, according to a German diplomatic source.
Trump has made varying statements, from suggesting diplomacy to floating the idea of targeting Iran’s supreme leader and calling for Iran’s surrender.
A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump’s team is reviewing possible US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
However, the idea of US military involvement has caused divisions among Trump’s supporters, with some urging him to avoid another Middle East conflict.