" For centuries, the Côte d’Azur or ‘French Riviera’ has been attracting the rich and famous, from British aristocrats and Russian nobles, to American movie stars and European artists. All are drawn to the Mediterranean sun, glistening blue waters, mountainous hinterland, and today, its image as a chic, “billionaires” playground. The Côte d’Azur forms the coastal area of the ‘Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur’ (PACA) region on the south eastern French Mediterranean coast. It consistently commands the highest priced residential property in the country, and is home to the majority of foreign-owned second homes in France."

" The market remains two tiered with a contraction of larger floorplate supply, but fierce competition between landlords for smaller enquiries. Take-up in the first half of 2010 totalled 318,004 sq ft. This is 37% up on the first half of 2009. 34% of space taken was Grade A specification.  "

" A renewed search for security will widen the yield spread between prime and secondary. The average prime yield rose from 5.73% in May to 5.80% in June. While most sectors were broadly stable, there is still downard pressure on prime London office and retail yields as domestic and international investors chase their preferred mix of security and rental growth prospects.  "

" In the strong, high-demand housing markets, competition amongst bidders for land is high and values are recovering strongly. This comes as some developers have recapitalised and are actively searching for new, small ‘easy’ sites. "

" “In the absence of any speculative developments, the Grade A warehouses located on the North/South axis will be occupied at a steady rate. The prime rental values should consequently be maintained.” "

" The resurgence in activity among purchasers of new homes began with improvements in reservations in the second half of 2009. Activity and sales levels were most pronounced in the South of England, where  issues over scarcity of stock in both the new and second hand markets led to price rises. "

" “Investors are increasingly focusing on rental growth, but will the central London office market deliver it?” Take-up in the first six months of 2010 has almost exceeded the full year total for 2009. However, Q2 was quieter than Q1 and over the next five years we expect average levels of take-up rather than a boom.  "

"Will the associated risks involved dampen the attractiveness of investing in the student housing market in 2010? The key question in 2010 is whether the market will continue to offer investment potential or if the associated risks now outweigh the advantagesof investing in the sector."

" Recovery in private sector development continued, but public sector activity fell at fastest pace since January. Higher levels of total commercial development have now been recorded in three of the past four months. "

" “2010 will remain a challenging year, however, with no development pipeline and increasing corporate activity fuelling demand, 2011 will bring opportunities for investors and developers.”  As at the end of July, the level of take-up was just over 1.1 million sq ft with two-thirds within the Western Sector. The overall total to date is only 6% lower than the same point in 2009.  "