Islamic investment 'helping the UK market'

Islamic-style investments have played a major part in the UK's commercial property market "for a long time", an expert has claimed.

Fiona Thompson, of Clarke Willmott's Birmingham office, has also claimed that without the finance the sector could be in a "considerably worse" condition.

In a column for the Birmingham Post, she explained that while Middle East funds will have been as affected by the global economic downturn, they remain relatively unharmed due to their wealth.

She added: "Their willingness to continue investing provides some buoyancy to a sector that would otherwise be in much more serious straits."

Anthony Duggan, head of research for consultancy firm Drivers Jonas, recently claimed commercial property investors may benefit from falls in the number of new build starts in the UK.

He said the financial climate will lead to a "rebalancing of demand" in the sector.