And as if that wasn't enough, Chase is feeling his way into a new job as chairman of retail for DTZ's EMEA division, following its merger with Donaldsons. But if the challenges are daunting, Chase doesn't show it, exuding confidence in his Mayfair office as he juggles a busy diary.

"I think the 25th anniversary is a time to reflect on what we've done," he says. "The impact we've had goes far wider than simply delivering more floorspace, and we need to get across what shopping centres have done in a broader sense."

With this in mind one of his priorities will be to have a new look at some research carried out by the BCSC a couple of years ago, into the importance of shopping centres to the wider economy. "Probably 10 per cent of the population works in retail now," he says. "And shopping centres have become the heart of their communities, especially with the growth of mixed-use. You can live, work and play as well as shop in town centres now."

He refutes the contention that the shopping centre industry has been railroaded into adopting mixed-use by the planners. "The big schemes like Liverpool and Bristol have evolved in response to market demand, not to planning," he asserts.

"Mixed-use is here to stay - the only debate now is whether it should happen in a single managed environment," he says. "That does have the advantage of creating a product where some uses can cross-subsidise others."

He points to Victoria Square in Belfast as an example of true mixed-use regeneration, and he can speak with some authority, having been personally involved with the project for the best part of a decade. "At Victoria Square, value has been created by going vertical: we have two levels of underground parking, then two levels of retail, and above that there's a cinema and eating, and then housing. It's a vertical product that works."

And he was pleased to see BCSC give one of its top awards to Land Securities' Cardinal Place scheme in Victoria. "Those offices wouldn't have commanded the rents they achieved without the shops: it was about creating a place," he says.

How, then, have things changed during the 25 years since the founding of BCSC? "A quarter of a century ago out-of-town was a free-for-all," Chase remembers. "John Gummer arrived in the mid-1980s and said 'this has got to stop.' He quite rightly feared that we were heading towards the 'doughnut effect' that had hit American cities. His PPG6 policy didn't stop out-of-town but it did create a balance, and that's what we've got today with a mix of high quality town centres, out-of-town for economies of scale and ease of access, and now the internet."

However, he admits: "Although the UK has very high sales densities, and that has helped underpin both rental and capital values, we've now seen a downturn in values. More than ever that puts the spotlight on the skills of the retail asset manager, someone who can get the shoppers in and then convert them."

And he believes that the industry can turn the fact that shopping centres are intensively managed environments to its advantage in troubled times. "If you buy offices you're to some extent taking a bet on the market, but retail is different: a successful asset manager is someone who can run a shopping centre as a business."

And he adds: "Property is fundamentally an income game. Retail property can't succeed if the retailers can't make money, so we're in a partnership: if the retailers do well so do the property owners."

Although he's open about the difficulties facing the investment market, Chase is keen not to talk the market down. "So far none of the new schemes have opened less than 90 per cent let, so I'm very much a 'glass half full' person in the current market. I'm sure the new schemes will provide places where retailers can trade successfully and therefore they'll do well."

In a specific BCSC context, Chase wants to use his presidential year to highlight the work shopping centres do within their individual communities, building on the highly successful environmental roadshow which toured UK shopping centres last year. "With 120 million visitors per week, shopping centres are a powerful promotional tool," he points out. "The green issue was probably the easy one to pick but this year 12 centres are joining in Prince Charles' Mayday initiative."

He's also keen to work alongside the government's talent initiative. "The government has warned that we will soon need only half a million of today's 6 million unskilled workers. In the 21st century, the UK economy is more dependent than ever on leveraging innate talent and building a nation of highly skilled people. We have to take education and training more seriously," he says. As part of this initiative, undertaken jointly with Business in the Community, an education roadshow will tour shopping centres across the country with a focus on jobs and training.

"I plan to develop the involvement of shopping centres with community education, particularly schemes designed to ensure that local people are more fully aware of the importance of education and training to their future," Chase asserts. "I also want people to have every possible opportunity to benefit from the new jobs created as a result of our sector's investment."

Internally, Chase will be working with BCSC chief executive Michael Green to produce a new business plan for the organisation. "After 25 years it's a good time to draw up a new plan," he says. "We're certainly doing well on events but can we do more on education and training? I'm very inspired by the way ICSC has developed its own diplomas that have become recognised across the industry, and we're already in talks with a couple of universities here about an accredited training scheme."

And as part of this process the organisation's 2,600-strong membership have just been polled about what they want to see the BCSC doing in the future. Although the results aren't in yet, Chase already foresees some challenges. "Is BCSC an old boys' club, or should we be doing more to accommodate newly-qualified people?" he muses. "And BCSC is highly successful as a networking organisation, but can we do the same on thought leadership and education?"

At the same time he'll be focusing on the BCSC's flagship events during his year in office - the annual conference in Liverpool, which will be chaired by the John Lewis Partnership's Sir Stuart Hampson, and then the annual dinner in December. But this year there will be an extra event in the form of a 25th anniversary dinner during the summer.

And he's also looking to use the regular lunchtime meetings in London as a way of deepening the ties between BCSC and other organisations: one of the lunches will be held jointly with the British Retail Consortium and another with the British Property Federation.

It's going to be a busy year.

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