George Osborne is playing a dangerous game with the new Help to Buy London February 1, 2016 George Osborne is playing a dangerous game with the new Help to Buy London Back during the Autumn Statement, George Osborne announced with great pleasure that he would be introducing a London-specific Help to Buy scheme. The government are going to give a hand to struggling homeowners, to get on the first rung of a [...]
Megacity London: Our next mayor needs the ambition to match the scale of the challenge January 28, 2016 The next mayor of London will have some difficult decisions to make. Forecast to reach 9m residents by 2020 and 10m by 2030, the capital’s soon-to-be status as a “megacity” will bring with it both significant challenges and opportunities. This evening, the main candidates standing to be the next mayor will be setting out their [...]
Sky’s going big on virtual reality with VR studio and plans for Formula 1, boxing, cycling content and more March 17, 2016 Sky is deepening its efforts in virtual reality, an industry expected to be worth $70bn by 2020, with a specialist studio producing new content, including films from the Formula 1 racetrack. Viewers will be able to almost smell the petrol of the pit and experience the hair-raising bends of a Grand Prix track as if they [...]
EU migrant crisis: Europe can turn the current human disaster into an economic opportunity January 13, 2016 This quarter’s CFO Global Business Outlook Survey – the quarterly survey of over a thousand global Chief Financial Officers – reveals that optimism is now stabilising at levels compatible with low but positive economic growth. On the other hand, European and US CFOs list the difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified employees as one of [...]
Generation Rent is fleeing London as housing costs soar January 15, 2016 Is London bracing for a mass exodus of millennials? The capital’s exorbitant housing costs are hardly news, but a new survey suggests that the situation is getting so bad that more than 80 per cent of London’s twenty-somethings may be sent packing to other parts of the UK. At £1,507, the average monthly rent for [...]
Thousands of Londoners flock to access government’s Help to Buy scheme February 8, 2016 A government scheme aimed at helping Londoners onto the housing ladder has already already been flooded with thousands of requests since its launch last week. Housing minister Brandon Lewis said London Help to Buy – an extension of the equity loan scheme that has been available to buyers around the country since April 2013 – [...]
The planning profession needs love too: It is seen as an obstacle to overcome – but it’s a positive guide to development February 19, 2016 Planning underpins our daily lives. From the houses we live in to the offices in which we work, or the streets that we walk down every day. It is the glue that binds together the entire property sector – a tool used by people and politicians alike to shape the built environment, as well as [...]
London must build on low quality green belt spaces to solve its housing crisis, according to the Adam Smith Institute January 8, 2016 London should build on low quality green belt spaces to solve the housing crisis, according to new research from free market think tank the Adam Smith Institute. The think tank said one million new homes will be needed in the next 10 years and that low quality spaces around existing commuter infrastructure must be built on to meet housing [...]
London mayor elections 2016: Diane Abbott launches bid to become Labour candidate – and the next Boris Johnson May 13, 2015 In the race to replace Boris Johnson as mayor of London, Diane Abbott has officially launched her campaign to gain Labour's backing as the party's candidate in the 2016 election. The veteran MP, who was re-elected as representative for Hackney and Stoke Newington with a comfortable majority in this General Election, is seeking to replace Boris Johnson, [...]
London house prices: Housebuilding is falling in the capital – so rip up planning rules and start again January 29, 2016 Help to Buy. The Help to Buy Isa. NewBuy. Right to Buy. Shared ownership. As the housing crisis worsened in recent years, there was no shortage of government schemes aimed at helping first-time buyers reach that crucial bottom rung on the housing ladder. In the capital, it is becoming increasingly obvious gentle encouragement from George [...]