Focus On Lewisham: Historically undervalued, Lewisham is undergoing a major upgrade November 17, 2016 It may surprise you to learn that Lewisham, that underloved pocket of South East London, is one of the fastest growing boroughs in the capital. Since the arrival of its DLR station and the rise of Canary Wharf – a wealthy neighbour where employment has quadrupled in the last 10 years – it’s become an increasingly [...]
Playing at home: Barratt plans Upton Park housing overhaul September 20, 2016 Upton Park, the former home of football team West Ham United, is set to be made in to 842 new homes in the London Borough of Newham. Residential property developer Barratt London has taken on the project and plans to rename the area Upton Gardens. The plans include 211 so-called affordable homes. Read more: West Ham's Karren [...]
This is where all the bankers live (and it’s not West London) August 12, 2016 West London has normally been thought of as the residential hot-spot for bankers – but although it still houses the most wealthy people in London, the City folk have moved out. City workers are now concentrated in the Isle of Dogs and fashionable Islington, according to data from salary benchmarking site Emolument. Read more: Mapped: First-time buyer [...]
Should we blame empty foreign-owned apartments for London’s housing crisis? The data says no May 26, 2016 London's housing crisis is worsened, maybe even caused, by wealthy foreigners buying up properties and leaving them empty. Right? It’s an attractive argument, identifying a specific and unpopular culprit (the global rich) while spreading the notion that they are to blame for most of today’s social and economic problems. Unfortunately, in this case, the figures [...]
Autumn Statement 2015 UK: Here’s how much each London borough makes from business rates November 25, 2015 The much-maligned business rates system could be in for a shakeup during today's Autumn Statement, after retailers held talks with the Treasury to demand urgent reforms to the regime. While some have suggested a major shakeup, including a revaluation of properties to ease pressure on retailers paying rates on properties last valued at the height [...]
Conservative party conference 2015: George Osborne’s business rates announcement will mean commuter towns face serious funding issues October 6, 2015 By George he's done it! Yesterday's business rates announcement by the chancellor has made local government finance sexy again for the first time in 25 years. Back in 1990, the poll tax perished in a bonfire of political vanity after a furore over the botched scheme to reform domestic rates, a bugbear of the Tory shires. The [...]
Sunlight Mews: A stunning mix of old and new in Fulham May 21, 2015 A mews used to mean one thing – bijou homes in boroughs such as Notting Hill or Chelsea that once served as stables and staff quarters for Britain’s wealthy. Built in the 1800-1900s, mews houses were typically nestled away at the back of much larger, grander houses and lined two sides of a cobbled lane. [...]
London property prices: Do you live in the only London borough where demand for property is rising? December 22, 2014 Londoners are staying well and truly put, it seems. New data showing how much demand there is for property in each borough shows people just aren't interested in buying new homes. In fact, only one borough has showed an increase in demand since February. The research, by online estate agent eMoov, shows just how put [...]
These London boroughs have made the most from parking charges: Westminster, Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea December 12, 2014 London boroughs netted an astonishing £293m from parking charges last year, according to new research by transport and research policy organisation the RAC Foundation. They contributed 44 per cent to the £667m of the overall total raked in by local councils across the UK. The total figure has surged 12 per cent from last year's [...]
Westminster council spurns property developers in battle for office space December 16, 2014 Westminster council has dealt a blow to the city's property developers eager for a slice of the expensive central London borough. It's begun a consultation on planning policies which will require developers who want to covert offices into homes to replace the lost work space. The move aims to stop a recent trend which has [...]