New projects steal the show at Portland May 24, 2011 LONDON real estate investor Great Portland Estates (GPE) yesterday reported a 78 per cent rise in profits to £50.4m, as it unveiled planning approval for its Hannover Square project and the sale of some of its stake in 100 Bishopsgate. The firm’s West End-focused property portfolio gained 15.5 per cent in value to £1.65bn over [...]
LONDON DEPUTY MAYOR DIES April 12, 2011 LONDON mayor Boris Johnson yesterday paid tribute to his deputy mayor and chief of staff Sir Simon Milton, who has died at the age of 49 after a short illness. Johnson said: “He was a wonderful colleague and friend and will be much missed.” Milton led Westminster City Council for eight years and was appointed [...]
ALL BETS ARE OFF FOR DEL BONO’S CASINO PLOT December 6, 2011 IT WAS like the Marie Celeste when Luca Del Bono first looked round 50 St James’s: the tables in the restaurant were still laid for dinner and the staff uniforms were still hanging on their hooks in the hall. That’s what happens when you abandon ship so abruptly – as the site’s previous owner, the [...]
HOME FROM HOME FOR HYDE PARK OLIGARCHS November 9, 2011 LUCA del Bono has been busy ever since he exited Quintessentially, the concierge service he started with Ben Elliot, to start his property fund Del Bono & Partners. The leisure-focused fund has bought £150m-worth of property over the last two years, recently acquiring the C London restaurant in Mayfair and 50 St James’s, where del [...]
TROUBLE IN SOHO AS MILK & HONEY SOURS OVER ROOF DECK DISORDER August 15, 2011 THE newly-planted bushes and olive trees on the roof of Milk & Honey have proved a hit, at least with the well-heeled professionals who drink the members club’s lethal cocktails late into the night. But Soho residents are not so enamoured with the exclusive bar’s smart new roof terrace, making six noise-related complaints since the [...]
INDIAN CITY OASIS SEEKS WINE-LOVING RESIDENTS August 31, 2011 BENGALARU is becoming one of the most important global centres for technology and India’s most developed city. So the IT capital formerly known as Bangalore was the obvious choice for the latest multimillion-pound scheme from Vinay Kapoor, the president and chief executive of Westcourt UK, who contributed to the design and development of the World [...]
INDIAN CITY OASIS SEEKS WINE-LOVING RESIDENTS August 31, 2011 BENGALARU is becoming one of the most important global centres for technology and India’s most developed city. So the IT capital formerly known as Bangalore was the obvious choice for the latest multimillion-pound scheme from Vinay Kapoor, the president and chief executive of Westcourt UK, who contributed to the design and development of the World [...]
Chelsea Barracks £3bn plan approved June 21, 2011 NEW plans for the redevelopment of Chelsea Barracks in central London were given the go-ahead yesterday by Westminster council, two years after the Prince of Wales intervened over the original plans for the site. The outline of the masterplan for the scheme, which will cost around £3bn, will see the 13-acre property that used to [...]
Chelsea Barracks £3bn plan approved June 21, 2011 NEW plans for the redevelopment of Chelsea Barracks in central London were given the go-ahead yesterday by Westminster council, two years after the Prince of Wales intervened over the original plans for the site. The outline of the masterplan for the scheme, which will cost around £3bn, will see the 13-acre property that used to [...]
Get the best deal on rent in London May 26, 2011 YOUNG professionals struggling to get on the housing ladder is not news. Renting, particularly in London, is just a fact of life for many of us – at least while we are working on those deposits. The problem with renting, however, is that it is getting more and more expensive. Indeed, research out this week [...]