Focus On Harrow: Why this north west London suburb is popular with families and first time buyers June 24, 2016 The north west London suburb of Harrow is all too often synonymous with the prestigious boys’ boarding school with which it shares its name. Certainly, the school has influenced the growth of central Harrow through the centuries; following a big expansion of the school in the 19th century, housing was built for its staff resulting [...]
Brexit threatens London’s world beating tourism industry: Don’t let the capital become a museum May 24, 2016 Tourism is one of our biggest exports – and London is the most-visited city on earth. But the industry is worried that this world-beating ranking could be at risk if Britain cuts itself off from Europe. In fact, Europe is our biggest tourist market, with more than 60 per cent of visitors to the UK [...]
Smart City: How London’s next mayor can harness the capital’s entrepreneurial energy to revolutionise local services and save millions March 22, 2016 Londoners are smart – you only have to look at the thousands of exciting, innovative new businesses sprouting up across the capital to see the benefits of such a tremendous concentration of human and intellectual capital. But is the capital itself as smart as the people who call it home? The new mayor, whoever it [...]
Tech beats FTSE for female bosses (but there’s still work to do) June 20, 2016 Technology businesses are beating the FTSE when it comes to the number of female bosses, as the startup sector sets an example to the rest of the business world for gender equality. A fifth of tech firms in the UK are run by women, compared to just five per cent of FTSE 100 companies and only four per [...]
Renters in London are having the hardest time of all, suffering the smallest pay rises in UK and soaring housing costs April 6, 2016 If you rent a house in London and work full-time, chances are the economic recovery has been something you read about in the newspapers but haven’t felt in your pocket. That’s because over the last three years, London has experienced the slowest growth in average wages of any part in the UK, but the fastest increases [...]
London construction activity slows as Brexit uncertainty and planning delays hit growth April 20, 2016 London's construction market suffered a sharp slowdown over the quarter, despite recent government efforts to encourage more housebuilding and deliver more homes across the capital. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' construction market survey found that private housing workloads rose at their slowest pace since fourth quarter of 2012, with only 20 per cent more of those working in the [...]
Businesses in Marble Arch team up to launch improvement district February 29, 2016 Businesses in Marble Arch and Edgware Road have backed plans to invest £2.5m in sprucing up the west London area after launching a new business improvement district (BID). Over 78 per cent of businesses, retailers, restaurant and hotels from Marble Arch and northern Park Lane voted in favour of setting up the new group to [...]
London’s Bournvilles: What the future of housing looks like in a supply-squeezed capital April 1, 2016 As everyone who studied the Victorians knows, one of the lasting legacies of these periods are the worker villages of Bournville and Saltaire. Planned and executed by the Cadbury and Salt families respectively to provide good quality housing for their employees, and thereby promoting staff loyalty and better living standards, these villages still thrive today. What [...]
Crown Estate returns £285m to public purse after record year June 24, 2015 The Crown Estate today announced another year of record profits thanks to the regeneration of its vast estate at the heart of London’s shopping district plus its growing offshore wind business. The Crown Estate’s net profit, which goes into the Treasury’s coffers, rose to a record £285.1m in the year to 31 March – up [...]
Roll up, roll up! Let’s play London office Monopoly April 7, 2016 Britain's looming EU referendum, the London mayoral election, the commercial stamp duty clampdown and other regulatory reforms as well as major infrastructure changes, such as Crossrail. These are just some of the factors that are making the dynamics influencing the London office market more complex than ever, according Bilfinger GVA. The real estate advisory firm has mocked up a Monopoly board [...]