Why London must retain its lead as the world’s number one retail destination July 16, 2015 One thing underpins Britain’s economic recovery more than anything else: the resilience and potential of London’s economy. While the capital’s financial sector was first to feel the pain nearly a decade ago, London has also led the UK’s economic fightback – attracting global investment, growing employment and pushing up living standards. We are the world’s [...]
London house prices: Ex-council flat in Covent Garden sold for record-beating £1.2m August 14, 2015 A small two-bedroom flat near London’s Covent Garden has become one of the most expensive council flats ever sold after going under the hammer for £1.2m. Property agent Barnard Marcus said the flat, which is part of Siddons Court, an ex-council mansion block on Tavistock Street, has been snapped up for £1.21m after just six [...]
Crossrail 2: It’s not just your commute that will improve with the Hertfordshire to Surrey transport link October 1, 2015 As anyone who travels through Clapham Junction or Waterloo today will already know, much of the rail network is already operating at the limits of its capacity. Huge improvements are planned and being made – the modernisation of the Tube and the building of Crossrail for example. But they will only ease the crowding [...]
London’s west end tops list of pricey offices December 18, 2013 LONDON’S west end has unseated Hong Kong Central as the world’s most expensive office market, regaining the top spot it lost three years ago. The cost of renting an office in the west end has shot up by 14.3 per cent in the past year to $259.36 per square feet, driven by a squeeze in [...]
Can we please just stop putting pop-up beaches everywhere? July 31, 2015 WHEN will this trend of making pop-up beaches in office courtyards end? This summer has seen beaches inexplicably appearing all over London’s financial districts, from Canary Wharf’s beach volleyball to Finsbury Park’s beach rugby today. Now even office estates out in the sticks are catching on. What have you done!? West London’s Chiswick Park is [...]
A booming West End will be fatally undermined unless we pedestrianise Oxford Street June 21, 2015 Oxford Street needs to be pedestrianised. There is a growing consensus about this among traders, transport operators, and local councils. The question is when and how. The “when” is easiest to answer. The new east-west Crossrail line starts operating through Central London in four years’ time. It will generate a new surge of people coming [...]
Legend movie review: Tom Hardy triumphs as he plays both Kray twins September 10, 2015 Cert 18 | ★★★★☆ The Kray twins would have loved that there’s a film about them called Legend. Being wanted for a litany of crimes – extortion, robbery, intimidation – didn’t stop them courting the limelight at the height of London’s swinging sixties. Being well-connected may have made them untouchable, but it was [...]
London house prices: First-time home buyers face nightmare market as deposits soar and supply lags July 31, 2015 We all know how tough the housing market is for first-time buyers, and one of the main reasons is lack of supply. Much has been said about how the government is looking to tackle this problem by encouraging housebuilders to ramp up construction of new builds. But figures out this morning show that far from [...]
London 24 hour Night Tube: Seven ways London travel’s going to get even better June 22, 2015 The Night Tube has nearly arrived. After years of Londoners dreaming of being able to hop on the tube after a night out, it will finally become reality this autumn. Transport for London's new map shows exactly where travellers can hop on and hop off in this first phase of the Night Tube rollout, but [...]
Budget 2016: George Osborne’s speech in full March 16, 2016 George Osborne has just revealed the Budget for 2016. There was good news for businesses with corporation tax being sliced and business rates being reformed – but bad news for smokers and students who hate maths. Mr Deputy Speaker, Today I report on an economy set to grow faster than any other major advanced economy in [...]