Pure Gym gets back on its bike and plots overseas expansion September 3, 2014 Budget fitness chain Pure Gym is shaking off its £300m failed merger with Gym Group by pushing ahead with ambitious expansion plans and hunting for smaller acquisitions. Founder Peter Roberts said yesterday that it expected to grow from 70 clubs to 90 by the end of the year, as well as securing its first two [...]
Struggling to get into work? London Underground delays frustrate commuters September 17, 2014 Struggling to get in this morning? Here's why: Engineering work on the Central Line finished late apparently. There's a conspiracy theory going around noting that the delay happened to fall on the same day a strike had been scheduled for, but we're saying nothing. The whole of the Circle Line was down “while [...]
Secrets of London part II: Our homebuyer’s guide reveals more hidden gems October 3, 2014 In the second part of our series on hidden London, we reveal the secrets and ancient artefacts living side-by-side with some London’s newest and most innovative residential architecture. Here are just some of the treasures future homeowners will be living alongside, including Ernest Hemingway’s favourite riverside pub in London, a tribute to the [...]
Focus on… Hammersmith: It’s Hammersmith time in London September 26, 2013 HOMES in Hammersmith are increasing in value as young professionals and families compete for properties in the area. Bordered by Shepherd’s Bush in the north and Fulham in the south, the west London area has found its housing stock in short supply in recent years, leading to an average of six applicants per property and [...]
Keeping score: Hans Zimmer on re-inventing film music, playing live and ruining the Oscars December 3, 2014 Film scores are typically there to draw the audience into the world of a movie, to guide their emotional response without acting as too much of a distraction – a delicate piano concerto over a couple’s first kiss or a soaring orchestral movement as soldiers march into battle. Few are memorable enough to hum after [...]
London rent prices rise in leafy south east while Kensington sees drop July 8, 2014 Rental prices in London have jumped by nearly 7 per cent with the south east London boroughs of Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich experiencing the biggest rises. The price of a room rental in the capital has jumped above the £600 mark, hitting £609 on average over the year to June, up from £571 the previous [...]
How to get around if the tube strike goes ahead April 28, 2014 • BAKERLOO TfL hopes to run trains between Queen’s Park and Elephant & Castle around every six minutes in both directions. Not stopping at Edgware Road, Embankment, Kilburn Park, Lambeth North, Maida Vale, Piccadilly Circus or Regent’s Park. • CENTRAL No service would operate through the central area. TfL plans to run trains between Epping [...]
How one London council is cutting tax while improving services April 2, 2014 THOSE touring Hammersmith and Fulham to buy or rent property will often find estate agents mentioning council tax. While other bills keep rising, council tax in the borough, where I am a councillor, keeps coming down. It is due to drop by another 3 per cent in April next year. In 2006, council tax, at [...]
Tube strike disruption starts this morning after talks with union failed April 28, 2014 LONDONERS are this morning facing the first full day of disruption on the Tube, following the RMT union’s decision to strike for 48 hours. London Underground workers began walkouts at 9pm last night, and Transport for London said services will not get back to normal until Thursday morning. A second wave of strike action is [...]
UKTV moves into West London headquarters February 17, 2014 UKTV, the owners of the Dave television channel, is moving its 250 staff into new headquarters in Hammersmith this summer. The broadcaster has signed a 15-year lease for 32,500 square feet at 10 Hammersmith Grove, which is owned by Development Securities and the SWIP Property Trust.