Three ideas for the future of London housing September 16, 2015 How do you solve London's housing crisis? A "floatilla" of floating homes on the capital's waterways and new homes built on top of hospitals or schools are just some of the ideas put forward by leading architects and developers to revolutionise how we live in London. A 100-strong shortlist of concepts, which also include a [...]
UBS got it wrong: There’s no such thing as a London house price bubble November 10, 2015 Is London’s residential property market in a bubble? UBS seems to think so, after its Global Real Estate Bubble index suggested the UK's housing market is on the brink of a crash. But has it got its facts right? After all, the devil is really in the detail – and this was put together by [...]
London’s housing problem doesn’t need another government scheme: It’s time to slaughter sacred green belt cow – The City View October 7, 2015 During his time at 10 Downing Street, David Cameron has presided over a number of deeply complex attempts at helping Generation Rent climb the first rung of the housing ladder. NewBuy came first, guaranteeing 95 per cent mortgages for first-time buyers on new-build properties. That was followed by Help-to-Buys one and two: respectively, equity loans [...]
Investment trust winners of 2016 December 29, 2016 Investment trusts focused on Asia are on course to deliver some of the best returns in 2016, according to data for trust sectors. Investment trusts are an alternative to more commonly held open-ended funds or unit trusts, offering some advantages. This is explained here: investment trust v open-ended funds Here, we look at the performance [...]
Investment trust winners of 2016 November 29, 2016 Investment trusts focused on Asia are on course to deliver some of the best returns in 2016, according to data for trust sectors. Investment trusts are an alternative to more commonly held open-ended funds or unit trusts, offering some advantages. This is explained here: investment trust v open-ended funds Here, we look at the [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Who are each of the record 12 candidates in this year’s race to City Hall? May 5, 2016 This year's London mayoral election has a record 12 runners as parties and individuals vie for City Hall. Officials at London Elects announced 12 candidates are competing to replace Boris Johnson, compared to seven back in 2012. While it already looks set for a one-on-one battle between Tory Zac Goldsmith and Labour Sadiq Khan, they are joined [...]
UK house prices: One million homes by 2020 will be yet another failed target if we don’t change policy radically September 21, 2015 This week, research by property website Rightmove predicted that the average price of a house in London could easily hit £1m by the end of 2020. Yes, you heard right: one million pounds – in five years. So, while it’s welcome news that Brandon Lewis, the housing minister, wants England to build 1m [...]
A surprising upside to driverless cars you probably hadn’t thought of April 21, 2016 More room to build homes and a greater amount of green open spaces – these could be the surprising benefits of the rise of driverless cars across the UK. The creation of dedicated zones for driverless cars could free up land worth billions in central London, as parking spaces become redundant because fewer people own their own car and less space is allocated [...]
London-listed Acacia Mining accused of “sophisticated tax evasion” in Tanzania April 7, 2016 London-listed gold miner Acacia Mining has been accused of engaging in "a sophisticated scheme of tax evasion" in the East African country of Tanzania where it operates. The tax revenue appeals tribunal accused the company of paying dividends to its shareholders worth $412.5m between 2010 and 2013, but evading 10 per cent withholding tax by declaring losses. The company, formerly [...]
London house prices: More than 35,000 high-end homes planned in next decade – just as the prime property market starts to falter April 11, 2016 London's prime residential market is already suffering from the early signs of a slowdown but a flood of new properties is coming in the next decade that could exacerbate it further. A new report out today suggests there are 35,000 prime London homes due for construction in the next 10 years – a 40 per [...]