High hopes for 250 City Road as Berkeley unveils new tower at Tech City hub January 29, 2015 Anyone following the current spread of new developments cropping up around London could be forgiven for thinking the market on City Road is over-saturated. This long stretch off of Old Street roundabout has attracted a seriously impressive number of developers, which is partly a success story for Tech City (the government-backed initiative to create a [...]
Guys just wanna have fun January 11, 2015 JLL’s boss tells Kasmira Jefford why his firm is anything but dull GUY Grainger has something he needs to get off his chest. It seems that some people might think that property and property advisory companies like JLL are, well, let’s say a little bit… dull. “People often say that to me and I think: [...]
London’s empire state of mind: New York warehouse conversion inspiration comes to Islington, Clapham, Stratford and Wapping October 30, 2014 Globalisation, it seems, is not only changing our work, life and shopping habits, it’s also changing our living arrangements. Industrial warehouse conversions, originally found in the meat-packing districts of New York, have crossed the Atlantic and found a new popularity on our shores. Old textile factories in north east London in particular have become [...]
Gerald Ronson sells Heron Plaza site to Singapore’s UOL for £97m August 13, 2014 SINGAPOREAN property group UOL has made its first foray into Europe after buying Gerald Ronson’s Heron Plaza development site in the City for £93m. The property tycoon won planning consent in 2011 to build a 43-storey Four Seasons hotel and residential complex next to the Heron Tower on Bishopsgate. His firm Heron International was originally [...]
Barts Square: A new quarter in the heart of the City September 5, 2014 Behind the shimmering tower of 200 Aldersgate – a modern office block at London Wall – is a myriad of streets that once served as the City of London’s trading lifeline. They wind in between Smithfield meat market, the Barbican, St Bart’s Hospital and up to the Old Bailey and the cells of Newgate Street. [...]
City’s Gherkin skyscraper to be sold off with £640m starting price tag July 28, 2014 The City’s iconic Gherkin has been put up for sale on the open market after it collapsed into receivership earlier this year, with a price tag of around £640m. Receivers at Deloitte have appointed their real estate arm and Savills to sell 30 St Mary’s Axe, which will be advertised to buyers across the [...]
The Australian food revolution: Heston Blumenthal and Jamie Oliver are joining a new wave of top antipodean chefs October 28, 2014 A grizzled miner in grubby, cement-splattered overalls clutches the stem of a wine glass with blackened fingertips, sipping chardonnay while recounting a recent dining experience at one of the city’s top tables. “It was the worst pizza I’ve ever tasted. The base was too limp and the feta too salty; it totally overpowered the [...]
Making the most out of Greenwich February 27, 2014 Former hospital is the site of long-awaited housing scheme set around public square A MAJOR housing scheme uniting the public and private sector has brought property developers, politicans, housing associations and the NHS together in East Greenwich. Greenwich Square, a £225m regeneration scheme, will re-open its doors to prospective buyers this month as it announces [...]
Bottom Line: The right rules keep Docklands growing October 28, 2013 THE TRIUMPHANT transformation of Canary Wharf is an object lesson in the power of visionary funders, able to see the long-term potential in neglected sites. But it also shows the benefits of the right regulatory environment, founded as it was on an enterprise zone. Thanks to the recent Royal Docks enterprise zone, established in 2012, [...]
Few predicted London’s reinvention but we can build for its future growth December 12, 2013 LONDON is changing. But then again, it always is. The theme of my new book Reinventing London is that change is the lifeblood of a great city. Over the past 30 years, the capital has replaced around 1m jobs in manufacturing, largely around the edge of the city and along radial routes, with over 1m [...]