Walkie Talkie prompts City clampdown on wind tunnels as skyscrapers transform London July 13, 2015 Complaints over powerful gusts of wind around the base of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in the City have prompted planners to demand property developers seek a second opinion over their wind reports. Wind tunnels have become a more frequent problem as an apparent result of skyscrapers going up in the capital. The City of London [...]
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 [...]
London space race takes off: City firms scramble for offices as demand hits highest level since 2000 June 18, 2015 Demand for office space in the capital has boomed to levels not seen in 15 years, new figures show, as companies, spurred on by the improving economic environment and stability following the General Election, pick up their search for space. The amount of space under offer in central London leapt by 25 per cent [...]
Westminster repairs could cost £5.7bn: With parliament’s palace falling apart, what are the options to save it? June 18, 2015 The Palace of Westminster is crumbling. According to leading architects, the UNESCO World Heritage site, which contains the House of Commons and the House of Lords, now suffers from “extensive” stonework decay, leaking roofs and corrosion – and that’s just the beginning. Dr Richard Ware, programme director for Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal, [...]
MPs will have to move out of House of Commons for at least two years under multi-billion-pound restoration plans June 18, 2015 MPs will be moved out of the House of Commons for several years under plans to renovate the UK's crumbling Palace of Westminster. A report, produced by consultants on behalf of the government, today put forward a number of options – but all of them involve the closure of both chambers for at least [...]
Former City of London planning officer Peter Rees on the launch of The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Environment in London: “We can’t have more piles of safe deposit boxes” June 18, 2015 The number of skyscrapers in London has increased noticeably over recent years – and it turns out that hasn’t gone unobserved by the international community of tall building enthusiasts. Last night, the Chicago-based Council for Tall Buildings and the Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – whose chief claim to fame is as the official arbiter of [...]
Cheesegrater bolts to cost Severfield £6m after Leadenhall building loses five June 17, 2015 Steelmaker Severfield said yesterday that the cost of replacing bolts in the Cheesegrater building, after five broke, is likely to hit £6m. There are around 3,000 bolts in the City skyscraper, formally known as the Leadenhall building, and most will be replaced, chief executive Ian Lawson told City A.M. “These bolts were a specialist [...]
Unexploded WWII bomb in Wembley: Army still working to defuse bomb discovered at building site May 22, 2015 Army officers are still working to make safe an unexploded World War II bomb in Wembley, with residents and local businesses still evacuated a day after it was discovered. In total 300 addresses have been evacuated by Brent police officers “as a precaution” while the air drop Sprengbombe-Cylindrisch 50 kg German bomb is dealt [...]
St Paul’s is the UK’s favourite building, followed by Stonehenge, The Houses of Parliament – and Edinburgh Castle May 22, 2015 The UK may like to think of itself as a young, up-and-coming country – but it turns out we're a nation of traditionalists at heart: a new study has suggested the UK's favourite building is St. Paul's Cathedral. Some 38 per cent of people said the Christopher Wren-designed building is their favourite. It was closely [...]
Record number of tourists flock to London: British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Southbank Centre draw millions May 20, 2015 A total of £11.8bn was spent in London by tourists last year London attracted a record number of tourists from abroad in 2014, with 17.4m people coming to enjoy its history, culture, food and shopping. The figure marks a 3.5 per cent climb in visitor numbers on 2013, the Office for National Statistics [...]