Pros and cons of learning Mandarin March 30, 2014 There’s a cost to being lost in translation, but English is still the global language of business ON HIS return from China late last year, David Cameron called on British school pupils to forget about French and German, and to crack on with the scarily difficult business of learning Mandarin. It’ll be a struggle. Fluency [...]
Energy wars spark UK blackout fears March 28, 2014 OFGEM’S decision to refer the UK’s energy market for a full-scale investigation will put the UK at a higher risk of blackouts, the industry warned yesterday. The regulator has asked the new Competition and Markets Authority to probe competition in the retail energy market, following months of heightening political pressure to bring down customers’ bills. [...]
Class of ‘92 buy Salford March 28, 2014 EVERGREEN Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs, together with four former team-mates, have clubbed together to buy non-league Salford City. Giggs, together with former England internationals Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, as well as brothers Gary and Phil Neville, have agreed a deal subject to necessary approval from the Football Association and Northern Premier League. Giggs [...]
Celebrating the art of living March 28, 2014 Here are some of the public artworks commissioned by property developers to inspire Londoners at home THE TOWER AT SAFFRON SQUARE, CROYDONThis 43-storey skyscraper in Croydon is set to grace London’s skyline in 2016. Residents can expect “five-star hotel living” set against arty interior design. The architecture of the building is inspired by the iconic [...]
Property prices set to rise by a third at tech hub March 28, 2014 Melissa York introduces the high-concept tower capitalising on Tech City’s success THE thriving tech industry clustered around Silicon Roundabout hasn’t just attracted investment from the Treasury in recent years. It’s now starting to attract the gaze of premium property developers who plan to modernise the landscape around Old Street to persuade people to live where [...]
Q & A March 28, 2014 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON Q I have a house that I’m renting out and I’m worried about changing capital gains tax rules. Should I stay or sell? A From next year, capital gains tax relief will be limited to 18 months of capital growth, as opposed to 36 months previously. This means that you’ll [...]
New public square proves west London is blooming March 28, 2014 Homes set among spectacular public gardens by a Chelsea Flower Show medallist go on sale at Earl’s Court THE affluence of prime west London is migrating outwards to Earl’s Court where developers are hoping to establish a new Chelsea. Over 800 new homes went on sale yesterday at Lillie Square, the first phase of a [...]
Focus on… Elephant & Castle: Take a stroll through Elephant Park March 28, 2014 WHEN you think of Elephant & Castle, your first thought probably isn’t “green”. But a £1.6bn regeneration scheme is aiming to make it the greenest place in Britain. By green, we mean eco-friendly, of course, but there’s also going to be a fair amount of God’s own carpet around as well. In 2024, you should [...]
10 things you never knew about Elephant & Castle March 28, 2014 1 Elephant & Castle gets its name from a long-since-gone pub popular with ivory merchants in the 18th century. The area began life as two villages, Walworth and Newington, which were set among market gardens and fields. 2 Elephant & Castle used to be referred to as the “Piccadilly Circus” of South London because of [...]
Private View: On the market in Elephant & Castle this week March 28, 2014 ELEPHANT PARK, SE17 From £380,000 These are the first 360 homes to go on sale in Elephant Park, part of the regeneration scheme in SE17. On sale in early April, the one-to-four-bedroom homes ranging from townhouses to apartments, in a 16-storey tower.It is located near the largest public park to be built in central London [...]