Property boss who burned model of Grenfell on bonfire avoids jail April 20, 2022 A property tycoon has avoided jail for filming a replica model of the Grenfell tower burning in a bonfire. Millionaire Paul Bussetti was handed a suspended sentence over the incident during Guy Fawkes night in November 2018, where he put the model on a bonfire, before the video went viral online. The clip, during which [...]
Angry leaseholders protest against footing cladding bill outside Parliament April 20, 2022 Angry leaseholders and tenants have gathered outside Parliament to protest the Building Safety Bill which is being debated in the Commons today. The Bill aims to fix cladding on taller buildings which have been deemed a major fire risk, following the Grenfell disaster in 2017, but has handed leaseholders the responsibility to fund the fixes. [...]
Demolition of M&S Oxford St store put on hold by Gove April 20, 2022 The bulldozing of the iconic Marks & Spencer building on Oxford St has been put on pause by the government. According to a report by the BBC, Michael Gove asked Westminster council to press pause on a demolition application. Under an Article 31 holding direction, a local authority cannot green light planning permission until ministers [...]
From Barnet to Fulham via Camden and Southwark: Here are London’s most expensive and decadent rental properties April 19, 2022 While the average London tenant will pay £1,574 per month, the average cost of residing at the very top of the capital’s rental market comes in at a huge £23,839, – a 1415 per cent rental price premium. London-focused rental platform Rentd looked at the average cost of renting in each London borough before comparing [...]
Demand for offices in the Square Mile hits new record, says Savills April 19, 2022 The demand for offices in central London has hit a new record, according to Savills, dismissing concerns that working from home has taken over the Square Mile. With an eyewatering £3.3bn having changed hands in the City over the past three months, the record figure is nearly a third higher than the previous record in [...]
BMO Commercial Property Trust doubles down on industrial pivot as London portfolio shrinks April 19, 2022 BMO Commercial Property Trust has been successful in its pivot towards logistics real estate after demand for offices faltered as a result of the pandemic. The British fund kicked off the year on “a much brighter note” with fewer Covid-19 restrictions, having sold off nearly £200m worth of property in the year to 31 December, [...]
Yours for £22.5m: Inside Charles Dickens’ former Regent’s Park property April 18, 2022 An seven-bedroom property overlooking Regent’s Park, which formerly belonged to Charles Dickens, is on sale for the first time since before 1995. Dickens, the lauded author behind Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations, once summered in the Grade I listed home in 1861. Largely unchanged since Dickens’ time, beyond the newly fitted Nordic [...]
‘Piecemeal’ reforms leave UK rental sector littered with discrimination and health risks April 13, 2022 The UK’s rental sector is littered with unlawful discrimination and health and safety risks after “piecemeal” reforms, according to a report from a committee of MPs today. More than one in eight privately rented homes in Britain pose a serious threat to people’s health and safety, while around one in four landlords are unwilling to [...]
London developer Argyll pumps £27m into wooing workers with new office amenities April 13, 2022 The office is not dead, London developer Argyll has signalled with a new £27m refurbishment investment across eight buildings. The buildings, which collectively cover more than 275,000 square feet of central London, are dotted across St James’ Square, Cornhill and Mayfair. Argyll, working with architect and interior designer Damion Burrows, are splashing the offices with [...]
Price of average UK home skyrockets to £276.7k as cost of living crunch clouds home ownership dreams April 13, 2022 The average price tag of a home in the UK hit £276,755 in February, according to government figures. Rising house prices come as Brits have been forced to tighten household purse strings amid historic levels of inflation. The annual price change for a property in the UK was 10.9 per cent. The average price of [...]