Mansion tax is an ‘assault’ on London’s property market November 27, 2025 The UK’s new ‘mansion tax’ is set to hit homeowners in London hard, particularly for middle-class Londoners who have seen the price of their property balloon in the last two decades. Chancellor Rachel Reeves introduced a new high-value council tax surcharge for owners of properties valued at over £2m in her second Budget on Wednesday. [...]
James Cameron-backed Marlow Film Studios approved November 26, 2025 Plans for a £750m film studio in Buckinghamshire, which are backed by the likes of James Cameron, have been given the green light by the government. The proposals for Marlow Film Studios were initially turned down by Buckinghamshire County Council last year citing concerns about the project’s impact on the green belt, particularly its potential [...]
Confidence in commercial real estate hit by Building Safety Act delays November 25, 2025 Regulatory delays under the Building Safety Act have negatively impacted the vast majority of institutional real estate investors, according to new data. Originally implemented to tackle safety concerns in light of the devastating Grenfell fire, the Building Safety Act (BSR) has now created significant planning delays and “undermined market confidence”, according to Investec Real Estate’s bi-annual Future [...]
First residents to move into Bermondsey’s revitalised biscuit factory site November 25, 2025 Pearl Yard, a redevelopment of Bermondsey’s iconic biscuit factory, has delivered its first homes since Greystar acquired it in 2022. Named after “The Pearl”, the first biscuit baked on the original Peek Freans factory site, the new neighbourhood is set to create 1,600 new rental homes when it is fully completed in 2027. Daniel Thompson, managing director [...]
Everything we know about Rachel Reeves’ Budget – from mansions to milkshakes November 24, 2025 In the run-up to the mother of all Autumn Budgets to be delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week, tax rumours have run wild, infecting the minds of businesses and working Brits while adding to the sense of peril that a botched fiscal event could bring. Investors are running scared. Voters fear looming betrayal. Gamblers [...]
UK construction productivity still stuck in the 90s, warns industry body November 21, 2025 Productivity in Britain’s construction sector is now lower than in 1997, according to a new report. Decades of under-investment have left delivery capacity “dangerously thin”, a new report by Oxford Economics for the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), Half-Built Britain, has warned. CPA chief Steven Mulholland said the report should serve as a “wake-up call” for [...]
Lack of London office space a ‘major economic risk’, Reeves warned November 20, 2025 London Property Alliance has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to recognise offices as essential economic infrastructure to boost the capital’s competitiveness. The organisation said that London faces planning barriers, rising costs and a shrinking supply of modern office space, with a 54 per cent drop in major planning applications over the past decade. “The Chancellor… [...]
Brits delay moving houses over Budget fears November 20, 2025 Nearly one in five Brits considering moving house have stalled their plans ahead of the Budget, a new survey has indicated, in a fresh warning to the Treasury about the damage caused by leaks and speculation. Around 17 per cent of potential movers surveyed by property website Rightmove said they have paused their plans to [...]
Andy Burnham makes £1bn challenge to Starmer and Reeves before the Budget November 20, 2025 Andy Burnham has revealed a £1bn growth plan for Manchester in a move which could be seen as a direct challenge to both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves less than a week before the Budget. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has touted the proposals as a way to “pioneer a new [...]
Government backs plans to digitise homebuying November 20, 2025 Labour has backed a new initiative to “revolutionise” homebuying by embracing technologies, with failed deals costing the economy nearly £1bn every year. The project will see the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) work in coalition with multiple government departments, including the department for business and trade and the ministry for housing. The initiative [...]