UK mortgage approvals rise but consumer lending slows July 29, 2019 Britain’s housing market received a modest lift in June as mortgage approvals increased by more than analysts had expected, Bank of England figures showed today. Read more: UK mortgage approvals hit two-year high following Brexit extension Annual lending growth to UK consumers slowed from 5.7 per cent in May to 5.5 per cent in June, [...]
Hammerson makes £423m sale but retail troubles take a chunk out of income July 29, 2019 Hammerson this morning announced it has sold a 75 per cent stake in Parisian shopping centre Italie Deux for £423m. The retail property giant said the deal with Axa Investment Managers brought it to more than 90 per cent of its annual £500m disposal target. Hammerson also released its half-year results this morning. It reported [...]
Housing crisis is harming productivity, nearly half of UK businesses warn July 28, 2019 Britain’s housing shortage is having a harmful impact on the country’s productivity, nearly one in two businesses have warned. Some 43 per cent of UK companies with over 1,000 employees said that housing issues are having a negative effect on their business’ productivity, according to new findings released by the Centre for Social Justice. Read [...]
‘High-tech’ homes in NW1 listed July 26, 2019 Do you love them or hate them? Whatever your opinion, the row of homes at Grand Union Walk in Camden Town is now officially architecturally significant, having been awarded grade II listed status by Historic England last week. The ten three-bedroom houses and two flats in NW1 were designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw in the [...]
The secret of Monkey Island: A hidden retreat in the Berkshire countryside July 26, 2019 You would be hard pressed to find a foodie who hasn’t heard of Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck at Bray. But where to stay on your foray into the Berkshire countryside? Thankfully the bucolic Monkey Island in the Thames has just reopened as a picturesque retreat, comprising a 30-room hotel, brasserie, floating spa on a [...]
Foxtons sales suffer in London property market downturn July 26, 2019 Sales at estate agents Foxtons suffered in the first half of the year due to a downturn in the London property market. The figures Group revenue declined by 3.5 per cent to £51.1m and losses deepened from £2.5m in the first half of 2018 to £3.2m this year. Revenue in Foxton’s letting business was flat [...]
Revenue rises at Rightmove as half-year results reveal 10 per cent increase July 26, 2019 Rightmove said its revenue has increased by almost 10 per cent during the first half of this year after issuing results to its investors this morning. The property portal reported strong results with revenue to the end of June up to £143.9m, from £131.1m last year. It claimed this was largely driven by continued growth [...]
Capco demerges Covent Garden and Earl’s Court businesses July 25, 2019 Property development firm Capital & Counties (Capco) has confirmed it will separate its Covent Garden business from its troubled Earl’s Court development, which has dropped in value. The company announced today that Covent Garden London and EC Properties will stand alone as two separately listed businesses. Read more: Capco investment boss to quit as demerger [...]
The most divisive tower blocks in the country, the Barbican Estate, have reached their half century July 24, 2019 Rising from the literal ashes of World War 2 bombs, the Barbican Estate has always been far more than a housing development. Designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, it was envisioned as a utopian blueprint for post-war British living – a tower block that wasn’t just about cramming in as many people as possible, [...]
Office Space: Step into Sessions House, the courthouse HQ of Ennismore, the company behind The Hoxton and Gleneagles July 24, 2019 From the outside, Sessions House is a slightly menacing proposition. Squat and grimly imposing, it looks mistrustfully out onto Clerkenwell Green, seemingly miles removed from the surrounding buildings. If you’re a frequent visitor to central London, you might recognise its austere, almost gothic facade, all dreary grey brick and prison-bar windows. Upon entering the building, [...]