Bubble trouble: London among global cities most at risk of housing bubble September 27, 2018 London is among the top cities most at risk of a housing bubble, according to a new report measuring the world's most overpriced property markets. Hong Kong was ranked as the place most susceptible to a swift downturn after years of soaring house prices, while Munich, Toronto and Vancouver were also among the other most [...]
Transport for London steps up property ambitions after unveiling new partnership September 26, 2018 Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled plans for a new partnership with one of the capital’s affordable housing developers today, in a sign that the body is ramping up its move into the property market as it looks to pay off its near-£1bn debt pile. In a new joint venture with property developer Apartments [...]
Brokerage giant TP ICAP unveils new City headquarters in Broadgate September 26, 2018 The world’s largest interdealer broker has revealed plans this morning to move into a major new City headquarters in Broadgate, in an effort to house all of its brokers under one roof following the firm’s merger in 2016. TP ICAP will take up four floors of 135 Bishopsgate in a leasing that will see [...]
UK mortgage approvals for new house purchases tumble despite growth in remortgaging September 26, 2018 The number of mortgages approved for house purchases was almost five per cent lower in August compared with the same time last year, providing fresh evidence of flat activity in London’s property market. Despite the fall in new mortgage approvals, remortgaging soared 9.2 per cent during the month, as a rising number of homeowners [...]
They’re already a way of life for tens of thousands of people, but are water cities the answer to climate change, rising sea levels and the housing crisis? September 25, 2018 How do you solve a problem like the Houses of Parliament? The neo-Gothic palace, parts of which are nearly a thousand years old, is crumbling and MPs voted recently to decant to another building for around six years – most likely to nearby Whitehall – while refurbishment works are carried out. So far, so [...]
The story behind the steady rise of ethical homeware and why it’s the next frontier in sustainable shopping September 25, 2018 Did you know that the global fashion industry is on track to consume over a quarter of the world’s annual carbon allowance by 2050? Stella McCartney does and she’s been travelling the world with sailing wonderwoman Dame Ellen MacArthur shouting about it for the last couple of years now. Perhaps that’s why so many [...]
Hostel market showing ‘early signs of success’ as customer base broadens beyond backpackers September 25, 2018 One of the UK’s leading premium hostel operators reported a 60 per cent rise in revenues in the six months to the end of June, in the latest sign of the growing demand among families and business people to a market traditionally dominated by young backpackers. Safestay, an emerging high-end owner of hostels in Europe, [...]
Cost-cutting overhaul unveiled as McCarthy & Stone shares climb September 25, 2018 McCarthy & Stone shares climbed more than seven per cent in morning trading, after the retirement housebuilder unveiled a new direction which is to focus more on cost-cutting and less on expansion. As part of the overhaul the FTSE 250 firm said that John Tonkiss, the company’s chief operating officer, will take over as [...]
Kanye West, rap’s most enigmatic star, has dreams of making affordable, brutalist homes September 24, 2018 The students were a combination of shocked and awed when their lecturer jumped on top of a desk and cried, “The world can be saved through design!” It could have been a scene from 1989’s Dead Poets Society, but in fact it was an overexcited Kanye West taking a class at Harvard Graduate School of [...]
German money rises in West End after Verde deal September 24, 2018 German investment in the West End has reached £515m for the year-to-date on the back of last week's announcement that German fund manager Deka Immobilien GmbH completing one of the largest deals this summer, buying the Verde office building in Victoria for roughly £460m on Friday. The deal pushed investment levels up to £515m, compared with £476m [...]