£450m City block approved after developers lop three storeys of plan May 29, 2026 Revised plans for a new £450m tower in the City have been rubber-stamped by the Square Mile’s planning committee after developers chose to lop three stories off the building’s design in response to fierce local criticism. The City of London Corporation greenlit an adjusted proposal for the 1 Silk Street mega-scheme on Thursday, saying it [...]
Is housebuilding in London impossible? May 25, 2026 After its 900-home development in Peckham was blocked, housebuilder Berkeley said it can “no longer invest” in London. Felix Armstrong asks whether development in the capital really has hit a brick wall At the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, south London, shoppers are met with graffitied walls, peeling paint and shuttered retail units. The site began [...]
Over half of house moves fall through after an offer is accepted – costing £2bn per year May 21, 2026 More than half of UK house moves fall through after an offer has been accepted, costing the UK £2bn every year in wasted time and fees. Failed house moves could cost the economy £1.97bn per year because around 1.2m residential transactions occur each year and the average fall-through costs buyers and sellers £2,830 in legal [...]
House prices slump again in London’s wealthiest areas May 20, 2026 London house prices fell again in March, as the capital’s wealthiest areas continued to see significant drop-offs in house values. House prices in London fell by 2.1 per cent in the year to March, though this drop was slightly softer than the 3.1 per cent in the year to February, according to the Office for [...]
British Land: Return to office debate is over May 20, 2026 British Land has declared the debate over returning to the office “over,” as it prepares to capitalise on constrained supply and a “wave of demand” for commercial property from AI firms. The FTSE 100 property developer saw its profit before tax jump by 32 per cent to £450m in the year to March, as the [...]
‘Downright offensive’: Southwark council slammed for blocking 900 homes May 19, 2026 Southwark council has been blasted for celebrating the blocking of an 867-home development on the site of a Peckham shopping centre. The local authority hailed a “great day for Peckham” after housebuilder Berkeley failed to overturn a ruling against the development, which would have delivered retail, leisure and commercial space alongside the hundreds of homes. [...]
Councils turn to AI to boost housebuilding May 18, 2026 Local councils across the country are turning to artificial intelligence to speed up the planning process, as Labour’s 1.5m housebuilding target clashes with a slowing construction sector. A number of local authorities – including several in the capital – have either piloted or implemented AI planning tools, but housing leaders have warned that the government [...]
Google built the internet economy. AI is rewriting it. May 15, 2026 For the last two decades, most businesses have competed for visibility. Google rankings, paid search, website traffic, marketplace positioning and social reach became the foundations of modern customer acquisition. Entire industries were built around helping brands climb search results, generate clicks and capture online demand more efficiently than competitors. That ecosystem created clear winners. Companies [...]
Satisfaction: Mick Jagger prevails in bid to block Battersea tower May 15, 2026 Rock star Sir Mick Jagger has won a two-year planning battle to block a controversial 29-storey tower in Battersea, proving you can get what you want. The Rolling Stones frontman had been joined by a host of stars including guitarist Eric Clapton, actress Felicity Kendall and comedian Harry Hill in opposing the development. A planning [...]
Property giant Landsec bets on retail, claiming ‘no slowdown’ in consumer spending May 14, 2026 Landsec, the UK’s largest commercial property developer, will shift towards retail property, defying the gloomy mood music by suggesting there is no slowdown in consumer spend. The FTSE 100 firm commands a property empire in which office rents have soared, as high building cost inflation and interest rates stifle supply, while demand heads through the [...]