Is housebuilding in London impossible? Property 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 [...]
Satisfaction: Mick Jagger prevails in bid to block Battersea tower Property 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 [...]
Why old ladies mean your house has tiny windows Opinion Guidance dictating that windows must be of a size that means ’95 per cent of the elderly female population’ could clean them without stretching is just one example of the millions of rules holding Britain back, says Tom Harwood Once you start to notice how pokey windows are on most new builds, you won’t be [...]
It’ll take more than planning reform to get London building again March 4, 2026 London isn’t just facing a housing delivery downturn. It’s facing a double development whammy of falling housing starts combined with a deep decline in the pipeline of new commercial development coming forward, says Melanie Leech Down, down, deeper and down go the lyrics from a track by Status Quo from the early 1970s. A decade [...]
Developers shrink Silk Street plans to dodge objections February 24, 2026 Plans for a huge new office development in the heart of the City have been shrunk in a bid to dodge objections raised by furious locals. The plans to redevelop the existing western building, located next door to the Barbican estate, will now see it stand ten metres shorter than initially planned, in response to [...]
If the government is serious about growth it should approve Shoreditch Works January 19, 2026 Shoreditch Works will deliver new homes, jobs and beautiful buildings that will improve the neighbourhood – so why is a Labour council on the edge of Keir Starmer’s constituency set to reject it? Asks Nicholas Boys Smith Like it or not, some development is inescapably controversial. Wind turbines leering over a cherished landscape; ticky-tacky, could [...]
Multi-billion Earls Court redevelopment given green light November 27, 2025 A £10bn masterplan to redevelop the former Earls Court Exhibition Centres has been given the green light by Hammersmith council. The planning committee unanimously agreed to grant planning permission for the 44-acre site, which will be transformed as a new neighbourhood with around 4,000 homes in addition to leisure and cultural venues. “Earls Court will [...]
London Docklands might get a new 820-home development October 23, 2025 A new 820-home planning application in the Docklands has been submitted in what could be a major housebuilding scheme for the capital. The 54-storey scheme, submitted by Areli Developments, would occupy 77 Marsh Wall in Canary Wharf. Rob Tincknell, founder and CEO at Areli, said it would be a “landmark building… for all types of [...]
Stanhope and Cheyne buy ‘landmark’ South Bank office development September 17, 2025 Asset manager Stanhope and fund manager Cheyne have bought a ‘landmark’ office development on London’s South Bank with a gross development value of £450m. Construction on the already-demolished Row One site, which totals 250,000sq ft, is expected to start as soon as next year and be completed in 2028. Joe Binns, head of investment at Stanhope, called the acquisition [...]
The secret to London’s last housing boom? Less paperwork July 9, 2025 The last time London built enough houses was almost 100 years ago, when planning applications were just three pages long and took just weeks to approve, finds Sam Dumitriu Labour were elected on a pledge to build 1.5m homes. And Mayor Sadiq Khan has clear instructions from the Deputy PM: “build more homes!” In fact, [...]