Man arrested after scaling Buckingham Palace walls May 19, 2016 A man has been arrested following a security breach at Buckingham Palace, police have confirmed. The 41-year-old man was arrested in the royal grounds after scaling an outside perimeter wall just after 8:30pm last night. He was not armed and officers did not have to deploy a Taser. He was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected [...]
London tops smarts cities index with Bristol in second place May 19, 2016 London has come out top of the rankings for factors which make a smart city, according to new research. London scored 80.5 for its use of digital technology to improve services, helping it top Huawei's smart cities index. The capital was praised for urban innovations such as the congestion charge and its strong commitment to open data with the London Datastore. [...]
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan gives backing to Garden Bridge but adds key demands May 18, 2016 Sadiq Khan has given his backing to the Garden Bridge, but with some heavy caveats. Khan has demanded that the bridge is made more accessible for Londoners in return for his support. The mayor described the Garden Bridge as a project that could rival New York’s High Line, a public park that was built on a [...]
Southern Railway strike: The RMT is ignoring the interests of commuters and its members May 18, 2016 For the second time in four weeks, the RMT union is striking on the Southern Railway network today, causing havoc for the 300,000 people we carry on their commute every day. This pointless and unnecessary dispute will doubtless infuriate every one of our customers. And I don’t blame them one bit. I share their frustration. People [...]
London Eye Finnish-ed? Helsinki gets world’s first giant ferris wheel with sauna cabins May 17, 2016 Finland’s Skywheel Helsinki is set to steal London Eye’s thunder with the launch of SkySauna, the world’s first sauna cabin mounted on an observation wheel. Due to launch next month, each cabin will carry up to five people who’ll be able to bask in temperatures of up to 94F (90C). Visitors on the two-and-a-half-minute ride [...]
Tale of two cities: Winners and losers in the London housing market May 17, 2016 House prices in some of prime central London’s most expensive postcodes have plummeted by more than 10 per cent, while further out of town prices have powered ahead, resulting in a new two-speed market in the capital. The sea-change, caused by factors as diverse as stamp duty reforms and an economic slowdown in China, is creating [...]
London bus crash injures 13 in Harlesden May 15, 2016 A bus has crashed into a shop injuring as many as 13 people in north west London. The double decker bus crashed into a shop in Harlesden at around 2pm on Sunday. The incident occurred at a junction with Harlesden High Street and Manor Park Road, said London Fire Brigade, which had firefighters from Park Royal, Stanmore and Wembley attending [...]
This bank just moved into the Cheesegrater May 13, 2016 Lettings in the Cheesegrater, aka the Leadenhall Building, are creeping up: this morning the City's tallest skyscraper announced the newest of its tenants. Clydesdale Bank has signed a 15-year lease on the 17,300 sq ft 15th floor of the building, British Land and Oxford Properties, which co-own the building, said this morning. That pushes lettings at the [...]
Businesses in London face £7.5bn tax increase May 12, 2016 Industry groups have warned of a London exodus if business rates are not cut, as new research predicts that firms in the capital will face a £7.5bn tax hike after next April’s revaluation. Property consultancy Gerald Eve, who compiled the eye-watering estimates, predicts that businesses solely within the Square Mile will have to pay more than [...]
City folks these days just want to start a family May 12, 2016 Even with their sky-high rents, crowded transport networks and lack of greenery, research out today has found that many people think major cities are the perfect place to start a family. The study by the international pensions unit of Allianz discovered that the birthrate in 41 major European and US cities is seven per cent higher than [...]