City of London gives green light to controversial Liverpool Street plans Property The City of London Corporation has granted planning permission to Network Rail’s controversial redevelopment of Liverpool Street station, with councillors saying it will be a “modern temple of transport”. The proposals will help increase the capacity and accessibility of Britain’s busiest railway station, but objectors warned that the scheme was “unviable and undeliverable”. In total, [...]
Top hotel chain calls for Liverpool Street scheme to be rejected Business A top hotel group has called for Network Rail’s £1.2bn Liverpool Street redevelopment to be rejected or deferred, warning that it might not ever be completed. James Francque, global head of transactions at Hyatt, said the scheme is “not financially viable, offers limited operational benefit, and carries a high risk of non-delivery.” “For these reasons, [...]
House builder blames ‘broken planning system’ and interest rates for loss Property In independent house builder has blamed the “broken planning system” and high interest rates putting off first time buyers for it falling into the red. Cheshire-based Eccleston Homes has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.2m for the 12 months to 31 October, 2024, down from the £2m profit it achieved in the prior year. New [...]
Planning permissions for home improvements falls to lowest level in a decade July 21, 2025 Planning permissions for home renovations has plummeted as the low consumer confidence permeates the construction industry. Consents for developments in England totalled 151,177 in the 12 months to March, 27 per cent below the 10-year average, according to data from Savills. This is despite a 24 per cent uplift in housing transactions as buyers rushed [...]
Government slashes red tape to tackle housing crisis May 28, 2025 The government will slash red tape to get more construction by smaller building firms off the ground, and to “get working people on the housing ladder,” Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said as Labour looks to promote its pro-business credentials. A relaxation of environmental protections is expected, including Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements which [...]
Inside the ‘nationally significant’ plan to put Manchester ‘on the map’ April 24, 2025 The first phase of a “nationally significant” plan which would see 20,000 jobs created and put Greater Manchester “on the map” has been officially submitted. The Northern Gateway development would be the largest proposed employment site in the region – with its first phase including up to 6.5 million sq ft of employment space, supporting [...]
New plans submitted for Custom House hotel development April 2, 2025 New plans have been submitted for the refurbishment of Custom House after years of hold-ups. The proposals include a 179-bed hotel, spa and restaurant offering, alongside a public access scheme. The Grade I building, on Lower Thames Street in the City of London, was the home of customs and trade for more than 200 years [...]
Planning bill will ‘avoid bat tunnels’, housing minister claims March 11, 2025 The government hopes its planning reforms will “avoid bat tunnels”, the housing minister has said. It comes as Labour unveiled major changes to the UK’s planning permissions system – as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – with measures to overhaul how developers meet environmental obligations, replacing site-specific schemes with a general fund. Speaking [...]
Households close to pylons to get £250 off annual energy bills March 10, 2025 Households situated near new pylons will receive hundreds of pounds off their annual energy bills as part of a government overhaul of the UK’s planning system. Proposals laid out this week will see residents within half a kilometre of new or upgraded electricty systems gain access to a bill discount scheme allowing them £2,500 off [...]
Checkatrade CEO: ‘My plan to get Britain growing again’ February 20, 2025 The chief executive of Checkatrade has revealed what he would like the government to change in order to boost British businesses and get the country growing again. Speaking during an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered interview series, Jambu Palaniappan argued Labour should reform the rules around planning permission to made it easier for [...]