Fancy living opposite painter Hogarth’s House in Chiswick? January 28, 2016 New homes do have a certain reputation for being identikit, sterile, cramped places to live in, but on the other hand, traditional period homes are dismissed as draughty, stuffy and expensive to maintain. But a new development in Chiswick, currently being marketed by a former Apprentice finalist, is aiming to strike somewhere in the middle with [...]
Bernie Sanders: It’s not just the elite who should fear America’s leading socialist radical January 22, 2016 Brothers Larry and Bernie Sanders claim to be very close. Bernie (who is running to be the Democratic nominee for the US presidency) told the Daily Telegraph last year that he learned many of his views from his older brother. But Larry isn’t some US political luminary. Back in May, running as a member of the [...]
British Business Bank Investments commits £30m to new UK private debt fund as it reports £11.8m profit and 6.5 per cent returns in first set of results January 19, 2016 British Business Bank Investments (BBBI), the commercial arm of the government’s economic development bank, will today report a net profit of £11.8m from revenues of £13.9m. BBBI’s maiden set of results will show the bank’s investment arm made a 6.5 per cent net return on its capital, ahead of targets, in the full year ending March 2015. [...]
The terminal flaw at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s low oil strategy January 18, 2016 “If people want to know who I am, it is all in the work.” – Alan Rickman Like everyone I know with a soul, I find myself in genuine mourning for the great British actor Alan Rickman, who died last week. It is impossible for me to think of anyone who brought me as much [...]
End of Southeastern, Southern and South West trains? Think tank calls for TfL to run south London train services as Overground January 14, 2016 South London's train operators Southeastern, Southern and South West Trains should be scrapped and turned into the Overground with Transport for London running services. The shake-up is the only way to keep up with increasing demand for transport in south London, according to a new think tank report. The Centre for London concludes scrapping the rail [...]
Alternative finance can unlock the potential of small developers to tackle Britain’s housing crisis January 13, 2016 Hearing that the Prime Minister plans to open up public sector land for small-scale developments was a great way to start the year. Gaining access to land is a major hurdle that keeps too many small property development companies out of the market. All initiatives to correct that should be welcomed. Yet lack of land [...]
Bottoms Up: Coq d’Argent owner D&D London toasts jump in Christmas sales January 11, 2016 D&D London, the restaurant and hotel empire behind the City’s Coq D’argent and South Place Hotel, has posted a jump in sales over Christmas as diners popped open the champagne. The company, which is mulling a stock market float, said UK like-for-like sales jumped by 4.2 per cent in December. Underlying sales for the nine months [...]
Russian guests rack up a five-figure bill on their Christmas day January 10, 2016 FOR THOSE not in the know, Russia celebrated its own Christmas day last week, with a few of the capital’s wealthiest visitors racking up a very impressive bill at City eatery M’s Westminster outpost. A party of six headed straight for M’s members bar, starting as they meant to go on with six bottles of [...]
Bournemouth sign Benik Afobe for club record £9m as Cherries gamble on former Arsenal trainee to save them from relegation January 10, 2016 Bournemouth have broken their transfer record for the second time since the end of last season to land England Under-21 striker Benik Afobe from Wolves for around £9m. The Cherries, who currently lie 16th in the Premier League, have signed the 22-year-old to fill the gap left by first-choice centre-forward Callum Wilson, who suffered a [...]
Croydon Tech City: What 2016 means for the Silicon Valley of South London as it attracts new startups and invests in skills January 8, 2016 As we enter into 2016, this year will be the fourth for the Croydon Tech City project which has grown into a formal organisation and movement of over a thousand entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and software developers. In that time, the borough has experienced a 38 per cent growth in tech, digital and creative startup activity [...]