Alternative finance in Asia: Cambridge’s Robert Wardrop on this exciting, untapped market July 8, 2015 Alternative finance is a growing business in the West. In 2014, UK peer-to-peer and crowdfunding platforms made £1.74bn available to firms and individuals, with growth of 168 per cent in Britain and 144 per cent across Europe. But what does the landscape look like on other continents? Set to be published by the end [...]
South Western trains franchise going to tender July 7, 2015 The South Western rail franchise will be put out to tender, it has been announced by the Department for Transport. The franchise is currently run by a subsidiary of transport operator Stagecoach Group – Stagecoach South Western Trains. It had previously been given the franchise by Direct Award negotiations – granted by the government [...]
David Shaw to chair Mayfair’s Pollen Estate July 5, 2015 MAYFAIR landlord The Pollen Estate has appointed the head of The Crown Estate’s Regent Street portfolio, David Shaw, as chairman. The Pollen Estate owns 43 properties on some of London’s most sought-after shopping streets including Savile Row and Bond Street, with tenants including jeweller Chopard. It has some 120 beneficiaries, including The Crown Estate, which [...]
Theatre review: Bend it like Beckham July 2, 2015 Phoenix Theatre | ★★★☆☆ New British musicals have had a tough time of late. Made in Dagenham sank without a trace earlier this year, despite decent reviews and an A-List lead, and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice both had new shows suffer similar fates the year before. Compared to the above, Bend [...]
West Ham: Westley denies Bilic disrespect following Europa League romp vs FC Lusitans July 2, 2015 West Ham academy manager Terry Westley denied that new boss Slaven Bilic had shown a lack of respect by choosing to watch his side’s commanding victory over FC Lusitans in the Europa League first qualifying round from the Upton Park stands last night. Read more: I want to take West Ham to Champions League, [...]
Work and plays: Meet Richard Bean, Britain’s most successful contemporary playwright July 2, 2015 When Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors embarked on its first UK tour, every morning the dramatist would email James Corden (the lead) with tweaks and extra lines tailored to whatever audience he was facing that evening. Oh, you’re in Birmingham, swap line X with line Y. Leeds? Make sure you say Z. This tells [...]
New beginnings in north London: Woodberry Down joins regeneration move June 25, 2015 Most of London’s council estates have been used in a film as an “edgy, urban” backdrop at some point. But Woodberry Down, one of the largest housing redevelopments in Britain, had the dubious honour of being used as a stand-in for the Warsaw ghetto in Schindler’s List. You may not have heard of it, [...]
Labour mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan wants to pedestrianise Oxford Street June 24, 2015 Sadiq Khan, a frontrunner for the Labour mayoral candidacy, has backed plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street as part of a campaign for cleaner air in the capital. He said he will turn the capital’s flagship shopping street and tourist attraction in to a one and a half mile tree-lined walkway, as he vowed to tackle [...]
Crown Estate returns £285m to public purse after record year June 24, 2015 The Crown Estate today announced another year of record profits thanks to the regeneration of its vast estate at the heart of London’s shopping district plus its growing offshore wind business. The Crown Estate’s net profit, which goes into the Treasury’s coffers, rose to a record £285.1m in the year to 31 March – up [...]
London 24 hour Night Tube: Seven ways London travel’s going to get even better June 22, 2015 The Night Tube has nearly arrived. After years of Londoners dreaming of being able to hop on the tube after a night out, it will finally become reality this autumn. Transport for London's new map shows exactly where travellers can hop on and hop off in this first phase of the Night Tube rollout, but [...]