Focus On Hackney Wick: Lack of homes and riverside cool is driving up prices on the edge of the Olympic Park January 25, 2016 With its disused warehouses and abandoned commercial buildings lining the banks of Regent’s Canal, a visit to Hackney Wick may not overwhelm you with its promise initially. But look a bit deeper into its property market and the potential of this industrial plain is clear to see. “Hackney Wick is one of east London’s most [...]
Plans for five-storey office block above Farringdon Crossrail station win approval January 25, 2016 Plans to build a major new office building above Farringdon Crossrail station have been given the go-ahead by City planners today, with construction expected to start next year. Designed by PLP Architecture – the architects behind Lipton Rogers and Axa Real Estate's 22 Bishopsgate skyscraper – the five-storey building will sit above the station's eastern ticket hall on [...]
Tube strike 2016: RMT has called off action scheduled for 26 January at 11th hour – but February’s strikes could still be on January 25, 2016 Update: The UK's largest transport union RMT has called off this week's Tube strike, after receiving a new pay deal from Transport for London. The Tube strike was due to start at 9.15pm on Tuesday 26 January and run until the same time on Wednesday 27 January. This was then to be followed by two further 24 hour strikes [...]
Alan Johnson talks Labour’s relationship with business, its prospects in 2020 and the EU referendum January 25, 2016 Labour is a party in disarray. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, it is struggling to connect with the public and earn back the confidence of business. Some polls have Labour commanding just 25 per cent of the national vote. And it does not help that the party’s MPs seem constantly embroiled in public rows [...]
Government sells stake in King’s Cross development for £371m to AustralianSuper January 22, 2016 The government has sold it stake in the King's Cross development – currently part-way through a process that will overhaul the 67-acre site – to pension fund AustralianSuper, for £371m. The decision to sell the site was made back in August, when Lazard and Savills were hired to handle the deal. The government's 36.5 per cent stake [...]
London house prices: Crossrail has made Hounslow Emoov’s top tip for first-time buyers who don’t want to break the bank – but would like a healthy return January 22, 2016 The UK property seesaw consists of two influential factors, with house prices at one end and the demand for said housing at the other. The changing face of the London property landscape means there is a tussle between boroughs, as the once desirable become unaffordable, and the not so desirable become the new hotspots – Brixton, for example. [...]
JLL City Momentum Index (CMI): London is the world’s most innovative city January 22, 2016 London has topped a ranking of the world's most innovative cities for the second year in a row, helped by a string of plans to boost the capital city's infrastructure. It was followed by Silicon Valley (2nd), Dublin (3rd), Bangalore (4th), Boston (5th), Shanghai (6th) and New York (7th). "The £15.8bn Crossrail project is the largest transport scheme [...]
Night Tube strikes look set to be called off, after staff receive new four-year pay deal January 22, 2016 Londoners rejoice: the series of Tube strikes set to start from next week look set to be called off after Transport for London bosses put forward a new four-year pay deal to union reps yesterday. The new deal includes a one-off bonus of £500 to all workers – not just those on the Night Tube – and an [...]
The return of the mega project helps value of construction schemes hit £74bn in 2015 January 21, 2016 Construction projects soared by £10bn in value last year to £74bn thanks to a resurgence in large-scale schemes. The number of projects commissioned in 2015 decreased by 4.7 per cent year-on-year to under 12,000. However, the total value increased overall as schemes grew bigger, with the average project value rising by 18 per cent to [...]
Why TfL running London trains is actually a terrible idea for the capital January 21, 2016 Whenever something does not work properly, we demand a “fat controller” to sort it out – especially when it comes to trains. Sure, there are many aspects of our transport system that are grossly unsatisfactory, but, certain facts do stand out and they do not point in the direction of more state control of the [...]