Growth plan: Sadiq Khan wants to boost London economy by £100bn February 27, 2025 Sir Sadiq Khan unveiled his plan to “turbocharge” London’s economy, claiming it could boost the capital’s coffers by £107bn by 2035. The mayor unveiled what he’s called the London Growth Plan at Imperial College London’s campus, in a speech to council leaders, businesses and media. Sir Sadiq’s plan for the capital aims to put an [...]
Transport secretary ‘minded to approve’ Gatwick expansion February 27, 2025 The transport secretary is “minded” to approve Gatwick Airport’s plans for a second runway but only if it accepts certain revised requirements, it has been announced. Heidi Alexander on Thursday gave the £2.2bn project a ministerial nod of approval should the airport agree to some additional demands. These include noise mitigation and the extent to [...]
The London office market has ‘definitively turned’ as prime rents set to double February 27, 2025 Analysts have said the London office market has turned a corner after two major commercial real estate investors released positive results. Dewent London reported rental growth doubling to 4.3 per cent, the highest since 2016, and it expects estimated rental value growth – an estimate of the rent that a property could earn if it [...]
How to fix London’s growth problem February 27, 2025 Sadiq Khan has pledged to be the most pro-business Mayor ever. Muniya Barua explains how he can turn rhetoric into reality The Prime Minister has made clear that growth is his government’s most important mission. The Chancellor has been busy selling that message around the world and urging regulators at home to get with the [...]
Heathrow to pay first dividend in five years to new owners February 26, 2025 London Heathrow Airport plans to pay its owners a first dividend in five years after passenger numbers reached record highs in 2024. The West London hub has settled on a payout of £250m over the coming weeks, the first since before the pandemic. Heathrow’s ownership underwent its most significant change in decades in 2024 after [...]
Plans for £1bn battery gigafactory and over 1,000 new jobs revealed February 26, 2025 Plans to create a £1bn 10GWh battery gigafactory in Coventry which will create over 1,000 jobs by 2030 have been revealed. Volklec, a battery manufacturing start-up which set up shop in the West Midlands city last year, has entered into an exclusive license agreement with China-based Far East Battery (FEB). The deal will see Volklec [...]
Gatwick expansion rationale not impacted by Heathrow third runway, regulator says February 25, 2025 The UK’s aviation regulator has put its weight behind Gatwick Airport’s proposals for a second runway as it accepted a range of financial commitments from the hub over the next four years. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday said the expansion plans would still provide “benefits to consumers” even if Heathrow also gets a [...]
Heathrow could face legal challenge if airlines forced to pay for third runway February 24, 2025 Emirates’ boss has warned that London Heathrow Airport could face a legal challenge from its airlines if they are forced to pay for a third runway. In an interview with the Financial Times, industry veteran Sir Tim Clark warned against further hikes to landing charges to pay for the expansion. “This could end up in [...]
Trainline shares tumble as further rail ticketing plans unveiled February 19, 2025 Trainline shares tumbled almost nine per cent on Wednesday as the government unveiled more details on how sweeping railway reforms will impact the ticketing sector. Great British Railway (GBR), the arms-length body that will oversee the UK’s railway system, is set to bring together individual train operator’s onto a single website. The Department for Transport [...]
Working from home is not to blame for ‘hollowing out’ London February 18, 2025 Sadiq Khan has expressed concern about the decline in office attendance and urged employers to attract workers back – but the finger of blame turns inexorably on himself, says Tom Jones Nick, 30 years old, shuffles out of his single bed with a weary sigh. The dull grey morning light of late winter barely pierces [...]