Budget 2015: The stories that broke during George Osborne’s speech March 18, 2015 The announcement of the UK government’s annual budget is one of the biggest dates in the financial calendar. City hacks' ears were tuned into George Osborne’s speech this lunchtime, as eyes were glued to Twitter for all the breaking hot takes on the chancellor’s tie colour and fingers were madly typing away to produce a [...]
Housing Zones: How we’re using creative partnerships to build homes for London March 16, 2015 This week, thousands will gather in Westminster for the Homes for Britain rally. They are calling for the housing crisis to be solved in a generation by building more homes, with the challenge symbolised by a giant key being passed between campaigners from Land’s End to London. This week the key reached Lewisham, at a [...]
Focus on Battersea: Home of dogs, cats, families and riverside living March 12, 2015 Battersea’s venerable institutions – from its power station to its Dogs and Cats Home – often overshadow its considerable success as a residential destination. While houses easily soar over the £1m mark in this part of south-west London, UK buyers still account for 76 per cent of the market, 80 per cent of whom use [...]
Take a risk, invest in Ukraine says Kiev’s ex-boxer mayor Vitaliy “Iron Fist” Klitschko March 12, 2015 With the usual enormous Russian pavilion conspicuous by its absence at this year's Mipim property bash, Russians have all but deserted the event this year – but their warring partner Ukraine has arrived in force, with Kiev mayor and former world champion boxer Vitaliy Klitschko flying in yesterday to persuade institutions to invest in the [...]
Here are the eight new 20mph zones that Transport for London is introducing this year March 12, 2015 London is about to get eight new 20mph zones as Transport for London attempts to cut road casualties by 40 per cent in the next five years. The first confirmed location will be Commercial Street in Tower Hamlets, with the limit coming into force in April. The pilot will run for 18 months and will [...]
Nightcrawlers: Transport for London launches Free the Night photography exhibition to celebrate 24-hour Tube services March 12, 2015 Transport for London is almost as excited about the Tube going 24-hours as we are. Ahead of the launch – which is still six months away – TfL has put on a photography exhibition at Westminster station that celebrates London's nightlife. Delivered in partnership with Annin Arts Gallery, the exhibition features 24 large [...]
Mega-city London will fall behind New York without a radical plan for growth March 11, 2015 At last, a real sense of urgency is starting to define the debate surrounding the future of London. As chancellor George Osborne and mayor Boris Johnson warned in their recent Long Term Economic Plan for London, the capital risks losing its leading status as a pre-eminent global city unless action is taken to plan for [...]
London Bridge staff are having hot coffee thrown on them and being spat at by angry commuters as travel chaos continues March 10, 2015 Union bosses at RMT have written an open letter to train operators Southern, Southeastern and Thameslink, along with Network Rail, claiming rail staff are being abused by angry commuters over the travel chaos. The union claims that staff have been threatened, had hot coffee thrown over them and been spat at by passengers who [...]
Work on Crossrail for Bikes gets underway – and London mayor Boris Johnson lends a hand March 10, 2015 Work on Boris Johnson's flagship “Crossrail for Bikes” scheme began this morning, with the mayor donning a hard hat and clambering into a digger to help break the ground. The first leg will be the route that runs north to south from Kings Cross to Elephant and Castle – notoriously the most dangerous junction for [...]
More fun at London Bridge Station during evening rush hour as freight train breaks down March 9, 2015 Evening commuters going via London Bridge during the evening rush hour are set to be hit by more delays as chaos at the station continues into its second week. After crushes at the station on Wednesday, described as "life threatening" by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, commuters were again left stranded after a freight [...]