On thin ice: the danger posed by thawing permafrost and how businesses need to prepare February 11, 2021 Rapidly thawing Arctic permafrost is a prime example of how climate change is impacting natural ecosystems and, in turn, business operations. Permafrost is the name for ground that remains frozen for more than two years. It has existed in this region for millennia. Temperatures in Russia have increased by around two and a half times [...]
Ministers in talks with US and Singapore over international vaccine certificate February 10, 2021 Ministers are in discussions with other countries over the creation of an international vaccine certification system that would allow a partial resumption of travel, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps told the BBC he has spoken to his counterparts in the US and Singapore about the creation of an internationally recognisable system of proving [...]
Hotel quarantine to cost £1,750 per person with flouters facing 10 years in jail February 9, 2021 All passengers returning to the UK and Ireland from “red list” countries from Monday must quarantine at a hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1,750 per person, the health secretary has announced. “Any returning citizens will have to quarantine at an assigned hotel room for 10 days —or for longer if they test [...]
Cheaper rent draws tenants to central London locations February 8, 2021 Lower rents in prime central London locations are grabbing the interest of prospective tenants, suggesting urban living still has strong strength of demand despite the pandemic. The number of new prospective tenants registering in prime central London (PCL) who came from outside the area was 35 per cent between June and December 2020, according [...]
Central London retail investment doubles as fresh brands swoop on empty high street stores February 5, 2021 Less established brands swooped on discounted central London property in the final quarter of last year, as the collapse of former high street stalwarts has prime space up for grabs. Total central London retail investment in the fourth quarter of 2020 reached £475m, more than double the volume reported in the final three months of [...]
London house prices: Which exclusive areas suffered the biggest drop in property values? January 25, 2021 House prices in some of London’s most exclusive neighborhoods plunged due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest research. Sold prices across prime central London postcodes have fallen 10 per cent since the start of the pandemic, while property values across the capital grew three per cent on average. The W1J postcode in Mayfair [...]
Marston’s boss calls for extra support as pub chain expects sites to be closed until March January 8, 2021 The boss of pub chain Marston’s this morning urged the government for additional support for hospitality firms, as the company revealed it expects its sites to be closed until at least March due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The company, which has been forced to close all of its pubs due to the third nationwide lockdown, [...]
The three Cs driving WFH and their impact on global cities January 5, 2021 Investors in the office sector face a divergent picture due to the working from home (WFH) trend, says fund manager Tom Walker. Recent encouraging news regarding a Covid-19 vaccine means many of us are looking forward to resuming our “normal” lives. Getting out of the house will be top priority for many, particularly those of [...]
Matt Hancock: South African coronavirus mutation ‘more of a problem’ than current strain January 4, 2021 The new South African coronavirus mutation is the fastest-spreading Covid strain yet and will likely present a “very, very significant problem” for the UK, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Hancock said he was “incredibly worried” about the South African variant. “That’s why we took the action that we did [...]
Boris Johnson under pressure to cancel school reopenings December 29, 2020 Boris Johnson is under pressure from senior cabinet ministers to delay next week’s planned school reopenings as the UK recorded more than 40,000 new Covid cases yesterday – a new record. Health secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are pushing Johnson to cancel the planned reopening of schools next week for students [...]