London is top global city for visitors June 1, 2011 LONDON has fought off both New York and Paris to be crowned the world’s number one destination city, with an expected 20.1m inbound passengers visiting the capital this year, according to a survey out yesterday. Foreign visitors to London are expected to pull in a record $25.6bn (£15.58bn) this financial year alone. “London has yet [...]
British Land asset value rises May 23, 2011 British Land posted a 12.5 per cent increase in its net asset value per share and said it expected strong demand for prime office and retail property to continue. The property company confirmed a full-year NAV per share of 567 pence, from 504 pence a year earlier. Its underlying pre-tax profit was £256m, up 2.8 [...]
BUYING April 7, 2011 MANAGING PARTNER AT BLACK BRICK, BUYING AGENT Q. The Budget suggested that it is going to become easier to get planning consent. What will be the impact on house prices? A. The Budget announced measures to streamline planning applications, including a 12-month guarantee for processing all applications and appeals, a fast track for major infrastructure [...]
Chinese growth will benefit City of London too April 3, 2011 With the debate over how to stimulate UK economic growth still raging, one area we can ill afford to neglect is strengthening our trading relationships through commercial diplomacy. Emerging economies are expected to account for over 50 per cent of global growth over the next five years. Some people view this change in the economic [...]
BUYING March 10, 2011 Managing partner at black brick Q. How do you think the rise in stamp duty, which will rise from 4 to 5 per cent for properties over £1m from 6 April, will affect house prices? A.The rise will definitely affect the market outside of London, which is already slow due to lack of mortgage supply. [...]
The lady who took the lead March 10, 2011 NO, NO, no, I did not see myself as a feminist, in some ways the feminist movement did more harm than good,” says Debbie Moore, the first woman to float a company on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). “Having a female Prime Minister improved the atmosphere, but not just for women, for everyone with entrepreneurial [...]
HEADACHE FOR AVIVA INVESTORS OVER THEIR LIBYAN LANDLORD March 2, 2011 INTERESTING times at 14 Cornhill, the commercial property with a prime location opposite the Bank of England. Its owner has become embroiled in a little local difficulty involving global asset freezing. The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), the sovereign wealth fund that administers the troubled country’s oil billions, has owned 14 Cornhill since December 2009, when [...]
PROPERTY NEWS February 24, 2011 HOMEBUYERS GAIN INVESTOR POWERS A new service which will enable homebuyers to enjoy many of the same perks as property investors has been launched this week by property company Assetz. “Assetz Homes” will help buyers to secure the best properties at the most competitive prices by negotiating discounts on their behalf – a significant advantage [...]
Priced out by foreigners, bankers are on the move January 27, 2011 BONUS season is in full swing and – despite the dire economic figures released earlier this week – there is likely to be no shortage of cash being splashed in the next few months. Recent figures from Savills show that bankers are due to spend £1bn on homes this year. But whereas in the old [...]
One Hyde Park opens its doors January 16, 2011 A LUXURY development backed by Chris Candy will open this week, with flats at the exclusive address One Hyde Park starting at around £6.5m. Three retail units at the site, located between Hyde Park and Knightsbridge, have already been snapped up by luxury car maker McLaren, watch designer Rolex and the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. [...]