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10th March 2017
The residential elements of Allies and Morrison’s £1.3bn Olympicopolis cultural quarter in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are up for revision, following complaints over protected views of St Paul’s Cathedral. The 30-storey and 40-storey residential towers on the Olympicopolis scheme are understood to be among half a dozen high-rise projects in Stratford which could be affected by potential changes to the sightline policy, which was sparked by complaints over SOM’s Manhattan Loft Gardens 42-storey skyscaper. The new designs are to be unveiled in May.
Architects’ Journal (03/03/2017)
10th March 2017
The annual rate of growth in UK house prices has slowed to its lowest pace in three and a half years, according to the Halifax, which has said prices increased by 5.1% in the year to February, the lowest since July 2013. It means the rate of house price inflation has halved in 11 months and that the average price is now £219,949. Martin Ellis, a housing economist at Halifax, said: "A sustained period of house price growth in excess of pay rises has made it increasingly difficult for many to purchase a home”. Separate research shows that the average London home has been going up in value by £105 a day since December 2011, when the average home in London cost £292,284. That figure now stands at £483,803. Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, the areas with the fastest rising prices, saw values up more than £200 a day in the period, while values in Barking & Dagenham, the worst-performing location, grew by an average £69 per day.
The Times (07/03/2017) Evening Standard (08/03/2017)
3rd March 2017
EcoWorld Ballymore has launched a new tranche of apartments at at Wardian London, a two-tower development on the Isle of Dogs just three minutes’ walk from Cabot Square, overlooking South Dock. The Hortorium, designed by Glenn Howells Architects, is made up of 33 two-bedroom apartments, each of which features an individual garden terrace, up to 37.2 sq m in size and cared for by an onsite gardener. The development takes its name from the Wardian Cases created in east London and used by the British Empire to transport both rare plants and tea plants. In keeping with this history, residents will also be surrounded by more than 100 different species of exotic plants in the atriums, communal areas and swimming pool. Homes in the Hortorium are priced from £617,500. The first residents are expected in move in during 2019.
The Wharf (02/03/2017)
3rd March 2017
London City Island, a new development on the Leamouth Peninsula, offers a variety of apartments across its seven towers, from one-bedroom apartments to expansive penthouses. Each structure is shaded differently, to reflect the local area’s maritime history. This is also one island it would be virtually impossible to get stranded on; the 12-acre site is linked to Canning Town by a new 260 ft footbridge, offering easy access to the Jubilee Line and DLR, with Bond Street just 25 minutes away. There will be plenty to keep residents onshore, however, with an Arts Club housing a library, games room and dedicated gym, as well as the future arrival of the English National Ballet headquarters and school, and the London Film School. Prices start from £499,500.
Evening Standard (27/02/2017)
3rd March 2017
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has published a report which highlights the “crippling” effect that a “hard Brexit” would have on house-building in the capital. Mr Khan said that more than one in four construction workers in London are from the European Union and a loss of skilled workers could have a “seriously detrimental” impact on achieving the hundreds of thousands of homes the capital needs. The report also indicates that concern over housing is at its highest recorded level, with 37% of Londoners citing it as one of the most important issues facing the country.
Evening Standard (27/02/2017)
3rd March 2017
More first-time buyers have got on to the property ladder since the introduced of a 3% stamp duty hike for buy-to-let landlords and second home owners. Since then, between April and December, first-time buyer numbers rose by 7.8% to 268,100, compared to the year before, while the number of landlords buying homes fell more than a fifth to 165,500.
Daily Mail (28/02/2017)