12th August 2016
Limehouse, four miles from central London and perfectly located between the City and Canary Wharf comes under the Standard’s spotlight. Less expensive than Wapping to the west, it is also a lot quieter than the Isle of Dogs, and is relatively unspoiled compared to adjacent neighourhoods, with a small selection of Georgian houses, and a host of early Victorian cottages in the York Square area north of Commercial Road. New-build flates can be found at Canary Gateway, overlooking Limehouse Cut, where two six-storey blocks with 160 one-, two, and three-bedroom flats are being developed by the East Thames Consortium.
Evening Standard (10/06/2016)
12th August 2016
House prices fell by 1% in July, with the average UK price dropping to £214,678 last month in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, according to figures from the Halifax. That fall reversed a 1.2% gain in June; compared with a year earlier, prices in the three months to July were up by 8.4%. Halifax housing economist Martin Ellis said that despite signs that house-price growth is slowing “it remains too early to determine if there has been any impact” from the result of the referendum.
The Guardian (05/08/2016)
12th August 2016
Labour Party leadership contender Owen Smith has pledged to build 70,000 new homes a year in London to help tackle the capital's housing crisis. He said at least half of all the new homes in London would be affordable to help struggling young people and families, and he also vowed to boost housebuilding by 300,000 new homes a year across the country, including 150,000 social homes, for the next four years.
Evening Standard (10/08/2016)
12th August 2016
Living next to a “neighbour from hell” who allows their home to fall into disrepair can knock up to £83,000 off the value of a London home. Houses next door to a “bad neighbour” sell for an average of 8.2%, or £38,717, less than similar homes in their area, a study by insurer Privilege claims. The biggest price drag is being by a home with broken or boarded windows, followed by bad extensions and rubbish in the driveway.
The Daily Telegraph (11/06/2016)
5th August 2016
Barratt London has released the latest phase of its 688-apartment Enderby Wharf development in Greenwich. Homes in the Cook House section of the project all feature a balcony or terrace, with views over either Greenwich, Canary Wharf, or the O2, with many overlooking the Thames. Residents also have access to a crèche, a 24-hour concierge service, an office, a skills and training centre, underground parking and private landscaped gardens. The schemes one, two and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses start at around £425,000, rising to about £800,000. Meanwhile a campaign for a judicial review of the Enderby Wharf planning decision has ended in defeat, with the High Court ruling in favour of Greenwich Council. Questions had been asked as to the local authority’s pollution assessment of the development, centred on the cruise liner terminal on the river.
The Wharf (30/07/2016) News Shopper (03/08/2016)
5th August 2016
The first images of the new homes set to replace Robin Hood Gardens, the brutalist estate in Tower Hamlets on the north side of the Blackwall Tunnel, have been released. Developer Swan Housing Association has enlisted Metropolitan Workshop and Haworth Tompkins to design two towers each, to replace the famed Alison and Peter Smithson-designed buildings. The 268 apartments in the four new mid-size blocks will be offered to local residents first, then to buyers across London three months later, before the sales process is thrown open to all.
Building Design (03/08/2016) Evening Standard (04/08/2016)