020 7538 0102
6th March 2015
Plans to turn West Ham's football ground into more than 800 homes have been attacked for failing to include any social housing. The ground was sold to Galliard Homes which plans to replace it with 838 homes in blocks up to 15 storeys high. Just 51 units, some 6%, will be affordable, to be sold at a reduced price under a shared ownership scheme, but there is no mention of social housing in the firm’s application. Sir Robin Wales, the Labour mayor of Newham, said: "The developers need to drastically rethink this ridiculous offer."
Evening Standard (04/03/15)
6th March 2015
UK house prices fell 0.3% in February leaving the average house price at £192,372, according to the Halifax. The fall, the first since October, followed a rise of 1.9% in January. However, despite the monthly decline, on a quarterly basis the pace of property price growth is picking up. Prices in the three months to February were 2.6% higher than in the preceding three months.
Financial Times (06/03/15)
27th February 2015
A new study looking at the areas in London most heavily populated by young professionals has found that Whitechapel is the most popular location for “generation Y”. Twenty and thirty-somethings outnumber over-50s by close to eight to one, beating second place Haggerston, which claims a seven to one ratio. Eight out of 10 of the “hippest” council wards were all found in east London.
Evening Standard (25/02/15)
27th February 2015
Boris Johnson has pledged £5m to help Londoners build their own homes. The money will support the construction of around 150 homes on disused sites. Would-be self-builders are encouraged to bid for a slice of the funding. If successful, the scheme could be expanded to deliver 10,000 new self-build homes over the next decade.
Evening Standard (23/02/15)
27th February 2015
George Osborne and Boris Johnson have outlined an ambitious housebuilding and infrastructure programme for London over the next 15 years. The chancellor pledged to boost the capital's economy by £6.4bn by 2030, create 500,000 extra jobs, build 400,000 homes and invest £10bn in transport. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry broadly welcomed the spending announcements; Colin Stanbridge, chief executive, said: "The measures to boost house building 'and' address the chronic housing shortage in London are particularly welcome".
Financial Times (21/02/15)
27th February 2015
Figures from the Office for National Statistics last week showed house prices rose 9.8% in the year to December. However, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) expects a 0.6% fall in average house prices this year, and a sharper drop of 3.3% in the capital. It predicts the Bank rate will not rise until February 2016 because of continued low inflation.
The Sunday Times (22/02/15)