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21st November 2014
Labour MPs in London are urging Ed Miliband to revise his plan for a mansion tax fearing the proposal will cost the party votes at next May’s general election. The MPs instead want Labour to bring in new council tax bands for the most expensive properties. The party’s criticism of the measures came in the same week as Mr Miliband’s run-in with Myleene Klass on a TV show, where she said the tax would hurt “grannies” while having no effect on the “super-super rich”.
The Times (20/11/14)
21st November 2014
The Evening Standard reports that five new residential apartment blocks planned for London have been given the green light despite growing concern about the impact of the skyscraper epidemic on the capital's skyline. Around 2,000 homes will be created in the towers, with four planned for Canary Wharf – including the South Quay and Arrowhead Quay projects – and one in Vauxhall.
Evening Standard (19/11/14)
21st November 2014
Hometrack has revealed that the prices of homes in 20 of the UK’s largest cities have risen by at least 5% for the first time in a decade. Prices in London rose 17.3%, according to the analyst, while those in Glasgow and Liverpool grew 5.5%. The report predicts that, by the end of the year, prices in some of the UK’s larger cities could be rising at a rate faster than in the capital.
The Times (21/11/14)
21st November 2014
House price growth rose to 12.1% in the year to the end of September, according to official figures from the ONS. The statistics show there was an 18.8% annual rise in prices in London. The ONS said the average home cost £272,000, with prices rising faster year-on-year than at any time since 2007.
Financial Times (18/11/14)
14th November 2014
Tower Hamlets’ Strategic Planning Committee has given its approval to three residential towers at South Quay, near Canary Wharf, meaning 1,644 new homes will soon be coming to the area. Councillors gave the green light to the 220m-high South Quay Plaza scheme, which will create 888 apartments across two towers, one of 68 floors and the other of 36. They also backed the Arrowhead Quay development – two towers of 55 and 50 storeys, containing 756 homes. However, plans for Quay House, a 233m-high tower, were rejected on the grounds that the site is in danger of overdevelopment.
The Wharf (07/11/14)
14th November 2014
Considering criticism of apartments in Battersea Power Station which went up for sale last month, the Express suggests that investors should look to east London if they want a more authentic environment in which to invest in property. The regeneration of Greenwich is discussed for those looking to escape fears that Battersea will become a “rich man’s enclave”.
Sunday Express (09/11/14)