Docklands News

Major lenders have started to reduce the cost of their fixed-rate mortgage offers following the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. HSBC reduced rates on some of its fixed-rate mortgages by up to 0.11% and up to 0.22 on tracker mortgages, while Accord Mortgages lowered selected rates, including those targeting first-time buyers, by up to 0.53%. Meanwhile, Virgin Money also cut rates, with the lowest at 5.49% based on a five-year fixed rate for a buyer with a 25% deposit, paying a £1,295 fee. Adrian Anderson, of mortgage brokerage Anderson Harris, said it appeared that there had been more stability in the mortgage market since it became clear Mr Sunak would replace Liz Truss. He added: "Obviously we are still anticipating the Bank of England base rates to continue to increase because the country is still grappling with inflation. However, a lot of the fixed-rate mortgage pricing that we are currently seeing has already factored in a lot of increases." 

The I  

Plans for a pair of residential skyscraper at Blackwall have been rejected. SimpsonHaugh's hybrid planning application, backed by developer EID (General Partner)would have seen the demolition of two 1990s office blocks at the former East India Dock and their replacement by two towers, one of 36-storeys and the other of 30. The taller tower would provide 716 student homes while the other would have comprised 150 build to rent homes. The application also included outlines designs for a new data centre, as well as a building with flexible workspace, community space and possibly a swimming pool. The scheme was blocked by Tower Hamlet’s Strategic Development Committee, which voted five to two to reject the application – despite council officers’ recommendation to approve the scheme. Planners at Tower Hamlets Council had said the scheme ‘had the potential to knit the townscape together’ through improved public realm and pedestrian links. However, councillors disagreed, stating that the towers would not fit with the scale and character of the local area and would have a detrimental impact on the conservation area, which includes a Grade II-listed dock wall and the Grade II*-listed East India Dock House by the site.

Architects' Journal (20/10/2022)  

Developer Landsec and the Morden College charity have confirmed that they are looking into selling the site of their planned Morden Wharf development, less than four months after Greenwich Council granted planning permission for towers of up to 36 storeys, containing up to 1,500 homes. A spokesperson for the project said: “We’re proud of the masterplan we have created at Morden Wharf with renowned architects and landscape designers and are now looking for a specialist partner to deliver the consented scheme, including a new riverside park, Thames path, 1,500 homes and commercial spaces". 

853 (18/10/2022)  

Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest that the UK’s housing market is showing signs of slowing down as rising mortgage rates hit demand. House prices rose by 0.9% to a record £295,903 in August, the data shows, with this a 13.6% increase on August 2021. Despite the increase, growth was slower than the 16% seen in the year to July. The average house price in Scotland increased by 9.7% over the year to August hitting a record level of £195,000. In Wales, the typical house price also hit a record high of £220,000 after increasing by 14.6%. A record high was also hit in England, at £316,000, after prices increased by 14.3%. The average price in Northern Ireland increased by 9.6%, reaching £169,000. The South West saw the strongest rise in growth, with prices up 17% in the year to August, while London had the lowest annual growth, at 8.3%. 

Daily Mail (19/10/2022)   Daily Mirror (19/10/2022)   The Independent (19/10/2022)   The Times (19/10/2022)  

Toronto and Frankfurt are heading for the steepest house price crashes as soaring interest rates threaten to burst the world's biggest housing bubbles, according to an investment bank. In total, nine major world cities are in high risk “bubble” territory, according to UBS's Global Real Estate Bubble Index: Zurich, Munich, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Amsterdam. London prices are not yet in bubble territory, but homes are “overvalued”. Overall, London ranked sixteenth in terms of risk, out of the 25 world cities analysed. London has some protections that other cities do not, however. House prices have climbed by 6% from mid-2021 – below the 10% average across the cities analysed. Rents also rebounded after the pandemic – reducing the risk of a buy-to-let investor sell-off. The bubble risk in London has therefore “slightly decreased” compared to last year, UBS said.  

The Daily Telegraph (17/10/2022)  

More than 5m households could see their annual mortgage payments rise by an average of £5,100 by the end of 2024, a think tank has warned. In total, mortgage payments are set to rise annually by £26bn over the next two years, according to the Resolution Foundation. Households in London will see the biggest increase, with average payments projected to rise by £8,000 over this period - more than twice the level of the £3,400 increase experienced by households in Wales. Lindsay Judge, research director at the Resolution Foundation, said: "With almost half of all mortgagor households on course to see their family budgets fall by at least 5% from higher payments, the living standards pain from rising interest rates will be widespread." While some homeowners on variable rate deals will see their costs increase immediately, the impact on the majority of mortgaged homeowners, who are on fixed-rate mortgages, will build over the coming years as they move off lower rates on to new deals, the think tank added. 

The Guardian (14/10/2022)   The Independent (14/10/2022)   The Sun (14/10/2022)   The Times (14/10/2022)