Property focus on Tunbridge Wells: Find pretty period homes and a rejuvenated restaurant scene in Queen Victoria’s favourite town March 13, 2020 Only three towns in England can call themselves ‘Royal’ – and Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town of 56,000 people which lies 30 miles south-east of London in Kent, is one of them. King Edward VII bestowed the title on it in 1909, partly to commemorate the fact that his mother, Queen Victoria, loved the town [...]
New builds: Homes on the market in London this week, from flats for West Ham fans to a Bromley mansion March 13, 2020 Hanworth Apartments, Hounslow From £339,000 for a one-bed Jet setters will want to take a look at Hanworth Apartments, the new phase of homes at Barratt London’s High Street Quarter in Hounslow. Its 38 one, two and three-bed apartments are just ten minutes from Heathrow Airport, with prices starting at £339,000 for a one-bed. A [...]
Housing White Paper reforms will ‘accelerate’ planning process March 12, 2020 The government will release its housing White Paper in the spring to outline an overhaul of the country’s planning rules. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would “propose measures to accelerate planning” and “maximise the potential of new technologies to modernise the system”. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said this would [...]
Berkeley suspends £455m shareholder payout over coronavirus March 12, 2020 Housebuilder Berkeley Group has suspended a £455m shareholder payout until there is more clarity on the economic impact of coronavirus. The property developer said there had been no noticeable impact on its own business so far, but warned that the effect on UK firms is still unknown. Berkeley Group said it was responsible to approach [...]
Savills profit jumps after UK post-election bounce March 12, 2020 Property advisor Savills reported a jump in full-year profit as a surge in UK business after the general election helped to offset Brexit uncertainty and disruption in Hong Kong. The figures Group revenue increased ten per cent to £1.93bn driven by a strong performance and profit before tax increase six per cent to £115.6m, compared [...]
Intu raises going concern doubts as losses deepen March 12, 2020 Embattled retail landlord Intu raised doubts over its ability to continue as a going concern this morning as it reported a sharp increase in losses last year amid store closures and rent reductions. The figures Shares plunged 16 per cent this morning as the company reported a £2.02bn loss for the year, compared to a [...]
London house prices: Rising demand pushes up property prices March 12, 2020 London house prices increased in February due to rising demand for homes in the capital, according to new research. In total 39 per cent of London contributors to a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported a rise in house prices last month, the highest amount since May 2014. Additionally, 27 per cent [...]
Budget 2020: Stamp duty hiked for overseas buyers March 11, 2020 The government will go ahead with plans to increase stamp duty for overseas buyers, chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today. He said the government will introduce a new stamp duty surcharge of two per cent for foreign buyers to make it easier for domestic buyers as part of a range of measures to tackle the housing [...]
The Westbury Hotel owner seeks £1bn sale of Mayfair portfolio March 10, 2020 Cola Holdings, the owner of the The Westbury Hotel, is seeking a £1bn offer for its Mayfair property estate, which also includes Bond Street’s Burberry store and a private members club. Kurdish-born millionaire Bakir Cola owns the group, which has recently received planning permission to redevelop the five-star hotel in Conduit Street to attract “top [...]
Coronavirus: Hostel firm Safestay suffers spike in school cancellations March 10, 2020 Hostel operator Safestay has warned that it has suffered a sharp drop in bookings and a growing number of cancellations as fears over the Coronavirus outbreak ramp up across Europe. The firm said that group bookings from schools and colleges have been cancelled. Some countries including Italy have temporarily closed schools to stop the spread [...]