Construction
Call To Farms: Buying and developing agricultural land for residential use
We all know it's been a shrewd investment in recent years, but just how easy - or sensible - is it to buy up and develop farmland?
Resi construction value leaps 88% in a year
The value of the UK's construction industry has soared by 67.1% to £6bn over the last 12 months, according to Barbour ABI's latest Market Review, with the residential sector jumping by 88.1% year-on-year.
Mayfair “outranks” Knightsbridge as London’s top luxury address – Wetherell
The Mayfair corner's come out swinging with some statistical gymnastics to counter Nick Candy's claim that W1's oversupplied and due for a price drop this year (as reported here).
N.B.
RBKC approves pair of car park-to-resi schemes
Planners at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea have given development firm Grainger the green light for a couple of Assael-designed schemes with a combined value of £110m.
Super-sewer could render some apartments “unsellable” – Battersea Power Station
The firm behind the £8bn transformation of Battersea Power Station has joined the ranks of businesses and residents kicking up a stink over plans for the new Thames "super-sewer".
2013 was “second busiest skyscraper year in history”
From 2000 to 2013, the total number of 200-metre-plus buildings in existence increased from 261 to 830 - an extraordinary 318% - according to the latest report from the Council of Tall Buildings & Urban…
Wimbledon joins basement ban camp
Merton council is the latest London borough to make a move on banning mega-basements, with a spike in dig-down applications in Wimbledon Village driving the clamp-down.
Demanding Times: Ten buyers chasing each property for sale – Countrywide
Demand is outstripping supply by a factor of ten, as an average of 9.7 buyers chased each property for sale in November, according to Countrywide.
That's up from 8.
House prices to rise by 8% next year as new instructions “close to stagnating” – RICS
An "acute imbalance between burgeoning buyer demand and sluggish supply" will drive house prices up by 8% in 2014, according to the RICS, as new instructions to estate agents are "close to stagnating".
Canary Wharf “neighbourhood” plans submitted with 3,100 homes
Songbird Estates - the majority owner of the Canary Wharf Group - has submitted a masterplan for 20 acres around Wood Wharf that includes 3,100 residential units and aims to transform the area into something…
Top 10 crimes against period homes – RICS
The Daily Mail's been reporting about The Duchess (Middleton) causing strife in the village by replacing traditional Georgian roof tiles with "Barratt Homes" red ones. The horror.
Residential construction hits 10 year high
The homebuilding industry is charging on at a rate not seen for decade, according to the latest Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index.