Design

It's one of the key phrases in planning speak, but how do councils decide whether or not a property makes a "positive contribution to the historic and architectural character of a conservation area"?

Investment outfit Enstar Capital has just sold a consented 12-unit luxury scheme on the Strand for £12.25m, the firm's third play on the famous thoroughfare.

London-based developer Almacantar has signed a "major partnership" to sponsor the most prestigious award in British architecture, the RIBA Stirling Prize, for the next three years.

As the man responsible for some of the capital's most lavish private leisure complexes, architect David Wolff knows a thing or two about what makes the ultimate indoor swimming pool.

In an unusual move, the landlord of a rental property on Mulberry Walk is tempting prospective tenants with carte blanche to completely redecorate a whole house.

A Neolithic tomb in Cornwall, a shell grotto on a Georgian estate in Dorset, a Victorian coffin works in Birmingham, a Sheffield steel workshop and a 14th century Norfolk church are just some of the heritage…

How's this for a soft launch... Over 1,000 buyers have already enquired about apartments in the soon-to-be-transformed Shell Centre, less than a week after the registration process began.

Luxury design show Decorex International, which takes over Syon Park in September, has announced the line-up of its inaugural Patrons Panel.

The humble walled garden has trumped every other type of outside feature in a survey of UK homeowners. The Strutt & Parker poll asked 2000 people to choose their most-wanted outdoor component, and 21.

Tower Hamlets council has green-lighted plans for a "striking" new resi structure in the City.

A big sale has gone through on leafy Avenue Road in St John's Wood, just a few weeks after a neighbouring mansion changed hands for over £40m.

Plans for an ambitious reimagining of London's iconic Millbank Tower have been unveiled, involving 200 apartments, a 200-room luxury hotel and a public arts and cultural centre.