Planning
HS2: Majority of compensation applications “turned down”
299 of the 455 applications made by homeowners living in the shadow of HS2's first stage have been rejected, according to reports today
“One Stop Shop” for infrastructure planning opens for business
A new "one-stop-shop service for planning consents" will, according to Whitehall, make major infrastructure projects easier to get off the ground by reducing the number of bodies developers need to consult…
Office Politics: Most of central London exempt from new permitted development rights
Areas in seventeen local authorities - including vast swathes of central London - have been exempted from new rights that make it easier to convert offices into resi, due to "exceptional economic circumstances"
Alchemi wins approval for SW1 resi conversion
Alchemi's plans to convert 55 Victoria Street from offices into 54 apartments (with a bit of retail on the ground floor) have been approved by Westminster Council, despite the designs being recommended…
Prices in Crossrail “walkzones” already steaming ahead – Knight Frank
Knight Frank’s current market forecast tips prime central London prices to rise by 31% over the next five years, but anywhere within a "walkzone" of a new Crossrail station could see values rocket by a…
Topland and Urban Exposure tee up plans for £30m Surrey mansion
Investment partners Topland Group and Urban Exposure have acquired a cracking 3.4 acre site on the Wentworth Estate in Surrey
Commons approve not-quite-planning-free extension plans
The House of Commons has voted (by 265 to 221) to accept the amended Growth & Infrastructure Bill, which was passed by the Lords on Monday (more here) and which gives homeowners the permitted development…
Ballymore to sell “ready to go” Royal Wharf development
Royal Wharf, one of the capital's largest development opportunities, has just hit the open market
Stanhope’s BBC Television Centre plans revealed
Stanhope has unveiled more details about its mixed-use plans for the 14-acre BBC Television Centre site in White City, which it acquired last Summer
Lords sign off on new permitted development rights
The House of Lords has agreed to the last-minute amendments to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, paving the way for new Permitted Development Rights that will allow homeowners to build up to eight metre…
116% jump in units awaiting planning consent
It appears that developers are capitalising on the build-up of confidence in London's prime resi market, with reports of a massive boost in the number of units awaiting planning consent
Last orders at the Pheasant: A eulogy to the country pub
The only surprise at the passing of Linley Brook's local pub is that it managed to survive for so long, says William Cash from Shropshire