Planning
How the iceberg home melted away
Homeowners and developers should still be able to build good-sized subterranean extensions, but the days of the mega-basement are dead and buried, says Ed White...
Doing a Grosvenor: The Making of Mayfair’s Mount Street
How do you reposition a sleepy backwater into one of the world's top luxury destinations?
£150m development site hits the market in Westminster
A humongous site has just been brought to market in hot-to-trot Victoria with planning permission for a 160-unit resi scheme.
Civvy Streets: Green light for £1.5bn St John’s Wood Barracks resi development
A Malaysian billionaire’s controversial proposals to develop St John’s Wood Barracks in NW London have bagged a thumbs-up from Westminster planners.
‘The days of the iceberg houses are over’ but RBKC basement ban ‘will actually encourage’ excavation applications
A Chelsea builder has reported a spike in subterranean-related enquiries on the back of the Royal Borough's anti-basement policy stance.
Unlawful renovations land Hampstead homeowner with massive fine
The owner of a £4m house in Hampstead Garden Suburb has been hit with one of the biggest fines ever handed out for unlawful renovations to a listed building.
New operator to ‘take the Planning Portal to the next level’
Land referencing firm TerraQuest has been appointed as the preferred bidder to take over the running of the Planning Portal, with plans to "take the Portal to the next level".
Attack the Block: Planners turn off Kensington Odeon scheme
There's been a big twist in the ongoing plot to redevelop Kensington High Street's Odeon cinema.
RBKC Basement Ban claims ‘key’ scalp in Holland Park
CPC Group's proposed 24 unit scheme on Holland Park has been turned down by the Royal Borough's planners on architectural grounds due, in part at least, to the council's mega-basement ban policy.
More luxury resi for Covent Garden as Capco strikes again on Bedford Street
Capital & Counties has continued its "tactical acquisition strategy" in Covent Garden with the bagging of yet another key site.
Royal Mail surplus sites valued at £1bn
City fund managers reckon the value of Royal Mail's portfolio of redundant sorting offices and sites has doubled in under two years.
Mount Pleasant sorting office
Pickles cracks down on unauthorised development
Council planning teams across the UK are being tooled up with a £1m war chest to stop unruly developers and homeowners in their tracks.
Pickles on the job