Developments

New "Right to Contest" powers have officially come into force today, allowing the public to contest the use of central government land and property and apply for its release.

The Chinese state-owned developer Greenland Group has just bought the 7.75 acre Ram Brewery site in Wandsworth from Minerva, in a transaction with a total investment value of around £600 million.

The powers that be at the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham have approved Stanhope's combined full and outline planning application to transform BBC Television Centre in White City.

A bevy of big league resi developers have signed up to a new "voluntary commitment" that could affect the way new schemes are marketed from next year.

The majority of lenders plan to up their funding of residential development funding over the next 12 months, continuing 2013's shift towards being more ready with the readies.

Towering over West London, 1960s landmark The Empress State Building could be about to undergo an office-to-resi conversion.

As we reported at the beginning of the month, developer Northacre has been in talks to acquire JV partner Minerva's stake in acclaimed W2 scheme The Lancasters. The Lancasters

English Rose Estates, which bought 406-408 Strand for £11.625m back in October, has made the 13-unit scheme into a joint venture with Sol Zakay's Topland Group.

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…

The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority has reportedly voted to terminate its agreement with prime developer Native Land.

That bit of Covent Garden between King Street and Floral Street is set to undergo a major transformation - and gain 45 prime resi units - after Capco got the thumbs up from Westminster planners last night.

Warm on the heels of Savills' warnings about oversupply at the top end of the market, One Hyde Park supremo Nick Candy has also been voicing his concerns about the number of prime and super-prime schemes…