The Market
Change of Usefulness: Is the planning system finally about to speed up?
Will the latest batch of planning reforms kick-start conversions or leave developers still kicking their heels, asks Rachel Lee...
Required Reading: The HS2 Discretionary Compensation Package
Details of a new discretionary compensation package for property owners affected by the HS2 rail link between London and Birmingham were released by the government this week
London’s skyline ‘trashed’ by wave of resi towers – Rees
The London skyline is being "trashed" by the wave of residential towers currently shooting up in between Vauxhall and Whitechapel, according to former City planning chief Peter Rees (the chap who incidentally…
Prime urban prices rising twice as fast as rural homes’
Prime country houses prices rose, on average, by 1.9% in the first three months of the year, says Knight Frank, taking the annual increase to +4.5%
New Plans for Old: Renovation job for listed building system
The system for listed building consents is getting an overhaul, with the aim of creating a 'more effective and efficient' process with less bureaucracy and generally lower costs
Sales activity reaches six year high, despite no Spring supply bounce – RICS
Surveyors are whooping as Q1 saw the average number of houses sold per chartered surveyor clamber to its highest level in six years, according to the RICS
Mansion Tax: A billion pound levy on London – Zoopla
It's been a few hours at least since the last mansion tax furore, and we're fairly sure that most in the prime property industry are now on the same page - or least the same chapter
Fame + Fortune: London and New York share the global x-factor
London and New York take joint first position in Savills latest global property report, which ranks a dozen cities based on their 'x-factor' appeal
Buyers’ Summer forecast as stock returns
Increased stock levels will create buyer’s market this summer, according to buying agency The Buying Agents.
Transaction levels in PCL resale market fall by 10%
Knightsbridge-based agency W.A.Ellis has reported transaction levels in the second-hand PCL market were down by 10% in Q1, compared with the same period last year
Leisure Hunt: Appetite returns for world’s prime boltholes
2013 marked a turning point for many prime second home markets around the globe, according to the latest research from Savills
Wrong Side of the Tax: How SDLT reshaped London’s prime property market
Believe it or not, it's been two whole years since the stamp duty levied on properties over £2m was ramped up to the eye-watering 7% mark.