Policy
Construction activity escalates in London (but what’s happened to the planning pipeline?)
The number of units under construction in central London has hit record levels, reports JLL. The current figure of 30,700 is up 8% on H2 2014 and 18% in the last year.
Virtual Vigilantes: Architects launch a WikiLeaks for London developments
A band of architects have created a sort of WikiLeaks for London's property development scene in an effort to clean up the capital's foggy planning process and combat the rise of profit-led development.
TPO names new Property Ombudsman
Katrine Sporle CBE has been unveiled as the new Property Ombudsman.
Anti-money laundering rule change ‘crucial’ for the London market
A Marylebone-based agency has called for a fundamental change in current anti-money laundering legislation, because the government and HMRC "don't understand" how the property market works in the capital.
Australian government forces more sales in $1bn foreign investor crackdown
The Australian government's new crackdown on "illegal" overseas investors has already started snaring some pretty big fish.
Owners of residences in Sydney's exclusive Elizabeth Bay are under scrutiny
Greenbelt development has halved over the last ten years
We can't afford the luxury of keeping England's Greenbelt development-free, says Countrywide in a new report looking into housebuilding on these protected areas.
Jeremy Corbyn’s principles on property
Jeremy Corbyn's has called in Westminster veteran Jon Trickett MP as the new Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (CLG), and returns John Healey MP to his old position as Shadow…
Six million square feet of UK office space ‘lost’ to resi in 2014
Developers converted over six million square feet of UK office space into residential accommodation during 2014 alone (creating about 7,000 new homes), according to a new investigation by the British…
Housebuilder warns on ‘severe’ lack of construction workers
Major housebuilder Weston Homes has warned that a "severe" shortfall in skilled workers is the biggest challenge facing the industry as it aims to hit the Government's target of 200,000 new homes…
Tough new clean construction rules come into play for London sites
Construction site managers throughout London are now required to retrofit or replace old, polluting machinery in "a world-first step" to help clean up the capital's air and reduce damaging emissions from…
Required Reading: Understanding Building Regulations
Building regs can sometimes be overlooked in the course of a transaction, but non-compliance can have expensive and potentially dangerous real world consequences.
Resi developers named as London mayoral candidate donors
Some big-name resi firms have been named as major donors to London's mayoral candidates as they ramp up their respective campaigns.