Policy
New Scottish property tax bands hit the prime market, but create ‘more winners than losers’
Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney has set out the new-look detail for the new Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), which is lined up to replace SDLT in Scotland from April this year.
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.
Treasury calls for Budget 2015 policy ideas
The government is asking around for ideas on what to put in this year's Budget.
Government announces ‘exceptional’ HS2 compensation package
After carrying out two major consultations, the government has laid out its package of measures for owner occupiers along the HS2 Phase One route between London and the West Midlands.
80% of units in four new developments ‘sold to foreign buyers’
In the latest twist in the whole "squeezed out" debate, reports have claimed that 80% of the units in a series of new Thameside developments have been bought up by foreign purchasers.
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
Most MPs would choose new council tax bands over a mansion tax
Seven in ten MPs believe that an extra higher rate of council tax is a better option than a new mansion tax on high value homes.
Westminster to shut door on office-to-resi conversions
Westminster City Council is pretty worried about all the office-to-resi conversions going on at the moment. So much so that it's in the process of overhauling its policy to "reverse the current trend".
Scare B&B: Just how risky are short term lets?
Following recent reforms allowing Londoners to let their property on short leases without the need for permits, an increasing number of high value homes have appeared on short term letting websites.
Is Islington about to ban mega-basements too?
Just a week after the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea claimed victory in an "historic battle" against mega-basements, another London council is eyeing up a subterranean crackdown.
Government outlines plans to help small-scale developers
Minister of State for Housing and Planning Brandon Lewis has been busy updating Parliament on the coalition government's attempts at freeing up the planning system.
At-A-Glance: SDLT Now & Then
You can read LCP's excellent analysis of the new SDLT landscape here, and go deep into all the industry reactions here, but here are a few handy at-a-glance overviews from Keats (third graph) and Chestertons…