Format: Views
Conservation Area Checklist: How to work out if a building ‘makes a positive contribution’
It's one of the key phrases in planning speak, but how do councils decide whether or not a property makes a "positive contribution to the historic and architectural character of a conservation area"?
SDLT reforms ‘backfire’ as London investors split purchases
Buying agency Black Brick has laid into the government's decision to up stamp duty rates for high-value homes, after observing a big knock-on effect in the lower price ranges.
Prime Property of the Week: Spirit of Scotland
Gin Head, Near North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland
£3.5m
Immigration Bill: Why Greg Clark should let letting agents do their job
All this unpaid work is making life so tedious that it's almost not worth doing the job at all, says Trevor Abrahmsohn...
Dead Cats Don’t Bounce: Why the London property market lies in the doldrums
The trophy house will continue to sell but the buyer’s market has returned, says LonRes Chairman William Carrington...
Prime Property of the Week: His n’ Hers
Hyde House & Holland House, Campden Hill Road, Kensington, London
£12.75m (each)
One of the joys of London property is the variety you'll find just around the corner, or even next door.
In Recent Proposals: Notable small to medium scale residential planning applications
A whistle-stop tour through some of the more interesting proposals and projects in the planning pipeline…
‘The volume of sales for properties over £1.5m has reached a plateau’
The volume in sales for properties over £1.5m looks set to fall for the first time in two years, according to 44-branch estate agency Jackson-Stops & Staff, despite year-on-year growth 36% from 2012-2014.
Prime Property of the Week: The Bond Villain’s Lair
Villa Amoras, Costa Smeralda, Sardinia
£10.62m
Fashion Faux Pas: Savile Row case highlights perils and pitfalls of listed buildings
A recent case involving the Abercrombie & Fitch store in Mayfair serves as a useful reminder for all those looking to alter or buy a listed building, says Edward Burton...
How will rising interest rates affect the residential property market?
Carney's recent proclamation that interest rates will be on the up shortly has divided opinion in the prime resi ranks; here are some thoughts on what higher rates could mean for the top end of the market...
Prime Property of the Week: Low Profile Luxe
East Heath Road, Hampstead, London
Guide Price £4.5m