Tax hike thwarts London’s do-er uppers

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.

Academics from Goldsmiths, Sheffield and York universities have floated the idea of slapping a "premium property tax" on London's prime property market to pay for social and affordable housing.

After a 40% surge in the last year alone, a total of 35,000 prime homes are now due to be built in the capital over the next decade, with a combined floor area the size of the City of London and a…