Qatar is 100 percent committed to its role in developing Europe's tallest mixed-use skyscraper in London, its central bank governor said on Wednesday, as its Gulf neighbour Dubai counts the cost of its property boom.
Speaking at a media update on progress of the 310-metre office and residential Shard project, Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani said he was excited by the rate of construction and reiterated the state's confidence in London's economic future.
"The State of Qatar is firmly behind these projects which reflect our belief that the United Kingdom continues to offer an attractive, stable and robust economic environment," Sheikh Al-Thani said.
"We are confident that the Shard will become a landmark on the London skyline and a symbol of the close ties between Qatar and the United Kingdom," he added.
A spokesman for the London Bridge Quarter joint venture leading the project, said Dubai's property-related troubles had no bearing on Qatar's backing of The Shard, one of the state's largest-ever investments in Britain.
The London Bridge Quarter development surrounding the Shard tower has an estimated completion value of 2 billion pounds and is set to complete in summer 2012.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Smokers Fined in City of London
Smokers who drop cigarette butts in the City of London face an £80 fine in a new crackdown on litter.
Every day about 7,000 cigarette butts are dropped in the City. They are accompanied by lighters, matches and cellophane wrappers.
Now 10 environment officers will be prowling - and issuing the fines to irresponsible smokers. Those who give false details will be fined £1,000.
Every day about 7,000 cigarette butts are dropped in the City. They are accompanied by lighters, matches and cellophane wrappers.
Now 10 environment officers will be prowling - and issuing the fines to irresponsible smokers. Those who give false details will be fined £1,000.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Christmas in the City of London
Smithfield Meat Market is well worth a visit, but if you can't face the early morning trip (it starts selling at 3am) then here's the perfect alternative: an atmospheric Christmas market. Inside the beautiful Victorian structure there will be stalls selling gifts, food and drinks with festive games and carol singing to get you in the spirit of things. Plus, it's all in aid of a good cause – St John Ambulance.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Property For Sale With Planning London SE1
Bermondsey
Long lane
London
Greater London
SE1
Net Saleable: 4000 sq/ft*
£ 800,000 + VAT Freehold
Long Lane is located just off Tower Bridge Road and is literally moments from Tower Bridge and a short walk into The City.
Nearby stations of London Bridge, Borough and Tower Hill give you easy access to the rest of London and beyond.
The proposed Scheme is for the erection of mansard roof extension and 4-storey rear extension, in connection with change of use of the ground floor and basement from retail (Use Class A1) to retail, financial or professional services (Use Class A2) and / or business (Use Class B1) and refurbishment of upper floors to provide 3 self-contained 2-bedroom flats (Use Class C3)
Property with Planning Bermondsey
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Mortgage Approvals and Consumer Confidence At Highest Level This Year
Jennifer Ryan in Bloomberg.com reports that U.K. mortgage approvals rose more than economists forecast in April to the highest level in a year, underpinning demand for homes as the property-market slump shows signs of easing.
Banks granted 43,201 home loans, compared with 40,038 in March, the Bank of England said today in London. Economists predicted 41,000, according to the median of 20 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey.
House prices stopped falling in May for the first time in 20 months, according to Hometrack Ltd.’s survey of real-estate agents. A pickup in lending may lay the foundations for the property slump to recede as the Bank of England keeps its benchmark interest rate at a record low and pumps newly printed money into the economy to aid growth.
Consumer confidence in Britain has also improved. It matched the highest level in almost a year last month, GfK NOP Ltd. said on May 27.
Individuals, whose overall debts total 1.5 trillion pounds, were more willing to add to credit card borrowings in April, today’s report showed. Credit-card lending increased by 343 million pounds, outweighing a 29 million-pound drop in personal loans and overdrafts.
Banks granted 43,201 home loans, compared with 40,038 in March, the Bank of England said today in London. Economists predicted 41,000, according to the median of 20 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey.
House prices stopped falling in May for the first time in 20 months, according to Hometrack Ltd.’s survey of real-estate agents. A pickup in lending may lay the foundations for the property slump to recede as the Bank of England keeps its benchmark interest rate at a record low and pumps newly printed money into the economy to aid growth.
Consumer confidence in Britain has also improved. It matched the highest level in almost a year last month, GfK NOP Ltd. said on May 27.
Individuals, whose overall debts total 1.5 trillion pounds, were more willing to add to credit card borrowings in April, today’s report showed. Credit-card lending increased by 343 million pounds, outweighing a 29 million-pound drop in personal loans and overdrafts.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Property News Forums
Forums are a brilliant tool to assess the mood on any subject. They answer questions, offer advice and inform. However, recently in the property forum world some contributers are finding empathy difficult to source, with all the bile being thrown.
House and the economy forums are full of 'I told you so' posts, all topped off with glee at the predicament of anyone who has 'lost' on the value of their house or home. And God help you if you are a property developer,or TV location personality with particular venom being reserved for the celebrity property developer.They are only one down from Estate Agents.
There is a sense that the wages they are paid were not really 'earned' in the first place, and then "How dare they try to get a return on their investments through dabbling in property development/charging others for sticking an advert in a paper or putting a board up outside our house "
While Anthea Turner and Simon Cowell would never be my choice of friend or business partner I will defend their right to invest and lose their cash wherever they want. I will even defend their right to invest in numbers of off plan resort developments. Where else would you have them invest? Property is easy to understand. You can buy, sell, live in or let, and not so long ago, one could expect that the actual sale value of the property would go up year on year: there has been little indication from Government, mortgage and financial advisors or the banks that things would change dramatically, and the scale the crisis is still surprising some commentators- Not so for the property forum know all of course.
Such contributors to forums take delight in the misfortune of others . They combine their boasts of insider knowledge and foretelling of the economic crisis with gloating about how much they will save or make through the downfall of others. They manage to overlook the fact that they are simply trying to beat the market, just as everyone else is. And you dont have to be a celebrity to have most of your assets wrapped up in property.For most of us, the bricks and mortar we own after 25 years is actually our home.
They offer no solutions either.They scoff and sneer at anyone trying to offer any upbeat view. Those of us who are caught up in redundancy, negative equity and debt do not need a smug telling off. Confidence is the only solution and if we need a bright side to look on here it is for the majority of us; if you have not lost your job, are not planning to sell your home, your buy to let, your golf resort apartment in Dubai or even your Barbados villa, you have not really lost anything yet. If you have a buy to let the chances are the mortgage interest is so low you can cope with the longer vacancies and lower rents caused by the glut of rental property. Its all happened before and there will never be an end to boom and bust. But it would be good if we could get through it without the glee at other peoples misfortune we see on the property forums.
House and the economy forums are full of 'I told you so' posts, all topped off with glee at the predicament of anyone who has 'lost' on the value of their house or home. And God help you if you are a property developer,or TV location personality with particular venom being reserved for the celebrity property developer.They are only one down from Estate Agents.
There is a sense that the wages they are paid were not really 'earned' in the first place, and then "How dare they try to get a return on their investments through dabbling in property development/charging others for sticking an advert in a paper or putting a board up outside our house "
While Anthea Turner and Simon Cowell would never be my choice of friend or business partner I will defend their right to invest and lose their cash wherever they want. I will even defend their right to invest in numbers of off plan resort developments. Where else would you have them invest? Property is easy to understand. You can buy, sell, live in or let, and not so long ago, one could expect that the actual sale value of the property would go up year on year: there has been little indication from Government, mortgage and financial advisors or the banks that things would change dramatically, and the scale the crisis is still surprising some commentators- Not so for the property forum know all of course.
Such contributors to forums take delight in the misfortune of others . They combine their boasts of insider knowledge and foretelling of the economic crisis with gloating about how much they will save or make through the downfall of others. They manage to overlook the fact that they are simply trying to beat the market, just as everyone else is. And you dont have to be a celebrity to have most of your assets wrapped up in property.For most of us, the bricks and mortar we own after 25 years is actually our home.
They offer no solutions either.They scoff and sneer at anyone trying to offer any upbeat view. Those of us who are caught up in redundancy, negative equity and debt do not need a smug telling off. Confidence is the only solution and if we need a bright side to look on here it is for the majority of us; if you have not lost your job, are not planning to sell your home, your buy to let, your golf resort apartment in Dubai or even your Barbados villa, you have not really lost anything yet. If you have a buy to let the chances are the mortgage interest is so low you can cope with the longer vacancies and lower rents caused by the glut of rental property. Its all happened before and there will never be an end to boom and bust. But it would be good if we could get through it without the glee at other peoples misfortune we see on the property forums.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
London Estate Agents Back Registration
There is widespread support across the property industry in the UK for individuals working within estate agencies to be registered and further meetings are to take place to move towards full registration.
Bill McClintock, chairman of the board that operates the Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme, said that the reaction has been encouraging, with support from across the industry.
'It started with many of the principal London agencies backing the idea and has spread countrywide. For the industry to be seen to be fair, it has to raise the professional standards of those who are involved at the real sharp end of residential property sales and lettings negotiation. Registration is an excellent first step to do this,' he said.
One of the familiar jibes aimed at estate agents is that anyone can set up an agency branch. McClintock wants those who have been estate agents for some time to demonstrate that they have attained the necessary standards to practice. He reckons it will make the industry more professional and sort out the good from the bad.
'The hard times the industry has been suffering have seen firms go to the wall with many good agents losing their jobs. Hopefully, as business revives they will come back to be valued members of the profession, for that is how I want estate agents to be seen,' he explained.
'Others who have fallen because, frankly, they were not good enough to stay in business in tough markets will find it hard to return unless they are fit to be here. We no longer want to inexperienced and unprofessional individuals who can give the industry a bad name. We want an industry that can prove its worth and serve the public with integrity,' he added.
He is now arranging a meeting at the head office of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents in Park Lane and will be inviting representatives of NFOPP, embracing NAEA and ARLA, RICS, NALS, OEA, Which?, and individual estate agencies to form an inclusive steering group to take the proposal forward.
'Keeping up the momentum is vital. Already, in just a few weeks since I first floated the registration idea, companies representing probably half the estate agency branches in the UK have committed to the scheme in principle, which would cover all individuals negotiating residential sales, lettings, and property valuations,' he said.
'It's a tremendous opportunity to set up a new system that will protect both consumers and estate agencies and ensure that proper standards are provided in an industry frequently dealing with consumers' highest value assets,' he added.
http://www.propertywire.com/
Bill McClintock, chairman of the board that operates the Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme, said that the reaction has been encouraging, with support from across the industry.
'It started with many of the principal London agencies backing the idea and has spread countrywide. For the industry to be seen to be fair, it has to raise the professional standards of those who are involved at the real sharp end of residential property sales and lettings negotiation. Registration is an excellent first step to do this,' he said.
One of the familiar jibes aimed at estate agents is that anyone can set up an agency branch. McClintock wants those who have been estate agents for some time to demonstrate that they have attained the necessary standards to practice. He reckons it will make the industry more professional and sort out the good from the bad.
'The hard times the industry has been suffering have seen firms go to the wall with many good agents losing their jobs. Hopefully, as business revives they will come back to be valued members of the profession, for that is how I want estate agents to be seen,' he explained.
'Others who have fallen because, frankly, they were not good enough to stay in business in tough markets will find it hard to return unless they are fit to be here. We no longer want to inexperienced and unprofessional individuals who can give the industry a bad name. We want an industry that can prove its worth and serve the public with integrity,' he added.
He is now arranging a meeting at the head office of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents in Park Lane and will be inviting representatives of NFOPP, embracing NAEA and ARLA, RICS, NALS, OEA, Which?, and individual estate agencies to form an inclusive steering group to take the proposal forward.
'Keeping up the momentum is vital. Already, in just a few weeks since I first floated the registration idea, companies representing probably half the estate agency branches in the UK have committed to the scheme in principle, which would cover all individuals negotiating residential sales, lettings, and property valuations,' he said.
'It's a tremendous opportunity to set up a new system that will protect both consumers and estate agencies and ensure that proper standards are provided in an industry frequently dealing with consumers' highest value assets,' he added.
http://www.propertywire.com/
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