Blenheim Centre rethink: Penge scheme pivots to 100% social rent — and reshapes the town-centre bargain
The redevelopment of Penge’s Blenheim Shopping Centre has taken a decisive turn. The latest proposals would deliver 228 homes entirely at social rent, a rare outcome for a London town-centre site where mixed-tenure models have long been the default. The switch has been made possible by additional grant support from the Greater London Authority, with […]
Crown Estate kicks off contractor hunt for £72m Mayfair redevelopment — major Mayfair job goes to market
The Crown Estate has formally launched a £72 million procurement process to find a main contractor for a high-profile redevelopment in Mayfair, signalling a rare wave of major investment into one of London’s most valuable commercial and retail districts. The procurement notice — issued this week as a two-stage appointment process — relates to redevelopment […]
Heathrow’s £1.3bn 2026 upgrade puts Terminal 4 at the heart of a new London airport race
Heathrow is preparing to launch a major upgrade of Terminal 4 in 2026, part of a £1.3 billion investment programme that will reshape the passenger experience and inject fresh work into the UK construction and aviation supply chain. For London’s wider airport system, it is another sign that the capital is entering a new phase […]
London planning applications hit decade high as major office schemes surge
London’s development pipeline is gaining fresh momentum, with 2025 delivering the highest volume of planning approvals in a decade — a meaningful signal for the capital’s property and construction sector after years of caution and uncertainty. New data from the City of London Corporation show that more than half a million square metres of new […]
Deutsche Bank’s Move to YY London — and What It Means for Canary Wharf’s Office Revival
Deutsche Bank is poised to become the largest tenant at YY London, marking a significant vote of confidence in Canary Wharf’s revitalised office market and cementing the building’s status as one of the capital’s most important newly repositioned corporate hubs. The move will place the German bank alongside Revolut, which already occupies the top floors […]
Billingsgate and Smithfield to Move to Royal Docks: What the Historic Shift Means for Traders, Customers and London’s Economy
London’s centuries-old meat and fish markets are on the move. Smithfield and Billingsgate, which have supplied butchers, restaurants and fishmongers for generations, are now set to leave their historic homes and share a new base on Albert Island in the Royal Docks by the end of the decade – a shift that will reshape the […]
Budget 2025: what London’s property and construction sector needs to know
London will feel the Budget more than most. The headline for housing and real estate is a new “high-value council tax surcharge” — widely dubbed a mansion tax — on homes worth over £2 million, scheduled to start in April 2028 after a property revaluation. Independent and government briefings put the take at roughly £400–£450 […]
Flexible workspaces now make up 12% of London’s offices — and could hit 20% by 2030
Flexible workspace is no longer a niche in London’s commercial property market — it’s becoming the defining feature of the city’s post-pandemic office landscape. New analysis from CBRE, Knight Frank, and Savills’ Workthere platform shows that flexible and serviced offices now account for around 12% of total office stock in London, up from less than […]
London’s Construction Workforce Shrinks as Industry Faces a Post-Boom Labour Crunch
Employment in London’s construction industry has fallen sharply over the past year, the latest data shows, as stalled housing schemes, tighter finance, and a slowdown in infrastructure spending combine to squeeze the sector’s capacity. Industry leaders are warning that the capital risks a loss of skills and labour that could take years to rebuild — […]
After Assent: What the collapse means for London’s building control and construction projects
Two weeks on from the collapse of Assent Building Compliance, one of the UK’s largest private building control providers, the construction industry is still absorbing the impact. Thousands of live projects — many of them in London — have been forced to reassign building control duties, triggering a wave of cancellations, new appointments, and regulatory […]