14 September 2007

Virgin faces music with demand for monthly rents

14 September 2007

Quarterly payments ‘massive hurdle’ as CD and DVD retailer suffers from online competition

£500m cash-for-council homes scheme

14 September 2007

Yvette Cooper, the housing minister, will announce a £500m package today to fast-track housebuilding for first-time buyers and young families. The Times. Financial Times. The Daily Telegraph

20-30-40-50

14 September 2007

Each week we meet a property character from a different age bracket. This week Sean McAllister meets Jeremy Leggett, 53, a green campaigner and friend of Fidel Castro

Annabel’s founder Birley cut son’s inheritance

14 September 2007

Mark Birley, the founder of Annabel’s nightclub, cut his son, Robin’s inheritance in his will after a bitter family feud. The Daily Telegraph

Artisan Property Group has unveiled its plans for its first scheme in Salford.

12 September 2007

The northwest developer has selected HKR Architect’s designs for the redevelopment of the former Brown Bros. warehouse and brewery site.

AstraZeneca signals review

18 September 2007

AstraZeneca is exploring outsourcing of production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used in its medicines. The Guardian

Aussies spring into UK with £165m fund

14 September 2007

Mirvac subsidiary Chantrey targets resi sites in London and south-east

Australian view: Carolyn Cummins, Why we Aussies are rising above market crisis

14 September 2007

Our fundamentals bear no resemblance to the US subprime market, says Sydney Morning Herald commercial property editor Carolyn Cummins

Axa REIM to offload smaller properties

14 September 2007

Manager to sell off assets ‘too small to benefit from active management’

Barratt Homes picked as developer for Canada Water

12 September 2007

British Land Canada Quays has chosen Barratt Homes as its development partner for the first phase of the £1.5bn regeneration of Canada Water in east London.

Barratt wades in at Nuneaton

14 September 2007

Housebuilder Barratt has been selected as preferred developer for the £125m redevelopment of the Camp Hill estate in Nuneaton.

Beacon closes $4bn global offices fund

11 September 2007

Beacon Capital Partners has closed a $4bn global office fund, which includes the CityPoint tower in the City of London, bought this year for £650m. The Times

Big turnout for Small Faces

14 September 2007

Down to Carnaby Street for an event organised by City of Westminster and sponsored by landlord Shaftesbury.

Blackrock to launch farm fund

17 September 2007

Blackrock, the fund manager which is half-owned by Merrill Lynch, is to launch a £100m hedge fund that will buy up farmland across Britain to profit from booming food prices. The Sunday Times

Bradford approves 38-storey tower

11 September 2007

Bradford City Council has approved plans for a 38-storey tower in Bradford.

Bristol, Bath and Swindon

14 September 2007

British Land confirms slew of London office lettings

12 September 2007

British Land has confirmed a host of lettings at its 35-storey Broadgate Tower development in the City of London.

Brum site let for recycling plant

14 September 2007

Helical Bar and Canmoor have pre-let a site near Birmingham to Greenstar Environmental to build one of the UK’s largest recycling facilities.

Buy-to-let loan rates rise

11 September 2007

The credit crunch is set to hit tens of thousands of buy-to-let property investors as mortgage lenders increase interest rates, experts warned last night. The Daily Telegraph

Canary space up for grabs

14 September 2007

Canary space up for grabsFimalac is to sublet surplus space at its London headquarters at Canary Wharf.

Capital allowance clawbacks will hit retail and leisure

14 September 2007

Gordon Brown’s Corporation Tax cut looks set to be paid for by shops and hotels, says Patrick Cannon

CBRE and JLL shares plummet in New York …

14 September 2007

Shares in the two largest property services firms took a hammering this week as nervous investors baled out.

CBRE Investors buys Bristol offices

12 September 2007

Strategic Partners UK, managed by CBRE Investors, has bought two office buildings in the £500m Cabot Circus redevelopment in Bristol for £11m.

Cedar branches out in Tamworth

14 September 2007

Cedar House Investments has agreed the presale of a 20,000 sq ft office at Calico Business Park in Tamworth.

Cereal seller at Trafford Park

14 September 2007

Kellogg’s is selling a 5.2 acre site opposite its flagship factory at Trafford Park. The site includes a 34,000 sq ft office building. Sbh.uk is advising Kelloggs.

Chipolopolos of the old blocks

14 September 2007

Following on from last week’s revelation about how Close Investments’ boss Simon Cooke kindled his romance with his much younger wife, Jenny, in Zambia comes another African Cooke tale.

Cinven’s facelift for BUPA hospitals

13 September 2007

Private equity firm Cinven Partners is to rebrand BUPA hospitals under its own Spire Healthcare logo. The Times

City, City fringe and Docklands

14 September 2007

Commercial property activity at seven month low

17 September 2007

August saw the least commercial property activity for seven months according to research from Savills.

Costain confirms £60m rights issue

13 September 2007

Costain confirmed yesterday that it was planning a £60m-plus rights issue to ‘take advantage of commercial opportunities’. The Times. Financial Times

Court tackles con man who put on the Ritz

14 September 2007

A property investor was conned into paying a £1m deposit to a man posing as a property trader who claimed to have secured a deal to buy London’s Ritz Hotel from the Barclay brothers for just £200m.

Cross-party Parliamentary committee launch public housing inquiry

12 September 2007

A cross-party committee of MPs has been set up this week to launch a public inquiry into the reforms needed to deliver the three million homes promised by the government.

Crossrail go-ahead threatens to shunt Tube into sidings

14 September 2007

Crossrail is set to be approved after an 18-year wait, but an upgrade of the Tube network may be sacrificed to pay for it. The Times

Derwent buys £100m as central London flourishes

11 September 2007

Derwent London has defied the uncertain, deal-light market to complete two purchases for £100m, on the back of half-year results that showed central Londone in rude health.

Derwent London: strong demand for disposals

12 September 2007

Derwent London has sold £314m of non-core assets at £125m above book value since the company was formed through a merger of Derwent Valley and London Merchant Securities in February. The Financial Times. The Times

DevSecs buys Hammersmith Grove site

14 September 2007

Development Securities has bought the Hammersmith Grove site in West London from London Underground.

DevSecs to sell Oriental City

17 September 2007

Development Securities is to sell Oriental City to a private property investor.

English Partnerships and Housing Corporation publish urban design manual

18 September 2007

Government agencies responsible for delivering housing have published an ‘urban design manual’ today setting out strategies for creating ‘quality places and promoting community cohesion’.

Exemplary Behaviour

14 September 2007

The brightest young things in central London could all be found at the Cellar on Moorgate last Friday lunchtime as Property Week hosted its fourth First Friday event, sponsored by Drivers Jonas.

F&C forecasts rental growth with latest City buy

14 September 2007

F&C Property Asset Management has bought an office block in the City of London from Navon Properties for £32m.

Gadaffi Jnr plans Libyan eco-resort

11 September 2007

An ambitious project to turn the ancient city of Cyrene, in Libya, into a centre for eco-tourism, was unveiled yesterday by Saif alIslam Gadaffi, the second eldest of Col Maummar Gaddafi’s seven sons. The Daily Telegraph. The Independent. Financial Times

Global House Price Index

14 September 2007

Knight Frank - September 2007

Government plans to speed up the building of wind farms

18 September 2007

The government has vowed to speed up the building of wind farms with radical reforms to the planning system.

Graftongate lets at Cross Point

14 September 2007

Great Portland secures 60,000 sq ft pre-let

13 September 2007

Great Portland Estates revealed it has pre-let the whole of its 60,000 sq ft 60 Great Portland Street scheme.

Halabi’s 10-day deadline for Shard

18 September 2007

The banks financing the Shard skyscraper in the City of London have given Simon Halabi 10 days to sell his one-third holding in the project. The Times. The Daily Telegraph. Financial Times. The Independent

Hanover Square

14 September 2007

Helios presses on with £100m of spec units

14 September 2007

Developer defies gloom with nationwide speculative programme

Hermes’ Bluewater stake up for grabs

17 September 2007

Hermes has put up for sale a stake in Bluewater, Britain’s biggest shopping centre, as part of a £243m sell-off. The Sunday Times

Highcross buys Kenmore Homes

14 September 2007

Highcross, the Newbury-based fund manager, has bought Kenmore Homes for nearly £20m.

HMV’s experiential retail experiment

13 September 2007

HMV chief executive, Simon Fox, said that the UK's CD market was set to decline by around 10% this year, he still expected improved performance from his stores with a new format currently being trialled. The Daily Telegraph. The Times. Financial Times

HSBC bosses to pocket Canary Wharf sale bonuses

12 September 2007

HSBC directors are in line to pick up a performance bonus from the sale of the banking giant’s Canary Wharf headquarters. The Daily Telegraph

Inheriting the burden

14 September 2007

Steep rises in property values mean the Treasury is laughing all the way to the bank, says Lucian Cook

Ireland’s Hollybrook limbers up in Stratford

14 September 2007

Irish developer Hollybrook plans to start the speculative development of an office scheme in Stratford, east London, as the area’s office market heats up ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.

ISIS in £14m Edinburgh buy

13 September 2007

ISIS Property Trust 2 has bought 1-2 Lochside Way, a 42,401 sq ft office building on the out-of-town Edinburgh Park business park, for £14.4m.

Istithmar joins Kerzner on Las Vegas Strip

12 September 2007

Istithmar, a subsidiary of Dubai World, has joined MGM Mirage’s joint venture with Kerzner International to build a multibillion-dollar resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The Financial Times

Japan’s Mori buys share in China’s tallest building

14 September 2007

Mori Building Group, of Japan, has sold a 10% stake in China’s tallest building. The Times

JLL reheats retail plans

14 September 2007

Jones Lang LaSalle has reignited its plans to buy a retail firm.

JLL's Cumming-Bruce to step down

12 September 2007

Roualeyn Cumming-Bruce, chairman of UK capital markets for Jones Lang LaSalle, is to leave the UK business to become a consultant.

Kier Property sees 32% profit rise

13 September 2007

The property arm of construction giant Kier Group revealed a 32% rise in operational profit in its half-year results this morning.

Klepierre considers UK entry

13 September 2007

Klepierre, France’s largest property company, is to consider an expansion into England as it looks to triple the size of its Klemurs subsidiary.

Landlord benchmark launch at Resi 07

14 September 2007

Leading landlords and managing agents have joined forces to raise standards and promote best practice in residential property management.

Landlords and the housing green paper

14 September 2007

Question: I represent a registered social landlord and understand that the government proposes to implement a housing green paper. How is the paper likely to affect my work?

Landsecs looks east

14 September 2007

Land Securities’ London chief Mike Hussey has his sights set on the City fringe and Docklands. Deirdre Hipwell meets the capital’s most powerful property man.

Learn how to combat rising construction costs

17 September 2007

In 24 hours time you can learn the answer to the construction costs crises from experts like Neil Grey, at Property Week’s free online seminar tomorrow at 12 pm.

Leisure parks and airports feed Restaurant Group

13 September 2007

Restaurant Group, which operates Garfunkel’s, Chiquito’s, Blubeckers and the Italian-American themed Frankie & Benny’s, yesterday shrugged off talk of a consumer spending downturn as first-half earnings beat market expectations. Financial Times. The Times

London Metropolitan University sells student halls to developer

11 September 2007

London Metropolitan University has sold Tufnell Park Halls, a hall of residence site in North London, to Opal Properties for £37.5m .

M&S charges into green Bradford shed

14 September 2007

Retailer defies gloom in signing up for 1m sq ft distribution hub

Make to design EDC HQ

14 September 2007

Make Architects has won a competition for the design of EDC’s headquarter building in Germany.

Maxx fruit for Sheffield Orchard

14 September 2007

Merry Hill founder Richardson dies

14 September 2007

Don Richardson, the Birmingham-based property entrepreneur and one half of the famous Richardson twins, has died aged 77.

Miller develops first-half profits

14 September 2007

Miller Developments, the property arm of Miller Group, increased its half-year profits by 50% and is shifting its focus to development.

Minerva crafts first-half turnaround

14 September 2007

Minerva chief executive Salmaan Hasan this week gave an upbeat assessment of prospects for the London developer as he unveiled half-year results.

Mitchells & Butlers faces £140m loss on Tchenguiz tie-up

18 September 2007

Mitchells & Butlers revealed yesterday that the potential loss from hedging its aborted £4.5bn property joint venture with Robert Tchenguiz’s investment vehicle R20 had more than doubled to £140m. The Times. The Independent. The Guardian

Modus mule

14 September 2007

Manchester-based Modus Properties can’t often be accused of ass-ing around when it comes to marketing.

Morley sells City leaseholds

14 September 2007

Morley’s £450m Lime Property Fund has sold its long leasehold at 71-77 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London to the City Parochial Foundation for £7.9m at a net initial yield of 3.66%.

MPs investigate supply

14 September 2007

MPs and peers have joined the housing inquiry bandwagon with the launch this week of a cross-party investigation into the future of residential supply.

Naomi Campbell casino may threaten turtles

13 September 2007

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has shocked conservationists over plans for a hotel and casino complex on a Kenyan coastal sanctuary for turtles. The Times

National Grid to sell UK property arm for £800m

14 September 2007

Energy company to dispose of company with 2,500 acres over 500 brownfield sites

Next chief attacks Tories’ car park tax

12 September 2007

A Tory businessman and adviser to David Cameron has attacked Conservative proposals to force out-of-town shoppers to pay car parking charges. The Daily Telegraph

No smoking’ signage,

14 September 2007

uestionN: I am a business tenant in a multi-let building with a communal entrance staircase and lift. What ‘no smoking’ signage do I have to provide under the Health Act 2006, and what if my landlord fails in its obligations?

Northern Rock seeks rescuer

17 September 2007

Northern Rock is expected to try again to find a buyer after it was bailed out by the Bank of England and depositors continued to withdraw their savings from over the weekend. The Sunday Telegraph. Financial Times. The Observer. The Sunday Times

OFFICE SNAPSHOT HONG KONG

14 September 2007

Cushman & Wakefield - August 2007

Olympic ‘REIT’ carries torch for resi investment

14 September 2007

A £1bn REIT-style tax efficient fund that is being set up to own Olympic Village flats will encourage institutions to invest in the UK residential sector.

Petrofac leases Chertsey offices

14 September 2007

Oil and gas facilities provider Petrofac has taken 32,000 sq ft at IBM-owned Brooke House on Chertsey Road at around £26.50/sq ft.

Planning appeals

14 September 2007

photo unfinish

Property returns flat for first time since ‘92

14 September 2007

Property delivered no monthly return in August for the first time in almost 15 years, according to the latest IPD Monthly Index.

Quality of life is a matter of convenience

14 September 2007

The politics of property.

Reading office rents back to all-time high

14 September 2007

Office rents in Reading have returned to their 1990 peak.

Redrow slashes Debut homes programme

12 September 2007

Redrow, the housebuilder, has cut back on plans to deliver 2,000 of its Debut starter homes a year, in a blow to government efforts to help first-time buyers on to the property ladder. The Financial Times. The Times

Removal of empty rate relief a ‘tax hike’ says BPF

14 September 2007

More than two-thirds of landlords believe the government’s plans to remove rate relief on empty commercial buildings will severely impact the property market.

Resi finds a home among the big guns

14 September 2007

Chairing property Week’s Resi 07 conference in front of 800 developers, investors and advisers was like returning to a different world.

Residential shrugs off credit crunch fears

14 September 2007

Sector’s top developers tell 800 people at Resi 07 they expect ‘a soft landing’

Ritz 'salesman' exposed

12 September 2007

A property investor was conned into paying a £1m deposit to a man posing as a property trader who claimed to have secured a deal to buy the Ritz Hotel from the Barclay Brothers for just £200m.

Russian resi developer’s fivefold portfolio rise

11 September 2007

RGI International, the AIM-listed Russian residential property developer, increased the net asset value of its portfolio first-half of this year from $305m (£150.8m) to $1.7bn. The Times

Sainsbury’s to open books to Delta Two

17 September 2007

The pension deficit of J Sainbury could represent a poison pill in the plans by Delta Two, the Qatari-backed fund, to take over the supermarket chain. The Sunday Times. The Sunday Telegraph. The Observer

Savills says credit crunch hitting investment market

11 September 2007

Savills sounded a warning for agents this morning, with the credit crunch already reducing the amount of investment transactions taking place.

Segro drops out of FTSE 100

12 September 2007

Segro, the UK’s fifth biggest REIT, dropped out of the FTSE 100 tonight.

Segro to shed £500m portfolio in shake-up

14 September 2007

Segro has undergone a shake-up of senior management and plans to sell up to £500m of its property in the UK. The Daily Telegraph

Shard funding hit by credit crunch

17 September 2007

One of the three developers behind the beleaguered Shard development said this morning that the three were having difficulties securing funding for Europe’s tallest tower.

Shieldpoint funds City scheme

14 September 2007

Irish investor syndicate Shieldpoint is forward funding Exemplar Properties’ 67 Lombard Street office scheme in the City of London.

Sir, I read with great interest

14 September 2007

Sir, I read with great interest your article ‘The Parent Trap’ and felt compelled to counter the grossly misleading impression of Gerald Eve’s maternity package in The Guardian’s recent survey, which you quoted.

Standard Life sells Xerox HQ

12 September 2007

Standard Life has sold the Xerox HQ in Welwyn Garden City to Greenhills for £42.9m.

Strand block with Yorks link

14 September 2007

Strand block with Yorks link Law firm Kerman & Co has paid £9.9m for the 12,800 sq ft office block at 199-203 Strand, Westminster, London.

Strutts into Allenbridge

14 September 2007

Strutt & Parker Real Estate Financial Services has been appointed by AllenbridgeEPIC as its preferred property investment adviser.

Support network

14 September 2007

Railway town Swindon’s first tenant for its new office scheme could well be Network Rail.

The Aspers at Salubrious Place

14 September 2007

The Aspers at Salubrious Place leisure complex opened in Swansea on Monday. The 57,000 sq ft city centre scheme, developed by Richard Haywood Properties, comprises an Aspers casino, bars, restaurants, a beauty salon and live entertainment. It forms part of the £30m redevelopment of the Wind Street/Salubrious Place area.

The market in minutes - City, City fringe + Docklands

14 September 2007

David Hatcher gives you the lowdown on all the sectors across the region

The winner takes it all

14 September 2007

The battle for control of a prime development site reaches its climax next week.

Tories outline property plans

13 September 2007

A Conservative Party review group today called for sweeping changes to the UK’s built environment in order to address the problem of climate change.

Trio completes Russian shed buy

11 September 2007

Deutsche Bank, AIG Global Real Estate and Redwood Group have teamed up to purchase up to $1.2bn (£590m) of logistics properties and development sites from Moscow-based Capital Partners.

UK Monthly index September

14 September 2007

CBRE - September 2007

Vaillant heats Aztec West

14 September 2007

Boiler manufacturer Vaillant has taken 9,750 sq ft at Aztec West in Bristol on a 10-year lease at £72,500 a year.

Weymouth's Olympics sailing shortlist

18 September 2007

Five contractors have been shortlisted to build the sailing facilities for the London 2012 Olympics at Weymouth and Portland. Financial Times

Yoo Holdings,

14 September 2007

Yvette Cooper outlines housing proposals

14 September 2007

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper today outlined a package of proposals to accelerate the building of houses for families and first-time buyers.