News

Yoo Capital lodges plan for £1bn Camden Film Quarter

Plans have been lodged for a £1bn Camden Film Quarter project to be built at an industrial estate in Kentish Town, north London.

 

Camden-based architect SPPARC designed the film studios complex and wider masterplan
Camden-based architect SPPARC designed the film studios complex and wider masterplan

 

Backed by Yoo Capital, the plans includes a studio campus boasting visual-effects, animation and post-production facilities. A pair of major film schools – the National Film and Television School and the London Screen Academy – will also open new education hubs as part of the scheme.

If planning is granted, around 1,370 construction jobs will be created over the three-year build.

Partner social housing developer Places for People has also submitted its own application to deliver 485 homes next to the new studios.

PfP group managing director of developments Andrew Usher said the Camden Film Quarter would be a landmark project and the next step in its placemaking work.

Yoo Capital co-founder Lloyd Lee added that the aim was to build “a neighbourhood where world-class studios, 50% affordable homes and public spaces sit side by side to inspire the next generation”.

Architect Broadway Malyan is leading design work for the residential sites, with a brief to create an ambitious new quarter that reflects local character and delivers real social value.

Turner & Townsend has been appointed by Camden Council as client representative for the regeneration. The firm will develop the council’s requirements for replacement facilities on the site and oversee project management, cost monitoring and design assurance.

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JP Morgan unveils plan for £3bn London mega-tower

JP MorganChase has unveiled plans for a 3m sq ft tower in Canary Wharf that would become the biggest office building in London and a new HQ for up to 12,000 staff.

 

First glimpse of elevated riverside terrace on cylindrical tower
First glimpse of elevated riverside terrace on cylindrical tower

 

The banking giant wants to build the £3bn project on a riverside site, and is reported to be hoping the build will exceed the Shard in height although Canary Wharf building heights are capped to allow for safe flight paths to London City Airport.

Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower mirrors the firm’s ambition at its global HQ at 270 Park Avenue in New York.

The new European headquarters will be built on Riverside South, which JP Morgan bought in 2008, but shelved plans following that year’s global financial crisis.

This site already has foundations and basement levels in place, which bankers argue would shorten the construction timetable should the project proceed.

Designs are being kept under wraps until they are finalised, including the height.

Construction would take around six years, with Canary Wharf Group acting as co-developer and Sir George Iacobescu advising the bank.

While the new tower comes forward, the bank will refurbish its existing 25 Bank Street base.

A study commissioned by JP MorganChase estimates the combined building and refurbishment programme could pump £9.9bn into the UK economy and support more than 7,800 jobs across construction and the wider supply chain.

The scheme has been welcomed by the Chancellor, who called it a multi-billion-pound vote of confidence in the government’s growth plans, and by the Mayor of London, who said the decision underlines the capital’s global financial clout.

The building will feature trading floors, roof terraces, wellness facilities, cafés, cycling infrastructure and upgraded public realm. It forms part of a wider push by the bank, which recently committed up to £350m to expand its Bournemouth campus.

Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO of JPMorganChase, said: “London has been a trading and financial hub for more than a thousand years, and maintaining it as a vibrant place for finance and business is critical to the health of the UK economy.

“This building will represent our lasting commitment to the city, the UK, our clients and our people. The UK government’s priority of economic growth has been a critical factor in helping us make this decision.”

JPMorgan is also set to roll out its Security & Resiliency Initiative in the UK, part of a global $1.5tn 10-year programme to support investment in defence, energy, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing.

Once the new Riverside building is delivered, staff will be consolidated between the new HQ and 60 Victoria Embankment, with the bank set to review future options for 25 Bank Street.

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Council clears way for £10bn Earls Court district

The Earls Court Development Company has won planning for a key stage of its 7.5m sq ft masterplan to develop central London’s largest cleared development site. Last night Hammersmith & Fulham councillors approved hybrid plans to turn a 44-acre wasteland into 4,000-home innovation district.The decision unlocks the capital’s largest cleared development site that has sat empty since the demolition of the old Earls Court Exhibition Centres.

Developers now await a planning decision from an upcoming meeting of councillors at the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea as the £10bn scheme straddles both London boroughs.

If both boroughs sign off, enabling works begin next year with first residents targeted for 2030 and full build-out running through to 2041.

Phase one will consist of up to 1,300 homes, public realm and the first cultural venue.

The wider scheme promises thousands of more homes, three cultural venues and 20 acres of parks and public realm.

The masterplan includes 2.5m sq ft of workspace aimed at climate-innovation firms and will run on a zero-carbon energy network.

Earls Court Masterplan

ECDC chief executive Rob Heasman said the approval marked a major milestone after years of co-design with residents: “This is a long-underused, centrally located site with exceptional connectivity to deliver new homes, jobs and public space at scale. Earls Court will be a new district in West London.”

Once complete, research by Arup suggests the redevelopment will pump £3bn a year into the UK economy and support 23,500 jobs nationwide.

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Autumn Budget: Property taxes

Key takeaways

  • New ‘mansion tax’ in the form of a Council Tax High Value Supplement for homes over £2m. This is estimated to cover 0.5% of UK homes, with 85% in London and the South East.
  • No change on stamp duty means many buyers in lower value housing markets will continue to only pay modest amounts of stamp duty. However, the price bands for stamp duty were set a decade ago and average home buyers are paying more over time.
  • Tax rates for property income will increase by 2%, piling further pressure on landlords and the rental sector.

New property tax on the highest value homes

The Government is going to charge a Council Tax High Value Supplement on homes worth £2m or more in England. The Chancellor reported an annual additional cost of around £2,500 a year for homes worth £2m, rising to £7,500 a year for homes over £5m. For a £2m home, this is less than double the average council tax today and is less than many feared.

The impact on those homes worth around the £2m price band remains to be seen and will depend on how this new scheme is rolled out.

Rise to property income tax rates for landlords

Landlords will face increased property tax rates from April 2027. The basic, higher and additional rates of income tax for property income will each increase by 2%, taking them to 22%, 42% and 47% respectively.

This comes on top of tighter regulations from the recent Renters’ Rights Act, as well as new energy efficiency regulations and higher stamp duty on the purchase of additional homes (from 3% to 5%) in last year’s Budget.

No changes to stamp duty rates or thresholds

The stamp duty price thresholds for existing home owners were set in 2014. The cost of buying is growing for average home buyers in towns across the south of England and many argue the case for the abolition of stamp duty as part of wider property reforms remains a strong one.

.. well at least it has now been announced and so the volume of speculation is behind us

 

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Dubai developer acquires £2.5bn Royal Docks site

Dubai based developer Arada has acquired an 80% stake in the planned £2.5bn Thameside West scheme in London’s Royal Docks.

 

 

The Foster + Partners designed project will deliver at least 5,000 homes, with half of the 47-acre site dedicated to green space and a kilometre of active waterfront.

It occupies central London’s longest stretch of undeveloped riverfront, with views across Canary Wharf and Greenwich Peninsula.

Already awarded consent, Thameside West will see 1,000 homes delivered in the first stage of the project, with construction set to begin in 2027.

The acquisition from private developer Keystone represents follows Arada’s purchase of local developer Regal in September.

Arada will work alongside the London Borough of Newham, Greater London Authority and Transport for London to transform this former industrial site into a new neighbourhood.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada, said: “Our entry into this market was grounded in our unwavering faith in London and its attractiveness as one of the world’s leading capital cities.

“At the time of the Regal acquisition, we articulated our ambition to scale our London residential pipeline to 30,000 units over the next three years, and we have swiftly delivered on growing that pipeline. Thameside West represents a unique opportunity to create a landmark riverside development, and we look forward to working with our partners and utilising our long-standing track record in large-scale, amenity rich residential schemes to unlock the delivery of new housing for London.”

The acquisition of Thameside West increases Arada’s London development pipeline to 15,000 homes.

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Mount Anvil JV secures approval for Isle of Dogs estate rebuild

Mount Anvil and social landlord Riverside have won planning for a 411-home rebuild of the Tiller Road Estate on the Isle of Dogs in East London.

 

Tower Hamlets’ approval clears the way for a full rebuild delivering 137 affordable homes with the balance made up of a mix of private, and shared ownership homes.

Designed by PRP Architects, three existing blocks of 72 homes will be replaced with two towers of 21 and 25 storeys and two mid-rise blocks of 6 and 9 storeys.

The scheme includes a courtyard play area, a community garden and two new indoor community hubs

Tiller Road is the latest project in the expanding Riverside–Mount Anvil partnership, which also includes Bellamy Close and Byng Street, Friars Close in Southwark, and 262 affordable homes at Royal Eden Docks.

Marcus Bate, partnerships, planning, communities and sustainability director at Mount Anvil, said: “With this planning success, we have over 1,000 homes under development with our joint venture partners Riverside across four London sites.

“The transformation of the Tiller Road Estate is going to deliver long-lasting positive impact for residents.”

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No-fault evictions to be banned in England from May 2026

Source: BBC.co.uk

No-fault evictions will be outlawed in England from 1 May, the government confirmed, as it set out the timeline for sweeping renters’ reforms.

The changes also see the end of fixed-term tenancy contracts, as renters move onto so-called “rolling” agreements, as well as an end to “bidding wars” and clearer rules on having pets.

Landlords have said the reforms would increase the screening of prospective tenants and have spoken of nervousness around what happens when tenancies go wrong.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the government was “calling time” on “rogue landlords” by initiating a raft of measures in the Renters’ Rights Act.

“We’re now on a countdown of just months to that law coming in – so good landlords can get ready and bad landlords should clean up their act,” he added.

Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly said the reforms “will drive landlords from the market, reduce supply and send prices up for tenants”.

He said that, “with a start date of May 2026, we are now set for a six-month fire sale with tenants forced out at short notice”.

Approximately 4.4 million households in England rented from a private landlord between 2021 to 2023. The new rules will affect more than 11 million people.

The Renters’ Rights Act – described as the biggest shake-up to renting in England for more than 30 years – was formally approved at the end of October.

While many renters welcomed the introduction of the timeline, some landlords expressed concern about the speed of the changes.

Deadline to implement changes is ‘not enough’

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said the deadline alone to implement the changes is “not enough”.

He added: “We have argued consistently that landlords and property businesses need at least six months from the publication of regulations to ensure the sector is properly prepared for the biggest changes it has faced for over 40 years.”

From May, properties will be rented on a “periodic” or rolling basis, rather than under a fixed 12 or 24-month contract.

Tenants who want to leave can give two months’ notice, which the government says will prevent tenants paying rent for substandard properties.

Landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants for complaining about poor conditions.

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Landsec pushes back starts on four major housing schemes to 2027

Developer Landsec has pushed back the start dates for four huge residential schemes capable of delivering 9,000 homes as viability pressures continue to choke new build activity.

 

Landsec has planning for an initial 879 homes at the Manchester Mayfield regeneration project
Landsec has planning for an initial 879 homes at the Manchester Mayfield regeneration project

 

The developer now expects first starts in 2027 on major projects at Mayfield in Manchester, Lewisham in south-east London, Finchley Road in north London and MediaCity in Salford.

Landsec said that returns were currently not at sufficient levels to justify earlier starts.

In the last six months, the developer has secured a resolution to grant detailed consent for the first 879 homes at Mayfield in Manchester and secured resolution to grant part-outline and part-detailed consent for 2,800 homes in Lewisham.

This adds to the existing consents for 1,800 homes at Finchley Road in North London and an allocation for 2,700 homes at MediaCity in Salford.

But market conditions remain challenging with the firm highlighting the collapse in London housing delivery, where new starts in the first nine months of 2025 fell to just 3,248 – down around 75% over the past three years.

In a trading statment this morning, the developer said: “We could see first starts on site in 2027, taking into account detailed design works, Building Safety Act approvals, and site preparation. However, returns currently are not at sufficient levels.”

It said there were early signs of improvement in development market conditions. These included a “positive” policy shift in London around cutting affordable housing targets from 35% to 20%, halving the Community Infrastructure Levy, and easing design burdens.

Landsec added: “These measures are supportive… and could lead to an improved outlook for residential development returns in 12–18 months, but in the meantime capex spend will be very limited.”

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Ballymore and Sainsbury’s to build new neighbourhood

Ballymore and Sainsbury’s have been granted planning for a major new canalside neighbourhood in Ladbroke Grove, west London.

 

 

The 11-year construction programme is estimated to start in 2026 with the first homes delivered in 2030.

Kensal Canalside will contain 2,519 new homes plus two parks and a local high street with new offices, shops, cafes and restaurants – with a reinstated, historic canal basin at its heart.

Plans also include a new flagship 60,000 sq ft Sainsbury’s supermarket with car parking underground.

The proposed neighbourhood will transform the 19-acre brownfield site in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – a large proportion of which has been closed off to the public for over 40 years as a former gasworks.

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director, Ballymore, said: “This will be an exemplar project, showing how we can turn a complex, former gasworks into a thriving place full of character delivering over 2,500 much needed new homes.

“Kensal Canalside will bring thousands of jobs, a new high street, leisure spaces – all of which will be game changing not just for the people who’ll move here, but for thousands of residents in the wider community.

“Kensal Canalside demonstrates the partnership approach we are taking to deliver large numbers of high-quality homes across the capital – in this case with Sainsburys.

“The collapse in housing starts in London is a serious threat to our city and the wider country. With our partners and local councils we have a responsibility to build increasing numbers of new homes, and we know that large, under-used brownfield sites like this can make a significant contribution to delivery.”

Patrick Dunne, Chief Property & Procurement Officer, MD Smart Charge, Sainsbury’s, added: “Since 2009 we’ve been working successfully with development partners like Ballymore to redevelop Sainsbury’s sites into new homes and community spaces, while transforming what we offer customers.

“We’re thrilled that the Council has granted us permission to build on this track record and deliver a groundbreaking new development for Ladbroke Grove.”

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Land deal paves way for £3.9bn Hertfordshire data campus

Data centre developer DC01UK has sold its South Mimms site in Hertfordshire to global operator Equinix in one of the largest UK infrastructure and real estate deals in recent years.

 

South Mimms site to be built out with three major data centre builds
South Mimms site to be built out with three major data centre builds

 

The sale paves the way for a £3.9bn investment to build one of Europe’s biggest and most advanced data campuses, consisting of three big builds.

Covering 85 acres off the M25, the vast site now rebranded by Equinix as the Hertfordshire Campus will deliver more than two million square feet of data centre space to support the surging demand for cloud and AI services.

The deal marks a major milestone for the UK’s fast-growing data infrastructure sector following the government’s move to classify data centres as Critical National Infrastructure last year,  a decision influenced by the scale of the DC01UK project.

James Craig, director of DC01UK, said: “This is a landmark moment for the UK and a powerful example of local entrepreneurship driving national innovation.”

He added: “We’re proud to see our vision taken forward by a global leader committed to delivering it to the highest standards.”

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