Camden

The Evening Standard reports that homes on the Highgate Newtown Community Centre site which were originally intended for private sale to fund Camden council’s redevelopment schemes could be re-allocated as housing for Afghan refugees.

City of London

Co-Star reports that talks to sell 1-5 London Wall to Lend Lease continue, but co-investors are on alert for TPG Angelo Gordon and Endurance Land’s circa £350 million office repositioning.

The City of London Corporation reported that a group of property industry experts convened at Guildhall last week for two roundtable workshops to discuss the emerging sustainability policies and guidance outlined in the ‘City Plan 2040’ and the ‘Planning for Sustainability SPD’.

City of Westminster

The Evening Standard and Building both report on growing frustration among Savile Row tailors that plans to redevelop a former police station for proposed office, restaurant and affordable tailoring workspace scheme from Czech developer CPI Property, are recommended for refusal by Westminster City Council planning officers on heritage grounds. In a 59-page report, officers said the proposed replacement of the former West Central Police Station “failed to preserve or enhance” the surrounding Regent Street conservation area despite the plans receiving overwhelming support from local businesses.

Architects’ Journal reports that The AJ and SAVE Britain’s Heritage can reveal the long-list in their ideas competition to find possible new leases of life for the Marks & Spencer building on London’s Oxford Street. The 13-strong list also includes student entries from Oxford Brookes University and the University of Westminster; a submission from Zhi Bin Cheah of Foster + Partners; a collaboration between Marion Baeli of 10 Design, Prewett Bizley, Kinrise and the National Retrofit Hub; and a bid from ‘retrofit only’ practice Connolly Wellingham.

City AM reports that a Kazakh oligarch worth an estimated £5bn has sold his London mansion for just shy of £35m to the property investment firm North Wind Capital in yet another sign capital’s “super-prime” property market has steadied after a wobbly few months. Timur Kulibayev, whose father-in-law is Kazakhstan’s former dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev, sold his palatial home on Mayfair’s Upper Grosvenor Street in late March.

Hammersmith and Fulham

London News reports that Hammersmith and Fulham council licensing committee gave landlord Olympus Property Holdings Limited the green light to negotiate eight to-be licences with potential vendors for restaurants and cafes during a meeting on Tuesday. It comes as Olympia experiences a £1.3 billion regeneration.

Lambeth

The Evening Standard, BBC News and IanVisits report that The London Eye was granted permission for a permanent license on Tuesday 8th May. Councillors Sarina Da Silva and Ibrahim Dogus said: “The London Eye not only dominates the skyline in this part of London, but also sits at the heart of the community we serve and represent. Local businesses value the presence of this major attraction on our doorstep, and there is no doubt that its retention will continue to generate substantial footfall for Waterloo and South Bank.”

Love Lambeth reports that Lambeth Council has unveiled new designs for the Kennington Oval Healthy Neighbourhood that will transform streets into places where people can meet and socialise and create new spaces for children to play. The trial scheme – known as Kennington Oval Reimagined – will build on the success of two existing School Streets where traffic is already restricted at pick-up and drop-off times. Street improvements such as new seating, more sustainability measures and new play space for children will be created.

Southwark

London News reports on Southwark Council’s approval last week for plans to transform an empty site near Blackfriars Bridge into a £1billion development of offices, residential buildings and a central square.

MyLondon reports that an ‘outdated’ 1960s block on a popular London high street could be demolished for eight-storey offices with terraces. Alpha House on Borough High Street would be flattened, except for the basement and foundations, and replaced with a new office building with shops on the ground floor under plans submitted to Southwark Council.