黑洞社区

Old haunts

Part of being in the construction game is keeping a resolutely unsentimental attitude to the construction efforts of former times, which are so quickly (and so often) flattened to make the latest canvas for the industry鈥檚 creative efforts. But forgive us a brief sigh of relief at the news developer The Malins Group is not planning tear down 黑洞社区鈥檚 former offices in Covent Garden, designed by former editor Henry Heathcote Statham, as part of its bid to build luxury residences on the site. The five-storey Edwardian building, situated on Catherine Street and put up in 1905, is described by the developer as 鈥渁rchitecturally striking鈥�, and will instead be retained, converted and renamed The Tavistock. Statham himself is these days best remembered for his vitriol toward London鈥檚 Tower Bridge, which he described as representing 鈥渢he vice of tawdriness and pretentiousness鈥�. I wonder what he would make of the apartments that will now occupy his former building? Prices start at a mere 拢3.5m.

Tall story

It鈥檚 becoming increasingly clear how little love is between the Greater London Authority (GLA) and newspaper columnist and former National Trust chairman Sir Simon Jenkins. Last year, I reported how mayor Boris Johnson joked about building a new super-tall tower in London and naming it after him - the joke being how much Jenkins would hate it. As if to prove the point, Sir Edward Lister, Bo Jo鈥檚 chief of the staff and deputy mayor of London for planning and policy, was this week forced to write a letter to the Evening Standard defending the GLA鈥檚 planning policy after a recent Jenkins column maligning tall buildings in the capital. Lister鈥檚 intervention followed a slyer dig earlier this month by the GLA鈥檚 executive director of housing David Lunts toward the columnist. Answering a serious question at the Housing Forum鈥檚 annual conference about foreign investors leaving new-build homes empty, Lunts noted it was a regular subject of Jenkins鈥� ire. 鈥淧oor old Simon down in Kensington, worrying about the fact he has fewer and fewer neighbours,鈥� said Lunts, drily. 鈥淢aybe there鈥檚 another reason for that than buy-to-leave.鈥�

Landlord of the rings

Aspiring hobbits are being offered the chance to invest in Suffolk鈥檚 very own hobbit hole. West Stow Pods is crowdfunding on website Kickstarter to raise 拢50,000 to build the first authentic and habitable hobbit hole in the UK at its West Stow site. The firm plans to build the partially submerged holiday accommodation - Poddit hole - as close in style as possible to the yellow-doored hobbit home featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. If owner Ed Lengyel and her husband Jan raise the required amount, building on the sustainable development will begin in September. Contractor Hartwyn Natural 黑洞社区 will be under the supervision of Tolkien Society member Alan Baxter to ensure authenticity.

You only sing when you鈥檙e moving

As the football transfer market heats up, online estate agent eMoov has created a Premier League property table ahead of the new season, looking at house prices near each team鈥檚 stadium. Champions Chelsea top the table, with the average house in London鈥檚 SW6 costing 拢1.1m. North London鈥檚 Arsenal net second place with an average price of 拢576,000. Manchester United fare less well, coming in 10th with an average price of 拢194,000. And the table is not good reading for Liverpool and Everton fans. The duo are joint bottom of the table with an average house price of 拢73,000 in Merseyside鈥檚 L4 postcode area.