Docklands News

New rules in London will reduce the required bike storage in housing developments, allowing developers to provide fewer secure bike spaces. Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan announced the changes, which also lower the affordable housing requirement from 35% to 20%. Critics, including Tom Fyans, chief executive of the London Cycling Campaign, argue the change undermines the goal of increasing cycling in the city.

London Evening Standard  

Areli Developments has submitted a planning application to Tower Hamlets Council for an 820-home, 54-storey development at 77 Marsh Wall in Canary Wharf, which includes 238 flexible living units, 195 Build to Rent units and 266 apart-hotel units. The scheme, designed by architecture practice Patel Taylor, also proposes 7,000 sq ft of commercial and community space and is intended to address significant local housing needs, with a focus on affordability. A decision is expected in the first half of 2026.

City AM (23/10/2025)   Estates Gazette (23/10/2025)   Housing Today (23/10/2025)   Property Week (23/10/2025)  

Annual house price growth slowed in August, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, with London being the only English region where property values fell. The annual rate of growth in property values was 3%, down from 3.2% in July. Average house prices increased to £296,000 (2.9% annual growth) in England, £211,000 (2%) in Wales, and £194,000 (4%) in Scotland in the 12 months to August 2025. The North East had the highest annual house price inflation in August at 6.6%, while London showed an annual fall of 0.3%, down from growth of 1.3 in the year to July 2025.

City AM (23/10/2025)   The Independent (23/10/2025)   The Standard (23/10/2025)  

Home sellers across the UK are increasingly cutting asking prices as the property market stalls ahead of the Autumn Budget, with price reductions up 16% year-on-year and more than double levels seen during the 2021–22 boom, according to TwentyCi. Rising build costs, mortgage rates, and uncertainty over potential property tax changes have contributed to the slowdown, while more sales are collapsing, with 240,075 abandoned so far this year. London is particularly affected, where 80% of properties are selling below the original purchase price and nearly half have seen price cuts. Estate agents report that buyers are negotiating harder, and sales are largely driven by necessity rather than investment.

Daily Mail (22/10/2025)  

Labour MPs are urging the Government and the Mayor of London to maintain affordable housing quotas. Housing Secretary Steve Reed and Mayor Sadiq Khan are considering reducing the quota from 35% to 20% to stimulate homebuilding. Florence Eshalomi, chair of the housing select committee, emphasised the need for affordable homes, stating: "One of the main drivers of the crisis... has been the failure... to build homes that are within reach of local people". Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, added: "We desperately need genuinely affordable housing and protections for tenants - I hope the mayor will hold firm that these targets matter". 

The Guardian (20/10/2025)  

Developers are urging the Chancellor to implement tax reforms to address the "fundamental and debilitating viability challenge" in the housing sector. The British Property Federation has written to Rachel Reeves, requesting the reinstatement of multiple dwellings relief, which previously reduced stamp duty for bulk property purchases. The federation estimates that the removal of this relief has stalled the delivery of up to 25,000 rental homes. Chief executive Melanie Leech warned that the Government’s goal of building 1.5m new homes by 2029 will not be met without action. "There are simply too many layers of regulation", she said.

The Times (18/10/2025)