Selling your home quickly and for the right amount is about giving your property the edge over others. Major conversion projects, such as excavating basements or building conservatories, take time and money but they can yield excellent returns. Loft conversions, for example, can add up to 15 per cent to a property’s selling price. But […]
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19 August 1930: The prisoners do all the gardening themselves and voluntarily go to lectures and classes when the weather is rainy
Gardens tended by women detained in Holloway Prison is a dream of Miss MD Stubbs, of the National Gardens Guild, that has come true. Inside that grim place for wrong-doers are three big gardens where summer flowers are in bloom, bringing their fragrance to beautify the drab prison life.
Only a short time ago one of those gardens was a dumping ground for coke; another was a rubbish heap; and the third consisted of a long strip of rough grass having a sycamore tree, a wasp’s nest, iron railings, and a drain pipe.
Continue reading...19 August 1930: The prisoners do all the gardening themselves and voluntarily go to lectures and classes when the weather is rainy
Gardens tended by women detained in Holloway Prison is a dream of Miss MD Stubbs, of the National Gardens Guild, that has come true. Inside that grim place for wrong-doers are three big gardens where summer flowers are in bloom, bringing their fragrance to beautify the drab prison life.
Only a short time ago one of those gardens was a dumping ground for coke; another was a rubbish heap; and the third consisted of a long strip of rough grass having a sycamore tree, a wasp’s nest, iron railings, and a drain pipe.
Continue reading...This new four-part series shows the rapid changes occurring in Manchester city centre, humanely profiling the winners and losers of its redevelopment
Where is Sir Titus Salt when you need him, eh? Your mileage may vary of course, but despite the strenuous even-handededness of the opening of Manctopia: Billion Pound Property Boom (BBC Two), it would, I suspect, have been hard for most of us not to yearn for a world in which capitalism could expect to be fettered if not by a strong, egalitarian-minded government (I know, I’m laughing as I type) then at least by idiosyncratic blends of philanthropy, Christian duty, moral obligation and practicality, occasionally embodied in rich and powerful individuals.
The new four-part documentary series about the massive redevelopment of Manchester city centre – where the population has doubled to 60,000 since George Osborne announced his “northern powerhouse” plan in 2014 – followed the stories of people emblematic of the haves and the have-nots. With every pocket of still-affordable housing that is razed and every luxury high-rise that goes up, these two groups are becoming even more distinguishable, with the series illuminating the effects of gentrification – especially in its fastest, most forcible form – on a region.
Continue reading...It’s important to ask your estate or letting agent the right questions when you search for a property to rent. “Competition can be fierce and time tight in the rental sector, so it is crucial to have your finances in order and be able to move quickly,” says Kate Eales, Head of National Lettings at […]
The post Ten key questions to ask an agent when looking for a home to rent appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
To avoid house price inflation, congestion and pollution, we need to rebalance the way we live and move, writes Dr Nicholas Falk
Simon Jenkins is right to say that the future of Britain’s economy rests in its towns, and I would add suburbs (The age of the office is over – the future lies in Britain’s commuter towns, 13 August). Unfortunately this will add to house price inflation, social disparities, congestion and pollution unless action is taken to mobilise under-used land close to railway stations and other infrastructure.
Such sites can lie vacant for decades, while housebuilders focus on easier and more profitable sites in the countryside (as can be seen around Stroud where I am writing from). The solution does not lie in more roads, but in using the Covid-19 crisis to rebalance the way we live and move. This could in turn provide a much-needed boost to our struggling economy.
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