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The Property Market Monthly Fact File - April 2015
The property market fact file is a collection of data compiled each month by our Chartered Surveyors and the propertysurveying.co.uk team; collating survey data, statistics, trends and information from the property market. This aims to provide a single place where anyone with an interest in UK property can find the information they need.
To read the monthly fact file, click here.

London Borough secures substantial confiscation order on illegal property conversion
Ref. Milinkovic v LB Ealing (2015)
The London Borough of Ealing has secured a £66,000 confiscation order against an individual who converted a property into three reputedly sub-standard flats without planning permission in 2010. We look at the judgement and why landlords everywhere should be increasingly cautious when it comes to dealing with planning regulations…
To read the whole article, click here.

First ever blanket ban on illegal gypsy encampments created in Essex town after High Court ruling
Harlow Council, along with Essex County Council, have applied to the Courts to have a permanent injunction on illegal gypsy encampments to protect 454 parcels of land. Mrs Justice Patterson has recently granted a temporary injunction, in a decision which is the first of its kind, with a fuller hearing later this year…
To read the whole article, click here.

Childhood Home of 75 year old lady to be forcibly sold to pay for Care Home Fees for 100 year old Mum
Worcestershire County Council have finally won their case against Miss Glen Walford, despite a two year legal battle, to use the equity in a £205,000 cottage to cover Care Home fees for her 100 year old mother. The case hinged on an assessment of the level of her occupancy and the precedent set may impact many more people around the country with relatives in care…
To read the whole article, click here.

Commercial Property for Sale with your feet in the water? An investment with a twist for Summer! Fancy an investment which will make you money and let you dip your feet in the water? Three historic, and some say iconic, piers are for sale through commercial agents Bilfinger GVA bringing their new owner a cool £1.6m per year…… To read the whole article, click here.

The English Landmark stolen by an artist and brazenly put on show
A visual artist from Ecuador, Mr Oscar Santillan, 34, has visited Scafell Pike in Cumbria. He took in the stunning views, trudged to the very top of England’s highest peak (978m) and, when there, decided not to leave empty handed…
To read the whole article, click here.

Granny flats get a boost with 2,400 more benefitting from council tax cut
New discounts have seen more than 2,400 homes across the country benefit from reduced council tax bills, however, ministers believe many more are entitled to the reductions...
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Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse View safe from Wind Turbine after High Court ruling In June 2014, Carmarthenshire Council gave planning consent to an application to erect a 45m wind turbine at Mwche farm in Llansteffan, across the Taf Estuary from Laugharne. Objections were received from locals and the National Trust, and a judicial review was ordered to protect the site where poet Dylan Thomas’ wrote some of his most famous works… To read the whole article, click here.

Bamber’s Greatest Challenge
The iconic former host of University Challenge, Bamber Gascoigne, has inherited one of the most attractive and beautiful stately homes situated in the Surrey commuter belt. Along with his wife, a ceramicist of some repute, they plan to restore the iconic old building…
To read the whole article, click here.

Rubbish council policy means £70million a year wasted on bins
A new report published on 29th March 2015 has claimed that councils could make sensible savings by joining forces to buy refuse trucks and wheelie bins – to the tune of £70m. It suggests that we should be more like the Germans in our bin selection…
To read the whole article, click here.

Mortgage Market Update
Various sources are claiming that now is as good a time to buy a property as there has ever been, with interest rates low and the property market surging forward. We have compiled stats from various sources around the country to give you a complete view of the mortgage market, in case you are looking to invest…
To read the whole article, click here.

And Finally....

In case you missed it - living near a Waitrose can add £38,000 to a property’s value...

A study by Lloyds Bank has revealed that living within close proximity of a Waitrose supermarket can increase a property’s value by as much as £38,000. Meanwhile, living on the doorstep of an Aldi will knock off almost £6,000…
To read the whole article, click here.