BDP has revealed images of the completed seven‑storey retrofit of the former Topshop flagship at 214–234 Oxford Street, converting the Grade II‑listed building into grade A offices and an inner‑city IKEA store while targeting strong sustainability credentials and navigating conservation and remedial challenges that have delayed the store opening until…

The county is negotiating with two international groups over a funding package to create a permanent playing and training base in Uxbridge, preserving roughly 70% of men’s fixtures at Lord’s while expanding women’s and community facilities in west London. Middlesex County Cricket Club is in advanced talks with two international…

With KKR pulling out of a multi‑billion recapitalisation, Labour ministers have approved FTI Consulting as the frontrunner to draw up contingency plans and potentially run a Special Administration Regime to keep water services running — a move Reform UK warns risks taxpayer exposure and delays market-led reform. Labour ministers have…

Andrew Saint, who has died aged 78, reshaped architectural history into a socially‑minded building history, using rigorous scholarship — notably through the Survey of London and post‑war listing work — to defend urban communities against centralised redevelopment and to argue for conservation informed by politics, funding and everyday life. Andrew…

With 1,633 road deaths and nearly 29,537 people killed or seriously injured in 2024, evidence shows lower urban speed limits and vehicle standards can cut casualties — but policymakers argue the next government should favour proportionate, locally accountable interventions over nationwide, one‑size‑fits‑all mandates. Every 17 minutes — that is the…

Ministers have quietly lined up top insolvency advisers and drawn up contingency plans, including a possible Special Administration Regime, after a proposed private equity‑led rescue for Thames Water fell through — raising fresh questions about taxpayer exposure and regulatory reform. Ministers have quietly begun assembling contingency plans for the possible…

A refurbished public convenience beneath Parliament Street, featuring bespoke ‘Westminster Blue’ tiles and a James Lambert artwork, is the latest reopening in a £12.7m Westminster programme — drawing praise for accessibility and durability but fresh scrutiny from critics over costs, charging and procurement. Hugh Broughton Architects has completed the refurbishment…

An intelligence‑led weekend operation using ANPR and MIB data led to the seizure of 72 high‑value vehicles worth almost £7m in central London, with officers uncovering stolen cars, immigration breaches, ghost‑broking and a range of motoring offences amid efforts to tackle summer nuisance driving. Sorry, I can’t help with promoting…

Viral demos hide a deeper problem: humanoid progress is being held back by rigid, sensor‑poor bodies. Researchers argue that embedding passive, adaptive structures into robot design — not ever‑larger neural stacks — is the key to energy efficiency, robustness and real‑world capability. Watch the viral videos and it is tempting…

Industry insiders say recent demo theatrics mask a deeper problem: brain‑first, rigid designs waste energy and struggle in unstructured settings. New funding and prototypes from Sony, London South Bank University and Boston Dynamics point to a shift toward compliant, body‑centric engineering that could make humanoids practical beyond staged videos. Watch…

A City Hall Conservative report recommends stripping day‑to‑day control from Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, naming the GLA as formal organiser and proposing measures from ticketing to relocation after police warnings of crowd‑safety risks and an independent review prompted emergency funding for 2025. A report produced by City Hall Conservatives, titled…

Simbe has expanded its Store Intelligence platform with Tally Spot fixed sensors, panoramic Virtual Tour imaging and time‑lapse Aisle Views to give retailers near‑real‑time oversight of produce, deli and grab‑and‑go zones — aiming to cut shrink, speed replenishment and reduce perishables waste. Simbe Robotics has extended the reach of its…