London's new garden squares
London is already the greenest capital in Europe, with homeowners enjoying more than 600 garden squares. And the good news is that there are more to come.
As the BBC move out, Shepherd's Bush switches to a new programme
As Aunty leaves the Bush the borough seizes the opportunity to create a proper neighbourhood.
Spotlight on Camden Town
The shops and markets clustered around the high street and canal make Camden one of the most colourful of London's neighbourhoods. The area's period homes and loft-style apartments attract a mix of homebuyers.
Revealed: from Reading to Redhill – the top 20 commuter stations
Choose your route. Our exclusive property buyers’ guide shows travel times, costs and house prices.
My design London - Russell Norman
Owner of Polpo, Spuntino and Polpetto restaurants in Soho, and da Polpo and Mishkin's in Covent Garden, restauranteur Russell Norman opens up on his favourite London haunts.
Find a rated tradesman
Want to add value to your property, make your house a home, or sell your place fast? With 1,000s of tradesmen nationwide, rated and recommended by previous customers, this is the smart way to find a reputable tradesman.
Buy of the week: Camden Town
This two-bedroom flat has a pretty park on its doorstep, while buzzing Camden Town is only 10 minutes’ walk away. Big sash windows and high ceilings give a spacious feel and there’s a private garden with a studio/home office (£525,000).
Swap of the week: Willersey, Glouc
This little Cotswolds beauty is just across the road from the village green and duck pond. For £530,000 you get beams, exposed stone walls and an open fireplace, plus four bedrooms, a useful attic room and lush gardens to enjoy.
Life-changer: Trescowe, Cornwall
For a project brimming with potential, what about this coastal home, yours for £545,000? The family space includes six bedrooms, while its collection of outbuildings overlooking an acre of gardens could become income-generating holiday lets.
Spotlight on Camden Town
The shops and markets clustered around the high street and canal make Camden one of the most colourful of London's neighbourhoods. The area's period homes and loft-style apartments attract a mix of homebuyers.
Property search
Take an energy test
By Lucy Tobin
We knew it was coming: first off the blocks was Scottish Power, hiking energy bills by up to 19 per cent last month. Then came British Gas, raising its own customers’ gas and electricity costs by up to 18 per cent. Scottish & Southern followed at a similar level soon after. E.ON was next.The moves look set to add up to £200 to the average household’s annual energy bills and are expected to tip more households into fuel poverty this winter. But there are ways to limit the pain. Londoners should snap up a new scheme to provide 55,000 homes with a free energy efficiency test.
Mayor Boris Johnson’s RE:NEW programme is being provided to homeowners between now and next May. It will involve a qualified energy advisor visiting homes for about 90 minutes, providing tailored energy and water saving advice, and free energy-saving devices like low energy light bulbs, tap aerators, radiator panels, stand-by switches, draught-proofing and cavity wall insulation.
Find out when the scheme is operating in your borough at london.gov.uk/priorities/environment/climate-change/energy-efficiency/RENEW/get-involved - then book online or by calling 0800 978 8332.
Households should also take advantage of the sweeteners energy firms are offering to try to deflect attention from their price hikes. British Gas, for example, is providing free loft and wall cavity insulation for energy and HomeCare customers. There are also lots of energy-saving grants available. Find out those in your area at http://bit.ly/drlZnU.
Unless you’re keen to fix your bill, there’s little point switching to a cheaper supplier right now: those who haven’t hiked rates are expected to do shortly. The cheapest dual-fuel tariffs for an average user in London include EDF’s Online Saver v12 at around £974.14 a year and Npower’s Sing online 23 at £980.55.
Top fixed-price deals include EDF’s Fixer saver v2 at £1014.74 a year and OVO’s New Energy Fixed offer at £1060.08, according to comparison site GoCompare.
Bear in mind it’s often cheaper to opt for dual fuel (buying gas and electricity from the same supplier) but check as that’s not always the case. Online tariffs also tend to be cheapest, and there are discounts for paying via monthly direct debit. Carry out a meter reading every time you receive a bill as utility firms’ estimates are often wrong.
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