The latest? A £4bn mixed-use plan, including homes for 7,000 people, due to start in 2012, ready by 2020. Details include 8m square feet of office space, shops and residential property, plus a six-acre public park, a new, 300 metre glass and steel chimney, and the world's largest solar-powered aircon system. Despite this...

"Once we have planning consent, we will have no shortage of interested parties who will want to come on board,'' said Rob Tincknell, managing director of Real Estate Opportunities' development manager, Treasury Holdings U.K.

... the details have been received with not inconsiderable skepticism, and - taking into account the site's recent history and the current economic climate - the Rat and Mouse isn't surprised. More here.

Breaking news - Vinoly wins Battersea Power Station contract [April 4, 2007]
Battersea Power Station: a scandal of waste [February 2, 2007]
Thursday afternoon linkage - DIY in ICU [November 30, 2006]
Battersea Power Station - fake chimneys [July 7, 2006

Technorati Tags: architecture, design, London, property, real estate

We're talking about Lord Cadogan, the toff previously known as Viscount Chelsea, one of SW3's premier landowners, who according to this, just earned a much needed £30m in dividends from the Cadogan Group.

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

No, not Kevin Rowland, Kelly Rowland - one of the other ones in Destiny's Child and a different prospect all together. Apparently, she was seen at Mamilanji on Saturday night, where she tested the piano and a DJ pal tested the decks. All were in order, and so she's now testing property in Chelsea. Estate agents... scramble!

Technorati Tags: celebrity, London, property, real estate

I am immediately conscious of my pink bag and purple skirt, which shout vulgarity in the harmony of grey, black and white. Only a hint of red is allowed in each room, in a cushion or a rug.

The Sunday Telegraph carried this very entertaining tour of some minimalist masterpieces, including a Victorian mansion block flat (pictured) in Battersea... all original features concealed behind white fake walls and a wipe clean floor... and a south London semi which isn't pure minimalism (it has colour) but it works on the principle of hidden storage and is described as "monastic". Visiting the Battersea house, the writer leans how it was designed to cater for a utilitarian principle... carefully measured distances between (stored) appliances in the kitchen that reflect their use. It's Steve Jobs' Apple Mac workflow principle on a domestic scale. It's a theory I've always tried to sell to my wife, when extolling Bauhaus (my own frustrated enthusiasm). But - I don't know - it doesn't sound that convenient:

Even making a cup of tea isn't a simple matter: "I know I am a Minimalist freak," says Tanji. She opens a cupboard, gets out the kettle, fills it, plugs it in, makes the tea, then empties it, unplugs it and puts it back in the cupboard. For there must be no clutter.

Head over to the link above for the original piece, complete with pictures. Interestingly, all the properties mentioned are for sale. The Battersea flat is with John D Wood, here.

Technorati Tags: design, London, property, real estate

The Evening Standard reports on falling asking prices here and there across the capital, including many of the top postcodes. According to Rightmove figures:

Average asking prices in Kensington and Chelsea have fallen £33,000 to £1,458,558 - down more than 2.2 per cent between March and April.

Oddly, though, asking prices rose (by 3.8%) in Hackney.

Technorati Tags: property, real estate

The Evening Standard has the scoop... and a picture. It looks impressive... not least how the Candys have managed to squeeze 638 housing units, a boutique hotel and spa, a community hall, sports centre and a landscaped public park into less than thirteen acres.

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

The Telegraph takes a tour of celebrity cake meister Eric Lanlard's modern Battersea home. Lanlard's the man behind Madonna's wedding cake and Brooklyn Beckham's first birthday cake. The apartment, all glass and steel and timber, packs a white grand piano, a specially made deep purple carpet and a hot tub. Go here, for the details, and pictures.

Technorati Tags: celebrity, London, property, real estate

Two 39-storey residential towers containing 500 homes are part of the £400m plans to revamp Clapham Junction station. If you want to have a look, head over to shopping centre before Saturday, or (even better) click this with the button on your mouse.

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate

Interior designer Richard Adams bought it in 2004 for £250,000, and set about scraping the snails off the damp carpet. Now, it's all silk wallpapered, Venetian chandeliered and juxtaposing Baroque with Modern in a way designers pull off and I don't. And it's on the market for £650,000 (the furnishings to be sold separately). Where? Cheyne Court, in Chelsea. Particulars, here. Interesting piece in the New York Times, here.

Technorati Tags: interiors, London, property, real estate

It strikes the Rat and Mouse that now is a particularly good time to be paying close attention to PropertySnake, the place to watch real-life asking price collapses as they happen. Today, we're particularly taken with this rather charming five-bedroom Victorian house in Clapham, down from an original guide price of £1.399m (according to this) to the current £995,000... that's a bargaintastic fall of 28%. Stay tuned for more. And have a great weekend.

Technorati Tags: London, property, real estate