Imagine an astronaut from some years ago crash-landing back onto planet Earth right now. Sure, the apes haven’t taken over and the Statue of Liberty is still standing, but it’s still going to take a while to convince them they’re back home. Especially if you plonked them square in the heart of Westminster on bank holiday Monday, where something else has risen up to claim the streets – a swarm of bicycles, as captured by Peter Stuart on Twitter. “Simply incredible numbers on bikes,” tweeted Stuart, who, to be fair, knows a thing or two as the digital editor of Cyclist, “more than I’ve ever seen in rush hour, and from all ages and backgrounds. If this is the new normal, we could have cleaner air, safer streets, a healthier population. A silver lining perhaps…”
Westminster today, around 1.30pm.
Simply incredible numbers on bikes, more than I’ve ever seen in rush hour, and from all ages and backgrounds.
If this is the new normal, we could have cleaner air, safer streets, a healthier population. A silver lining perhaps… pic.twitter.com/HU7zzUHvBa
— Peter Stuart (@PeterStuart3) May 25, 2020
Champagne superhighway
Maybe make that rise of the bike a gold lining, with the latest research from London lettings and estate agent Benham & Reeves on house prices along London’s cycle superhighways. On average, the average along all seven superhighways is £874,578 – 80% higher than the capital-wide average of £485,794. The largest pedal-powered property price premium is found along CS3, between Tower Hill and Lancaster Gate, where the average sits at £1.2m. And, in the age of Covid-19, the prices are only going uphill, just as interest cools in proximity to Tube stations. “With government advice to avoid public transport where necessary, we’ve already seen a 17% uplift in the number of people enquiring about homes close to cycle superhighways,” says director Marc von Grundherr, “and as these transport routes soar in popularity, property values will continue to follow suit.”
Home, sweeter home
A return to the office remains tentative at best for most of us, and going anywhere else – while more possible than it was a few weeks ago – still seems like a bonkers idea as far as Diary is concerned, whether you’re an untouchable government adviser or not. So it’s only natural that thoughts are more concentrated than ever on the four walls around us, which aren’t in fact closing in, no matter how much it seems so. In a bank holiday week, this is reflected in the press releases in our inbox (at least those that aren’t about frozen pizza, the colour blue or whatever “alabaster lighting” is). Online experts have been busy researching during lockdown, and here are the findings. Priceyourjob.co.uk (who should know of what they speak) looked into “how to add thousands to your home’s value for under £100”, which sounds like a good deal for the savvy investors out there. A fresh lick of paint costing a mere £71 for the average house can add an average of £1,424 to the value of a property. Basic security measures including locks, motion sensors and a driveway floodlight can turn £98 into £598. And first impressions count: a new front door for £95 can boost your sale price by more than £400. Staircase carpet, new taps and other measures take the overall outlay to £730 – but this could add an astonishing (their word) £4,934 to the value of a property. It’s all sounding like a lot of effort to Diary.
Instant luxury
Meanwhile, rival Myjobquote.co.uk has been in touch offering “the best ‘luxury upgrades’ for the home” – instantly arousing Diary’s suspicious nature by putting “luxury upgrades” in inverted commas. They asked the opinion of several professional interior designers (all, presumably, hungry to quote for jobs) to find out the most effective upgrades to be achieved on a budget. Your best bet, with a 76% effectiveness rating, is a bathroom remodel. Which definitely sounds like a lot of effort. Thankfully, “plants” are a more straightforward option, with a 72% rating. As one enthusiastic respondent put it: “Plants. On the floor, on the window sill, on shelves. Mess it up and put small ones in small spaces, massive ones that take up whole corners, trailing down over stuff indoors and outdoors. Instant glamour to any home!” Neutral hues, “temporary wallpaper” (?) and new upholstering all rate highly, but our favourite is the delightfully vague “high-end touches”, even if it scored a fairly low-end 41%.
Vive la France
There may have been no MIPIM in Cannes this year, no mass influx of foreigners to the Côte d’Azur to drink too much rosé and to wheel and deal (or at least pretend to wheel and deal). There may have been no flashing of the cash or the corporate credit card. But that doesn’t appear to have dampened the residential market too much, according to the latest insights from Knight Frank. The agent is seeing increased demand across France, in fact. Villas in the Côte d’Azur with plenty of outdoor space are (understandably) highly desirable, while Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye on the outskirts of Paris are seeing heightened interest. And in Provence, enquiries for homes went up by one-fifth in the first four months of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. Maybe it has something to do with the wine, but maybe France without the sea of blue suits is becoming just a little bit more appealing. Diary, of course, couldn’t comment.
