LONDON-Workspace Group, the specialist provider of small business accommodation in London and the South East, has bought the Poplar Business Park, Prestons Road,London E14 for #16.1 million ($26 million).

LONDON-Tiger Developments has sold a mixed use commercial property portfolio to Mayfair Capital's M C Property Growth Fund for more than pounds 16 million ($25 million), reflecting a net initial yield of around 7%.

LONDON-Investment activity in Central London has risen by 42% in the second quarter of 2003 with pounds 1.33 billion ($2.1 billion) of properties changing hands over the three months, according to the latest data from DTZ.

LONDON-FPDSavills calculates that availability in the M25 office markets around London grew by just 5% during the first half of 2003, after more than doubling in 2002. The agent takes this as an indication the market could be close to bottoming out.

LONDON-The Central London office market is still under pressure with vacancies rising in most of the key sub-markets. As a result rents are falling, incentives increasing and leases shortening, according to a new survey from Jones Lang LaSalle.

LONDON-Troubled serviced office centre operator Marylebone Warwick Balfour Group has pulled out of mainland Europe. It has closed its five centres in Holland and Germany and placed its four French centres into administration.

LONDON-Warner Estate has injected six provincial office buildings worth pounds 109 million ($175 million) into a new fund managed jointly with Royal Bank of Scotland.

LONDON-London Mayor Ken Livingstone's controversial draft London plan has been approved by an independent panel of examiners. The experts approved the requirement for 50% of all residential sites to be allocated for affordable housing.