The property picture
THE GOLDMAN EDIT · MONDAY BRIEFING
Oxford Street goes traffic-free, alongside regeneration funding, UK rent and house-price data, Türkiye’s latest home sales and a planning consultation deadline: five developments to watch.
Oxford Street goes traffic-free: the West End enters a new phase
Oxford Street’s traffic-free section opened on 26 October, between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street. TfL confirms that buses, taxis and cycles are excluded; mobility scooters and emergency access remain permitted. Servicing is allowed overnight on approved routes.
Goldman view: more pedestrian space may support the shopping experience and occupier demand. Owners and businesses should monitor footfall, servicing and access on neighbouring streets; higher rents or property values are not assured.
Sources: TfL travel advice and access rules · checked 26 October 2026 · TfL · Oxford Street
Purfleet-on-Thames shows the funding test for regeneration
A Reuters report published on 26 October says construction costs, planning delays and financing constraints continue to weigh on housing delivery and major infrastructure. Thurrock Council’s 19 August update said the previous development agreement ended after the developer could not fund the project, and that the council was preparing to progress a 2,850-home scheme with preferred partner Muse Places. This is a delivery and funding challenge, not a formal cancellation of the regeneration.
Goldman view: track viable funding, infrastructure commitments and the status of development agreements separately from headline housing targets.
Sources: Reuters, 26 October 2026 · Thurrock Council, 19 August 2026
UK rents rise while London house prices lag
The Office for National Statistics released its latest bulletin on 21 October. Average UK private rent reached £1,406 a month in September, up 3.8% year on year; London and the South East had England’s lowest regional rent inflation, at 3.5%. The latest UK house-price estimate was £273,000 in August, up 0.9% annually, while London prices were 2.2% lower year on year. The measures cover different periods.
Goldman view: compare rental growth with running costs and local demand; national indices do not determine the outcome for an individual tenancy or property.
Türkiye’s September sales split between new and existing homes
TÜİK’s release on 16 October recorded 142,390 home sales in Türkiye in September, 9.3% fewer than a year earlier. New-home sales rose 3.9% to 51,519, while existing-home sales fell 15.3% to 90,871. Mortgage-backed sales increased 5.1% to 23,397. These are transaction counts, not a house-price index or a market forecast.
Goldman view: the split between new and existing transactions can help explain local supply and buyer behaviour, but sales volumes alone do not show prices, financing costs or investment returns.
Sources: Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), 16 October 2026
Dorset’s local-plan consultation closes today
Dorset Council’s local-plan scoping consultation closes at midnight on 26 October. It asks for views on the issues, vision and evidence that should shape a future plan, but does not seek comments on specific sites or present site options at this stage. The council says there will be further opportunities to comment on sites and policies as the plan develops.
Goldman view: landowners and developers should track the timetable and evidence requirements, without assuming that this early consultation allocates land or grants development permission.
Sources: Dorset Council, consultation closes 26 October 2026
