Liverpool's newly rebuilt Everyman Theatre has won the Riba Stirling Prize for best new building of the year.

The venue beat five other buildings to win the honour - the Royal Institute of British Architects' highest accolade.

The Everyman Theatre first opened in 1964 on one of Liverpool's main streets, however over the years it fell into a state of disrepair. Architects Haworth Tompkins were tasked with designing a new theatre as part of a nine-year £27m rebuilding project, retaining its theme of being a "theatre for the people".

The original theatre was taken down brick by brick and each

Plans for a major regeneration of the northern edge of Belfast city centre have been unveiled by a development consortium.

The Northside project could see the development of up to 3,000 apartments and houses, mainly for students. It is a partnership between developer Kevin McKay, global construction firm Balfour Beatty and Northern Ireland's Department for Social Development.

The scheme will have a mix of uses including managed student accommodation, private housing, social housing and retail. It will be the biggest private sector development in Belfast since the construction of the Victoria

The UK's most prestigious prize for new buildings, the Riba Stirling Prize, will be awarded TODAY and the London Bridge Tower (The Shard), designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop is one of the frontrunners on the shortlist of six iconic buildings in the UK.

At 72 storeys, The Shard, or London Bridge Tower as it is also known, is the UK's tallest building and the second highest in Europe. It is a vertical town made up of restaurants, offices, a health clinic and apartments.

Eight "shards" of transparent, reflective glass make up the exterior and are dinted and angled to reflect the movement

Britain’s biggest property website has rebuffed claims that the housing market is heading for a slowdown, with a forecast that prices will soar by 30% over the next five years to average £318,000 in England and Wales and more than £715,000 in London.

But for the first time in more than a decade, it will be markets outside the capital that lead the way in price rises, Rightmove said. It predicts that Southampton will see the fastest house price increases in the country, with values expected to jump 43% by 2019 – adding nearly £100,000 to local prices – while Luton, Brighton and Swindon will not

Homebuyers in Scotland will pay no tax on properties costing less than £135,000, Finance Secretary John Swinney has announced.

And a 12% marginal rate for houses costing more than £1m will come into force next April, when stamp duty is replaced north of the border.

Mr Swinney's plan came in his budget proposal for the year ahead.

Opposition politicians said the finance secretary had failed to live up to his promise of protecting health spending.

Under the government's new Land and Building Transactions Tax, a marginal tax of 2% would apply to the proportion of a transaction between £135,000

After marrying in Venice last month, Clooney and his new wife, the London-based human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, appear to have settled for their marital home in Sonning, Berkshire - a £10million Grade II listed manor house on the River Thames.

The nine-bed roomed house has its own library, gym, spa and steam room, along with a cellar and a boathouse and separate cottage for guests or staff.

Set in four acres and surrounded by dense trees and expansive gardens it offer all the seclusion required of an A-list couple.

Clooney is understood to have been drawn to the area after visiting the

The Guardian this week reported that Britain’s housing market has reached a turning point with price growth expected to turn negative next year – but the market will avoid a crash, according to the latest forecasts.

Average house prices across the UK will dip by 0.8% in 2015, after growing by an estimated 7.8% this year, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) predicted on Monday.

Inquiries from new buyers are already declining and properties are staying on the market for longer before they sell, leading to price declines in some parts of the UK. Affordability has become a real

Three quarters of London properties which would fall into the so-called “mansion tax” bracket are flats or terraced houses, according to Knight Frank figures.

The property consultants analysed sales data to see what type of “mansions” would fall into the £2m plus category Labour leader Ed Miliband would target if his party came to power.

Knight Frank said London – and in particular the prime areas of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea – would be hit harder than other parts of the country by the tax. The two boroughs alone account for 46 per cent of the £2m-plus properties in England and

Property agents CPBigwood have for the second year running been shortlisted for Residential Auction House of The Year in The Negotiator Awards.

Winners will be announced at a glittering prize giving ceremony on Tuesday, November 4, at the London Hilton on Park Lane and hosted by Alexander Armstrong, comedian, actor and presenter of TV's Pointless programme.

CPBigwood has one of the largest property auction houses outside London and is firmly established in the top ten national auction houses in the UK.

Last year the cumulative figure for 2013 came in at £51,082,200, with 604 lots offered

The house of Cranford author Elizabeth Gaskell is opening its doors after a £2.5m refurbishment that has returned it to the style of the writer's era.

The 19th Century villa in Manchester had fallen into disrepair after being used as a student hall of residence, but has been furnished with period items and replicas.

It will be fully open to the public for the first time from tomorrow and definitely worthwhile a visit to admire the restoration, and soak up history from the life of this remarkable writer..

Her friend, Charlotte Bronte once described it in a letter as "a large, cheerful, airy