Lunchtime news May 3

The first 15 Wimpey homes designed by star architect Richard Rogers have been unveiled in Milton Keynes. The development includes two, three, four and five-bedroom homes in ten different designs. Prices range from £199,500 to £450,000. Built with sustainable materials and fitted with energy-saving gadgets, they are reported to be among the most eco-friendly mass-market properties

Figures from the Bank of England show mortgage approvals fell to 113,000 in March from 118,000 in February, the lowest figure since April last year

Following three interest rate rises since last August, Mervyn King, governor of the bank of England, tells the Financial Times that the Bank will give financial markets a better idea of the circumstances likely to trigger interest rate changes. Speaking to the paper, King also defends the banks decade of independence

The daily tirade against HIPs continues with a long-winded attack from a Times Columnist describing them as a ‘disaster’

The Nationwide’s 25-year fixed rate mortgage will be scrapped today, just five weeks after its launch reports the Daily Mail

The Daily Mail claims to have obtained secret government figures, which show that immigrants from Eastern Europe have swollen the population of British towns by up to ten per cent

A mouseprice.com survey has found that the most expensive house name is Courtney House, while England’s most popular house name is The Cottage

With voters going to the polls tomorrow, desperate Conservative councillors in the South East have been warning that a vote for the the BNP could knock thousands of pounds off the value of their homes.