LONDON-Great Portland Estates has been granted planning permission by the City of Westminster for a 145,658 sf office-led scheme at 190 Great Portland Street, London W1. The scheme will underline the company's retrenchment into central London offices.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA-The layoffs will occur as a result of Conexant System's decision to sell the photomask portion of its operations. The locally based company manufactures semiconductors.

CARLSBAD, CA-Two agencies have thrown a wrench into plans for a pair of industrial park projects totaling more than 200 acres. The agencies are questioning habitat protection.

ATLANTA-James Brown Trucking of Atlanta and Georgia Industrial Warehousing will set up a distribution center on a 22-acre site in Montgomery, AL, 144 miles west of Atlanta.