Because I care about housing
May 16th, 2012
Those of you who count yourselves among my regulars, and there are a few, will be aware of the subtitle that graced this page for nearly three years. It used to say “because I care about housing and hate single aspect flats”.
Last Saturday (12th May) I was invited to join a DoCoMoMo walk around South London during the course of which we visited Lambeth Towers and some maisonettes at Cotton Gardens just along from the Imperial War Museum, among many other buildings..
Housing Act 1988
May 9th, 2012
UPDATE: – Jules Birch has written a much better article on this subject.
Guacamoledave 9 November 2010 9:59PM
Just back from the Chartered Institute of Housing Eastern Region conference at Stanstead, where it rapidly became clear that the government is making it up as it goes along. John O’Mahoney from the Homes and Communities Agency was clearly out of his depth while trying to explain how the new regime of “Affordable” (i.e. 80% market rents i.e. not affordable really) would fund 150,000 new social homes over 4 years, and how that didn’t conflict with reducing the HB bill (answer: don’t know) and making people more dependent on benefits (answer: don’t know), and how that would be achieved at the same time as removing regional planning targets and putting control over new development in the hands of the nimbys, sorry, local people (answer……).
Blue London
May 5th, 2012
This is a sad day for London. The election of Boris Johnson as Mayor for the second time, made worse by it being only a narrow victory, when seen in the light of his support for the Conservative administration of H&F and his planning decisions in support of the social cleansing policies of that borough, is not to be welcomed by anyone who cares about the plight of council tenants across London.
This blog was created as a direct result of an article in the Evening Standard on Thursday 9th July 2009 highlighting the intention of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to rid the borough of council estates and their residents. In the nearly three years since they have gone some way towards this and certainly done little to reassure the worried that their intentions are otherwise.
How the other half live
May 3rd, 2012
Browsing the stats the other day I noticed a visit from Squire and Partners who converted the former Kensington Odeon into flats and a basement cinema. While looking at the drawings for the site, which normally contain outline images of kitchen units, sofas and a dining table, I was intrigued to notice that each of five apartments in a row, had a piano outlined. More in keeping with a music school than a residential street I would have thought or is this how the rich pass their time?
Kensington Odeon – Drawing
I regularly cycle along a street of three storey houses through whose bay windows may be seen a baby grand in a least half of them but all? Perhaps it was simply wishful thinking on the part of the architects in order to generate sales.
I have written to Squires to ask but have not so far received a reply. I’ll let you know when I do.