Our Friends in the North – a personal view
January 21st, 2017
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Mary explains Alan Roe’s plan – Elaine looks like thunder
“Let those who want to buy, buy. Let those who want to rent, rent, but what will they rent if I’ve sold all the council houses?” asks Mary of her replacement, Elaine.
“Well, why not use the proceeds to build more council houses?” replies Elaine.
“Because a) I have to sell them dirt cheap, and b) I’m only allowed to use half the proceeds to build replacement houses.” – replies Mary. “The other half has to finance a reduction in the rates.”
This exchange is one of the reasons OFITN might fairly be described as a Northern housing drama. The above exchange is one of many examples illustrating the effect the housing situation had on its residents, from the shoddy system built flats of the 1960s through to the Thatcherite push for home ownership via right to buy and its concomitant effect on the declining estates and their residents signified here by the desperate situation of Sean Collins at Valley View.
The scene near the end in the bar, between Geordie, Sean Collins, a young lad of 10 or 11 and his dad Christopher – is one of the most moving and powerful in the entire film, and the empathy shown by Geordie towards Sean, says a lot for his strength of character, his own life having suffered hours dreadful and things strange to say the least.
The answer to the housing crisis? – Colin Wiles
January 18th, 2017
“I think Grant Shapps is on to something with his latest plan to encourage people to live on boats.
Here in Cambridge we have hundreds of people living on boats along the river. Some of them are a bit ramshackle and lack decent sanitation but the occupants seem to like them and they are affordable and close to the centre of town.”
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/home/home/bring-back-the-slums-28505
Old link
https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ihstory.aspx?storycode=6517514
In case you missed this, tongue in cheek clearly.
Helen June Heath-Coleman – in memoriam
December 15th, 2016
July 19th 1955 – December 15th 1976
I was her neighbour and attended the cremation. I would like to be reminded of her appearance. If you have a photograph please get in touch via the Author page.
The submarine hotel – Great Russell Street
December 11th, 2016
HT @PaulWellman_EG via @michaellondonsf
Since I found out about this the other day and this happened in Islington, I’ve been wondering, how would it be if you’re asleep in your bed fifty feet underground and a water main bursts in the street above? The former car park basement would fill with water, there would be no warning other than the occupants getting wet and then drowning. The basement would have no bilge pumps to clear the water.
Buy to let – Guardian
December 10th, 2016
This isn’t an article it’s a brief reaction to the Guardian article.
“There’s a housing shortage, and landlords help this by providing accommodation …”
No you don’t. You exploit properties that would otherwise be owned by singles, young couples and families.
The only people who ought to own properties for rent are the state. It used to be called council housing. We need it back restored and expanded. Anything else is exploitation by rentiers.
The human mole – zero aspect hotel rooms
December 9th, 2016
“I think a decision like this lets down the whole of the West End. We are supposed to be a world-class city, which means showing the lead to others.” She added that visitors would be treated, “like a bunch of troglodytes in an underground cave”.
This is a joke right? I’ve parked in that car park, way underground back in the 1970s. Not in a million years would I have imagined somebody planning to park people underground and make them pay for the privilege. Is it April 1st yet?
Broadwater Farm and City Country Suburb? – audio
December 9th, 2016
FEAR OF NON-STREET HOUSING
October 23, 2014, 19:00 20:15
The edited version free of uumms, aahhs, and extended pauses.
Zeilenbau orientation
December 8th, 2016
Churchill Gardens Pimlico – Powell and Moya
On reading Lewisham, the Notopian future of London by Owen Hatherley the other day, I was struck by this sentence.
“This particular part of the development is darkened by the canyon-like effect of tall blocks looming over a narrow service road, something avoided by postwar council estates, what with their green space and carefully arranged orientation to the sun.”
[…]
“Third, the new vernacular, so long as it coexists with a developer-driven urbanism which sees spaciousness as so much wasted, unrentable space, means little more than politesse curtain-walled over plutocracy.” [Owen !!!]
Moving on, the estate that comes most quickly to mind and probably to any member of the C20th Society or DocomomoUK is Churchill Gardens by Powell and Moya.
Urban Splash – Saxton : 4 into 2 won’t go
December 4th, 2016
UPDATE Read the report on overheated flats from 2017
“…the space has been divided to ensure that each apartment is substantial in size.” [boggle] -> Award
Google Leeds tower blocks The Parade – images
A few years ago Urban Splash bought two derelict council housing blocks which were due for demolition, at Richmond Hill in Leeds. During the “deep retrofit” (partial demolition) the project stalled and Kickstart funding was required to restart it.
Urban Splash stripped the blocks back to the concrete skeleton retaining the lift and staircase cores, then doubled the density by refitting the blocks with over 400 single aspect flats disregarding the original layout of over 200 dual aspect flats.
Why not build directly if you own the land?
November 30th, 2016
Click for full image
There was a time when the [London] borough or shire would employ their own architects, quantity surveyors, civil engineers, clerk of works and direct labour force and just get on with it. In London of course it would have been the LCC and later [from 1965] the GLC. Those days may have gone in most cases but we need them back.