please empty your brain below
"(haha lol bolx)"

Possibly the harshest DG review of anything ever? :)

Chz | 12.03.25 - 8:52 a.m. | #

"In a capital city with a huge housing problem it seems criminal"...that 48% of the capital's (much diminished stock of) social housing is occupied by persons born outside the UK.

David B | 12.03.25 - 9:12 a.m. | #

n.b. David's statistic was circulating on social media yesterday, kicked off by a GB News presenter. It's true but highly misleading - most of those foreign-born householders are long-term British.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 12.03.25 - 9:27 a.m. | #

I couldn’t find any mention of prices on the links in the piece so I’ve had a look on rightmove. £340k (studio) to £580k (2 bedroom) in case anyone was wondering. The rightmove write up also mentions quick travel (25 minutes) to London universities.

Lorenzo | 12.03.25 - 9:27 a.m. | #

Symbolic tower trolley waiting to cross the road.

bolx - it depends which side you look at things, there's only so many ways you can describe yet another block of flats, car, olive oil, toothpaste, holiday etc.

Still Anon | 12.03.25 - 9:39 a.m. | #

Most people would prefer that all new housing should be "affordable", though that is a somewhat stretchy term. But if there has to be some expensive housing, for whatever reason, then I think it's better scattered around the capital, like this, rather than in a rich-people-only enclave.
However, the "looking down on the rest of us" angle is rather jarring.

Malcolm of Kent | 12.03.25 - 10:44 a.m. | #

It’s the apparent loss of proper Social Housing that’s most jarring, with what I assume were Council owned blocks being replaced by private and ‘affordables’. I wonder where all the original residents have moved to.
At least here in Acton, a major ‘council estate’ redevelopment did offer council tenants homes in the new properties.

ActonMan | 12.03.25 - 11:39 a.m. | #

No wonder only rich foreigners can afford the flats if each one has to pay for 3/4 of an "affordable" one in addition. Once again London will try absolutely anything to solve the housing crisis except building an adequate supply of ordinary market-rate homes.

Lmm | 12.03.25 - 12:15 p.m. | #

Fret not about this block being a blot on Bows skyline forever. I am sure the application of the usual shoddy building standards will make its longevity significantly more finite.

And as to why the public sector does not step in and build more. Perhaps because most London Authorities are, or are very nearly bankrupt and lack the basic skills to build a rabbit hutch. Croydon is an glowing example of what happens when you meddle with something you do not understand.

Keith the Kraut | 12.03.25 - 12:56 p.m. | #

Welcome to the free market! France does the same with new 'pure' council housing being rare, usually a quota of affordable housing required in new developments. The big difference being that you can actually get stuff built relatively quickly there rather than take 10 years to get anything done.

matthieu1221 | 12.03.25 - 3:17 p.m. | #

"upsell a skyhutch"

And there it is, coffee all over screen.

It takes talent to write so amusingly about something so depressing. Chapeau.

yeoldemother | 12.03.25 - 3:41 p.m. | #











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