Ten houses into two can go.

[bobg]

We don't think we're superior ... We know we're superior

Stuart Maconie - " Pies and Prejudice" .... In search of the North... read it and all will be revealed

 

[Paulus]

We don't think we're superior ... We know we're superior

Self delusion is a great thing.

 

[Fnaar]

I can never really understand the (mostly English) view that comfortable living demands living on the ground floor and perhaps with a staircase to one floor up. The rest of Europe and much of Scotland sees no particular problem in living in flats or apartments. Land use in this island is important and gaining more through higher density living would allow more green land for leisure.

This is true... I lived in Spain for a few years, and flats are the thing there. To live in town is a sign of affluence, to live in the suburbs is one of poverty. Usually works the other way round here. People live communally very peacefully over there... here a block of flats is an invitation to piss all over the stairs and mug Mrs Higgins in the lift. Sad but true....
However, i think it'll slowly change here, as space becomes less available. Whatever you do, don't move to Northumberland. It's packed up here, and there's no room for any more!

 

[Yorkshireman]

Stuart Maconie - " Pies and Prejudice" .... In search of the North... read it and all will be revealed

Indeed

 

[Yorkshireman]

Self delusion is a great thing.

So are smilies

 

[tdr1nka]

With all the new build in London I do wonder how some existing facilities such as the sewers are going to cope with the increase in population.

 

[tdr1nka]

Good for you!

I've said it enough on the forum but round my part of SE London, as soon as a road sweeper picks up a piece of litter, someone starts building there!

 

[Aperitif]

With all the new build in London I do wonder how some existing facilities such as the sewers are going to cope with the increase in poopulation.

 

[surfgurl]

The town where we live in Somerset is quite nice. We're a two minute walk from the sea in a nice town house. I'm sure if a property developer had looked at our house he would have realised he could make it into three flats.
However we are in Somerset just on the edge of the levels. Which flood. Very often. And still the developers try and get planning permission to build on the land on the edge of town.

 

[Globalti]

My brother in Michigan USA bought a house, which is built in a swamp. The builders started with the footings then the concrete walls of the basement then built a wooden stud house over it all, with tarred paper roof tiles. No wonder American houses blow away in the wind.

Then they dug a 6' pit in the muddy basement floor, lined it with concrete and led dozens of drains into it from all over the basement, then concreted the lot over. Now there's a huge sump pump in the pit, which comes on 2 - 3 times a day to suck out all the water.

Which is fine until they get a big storm and all the power goes off. Last month after bailing 24 buckets of water my brother rushed to the hardware store and bought a 5.5 kva genset, which he dragged into the garage and rigged up to the pump. The pump came on and drained the cellar. Next day he came home from work and realised he'd forgotten to re-connect the pump to the mains and the cellar was flooded a foot deep. Hey ho!

 

[summerdays]

My parents live in a 1960's semi, and apparently developers have offered double the value of the house (and 3 others) as currently they have large backgardens and postage stamp front gardens. I have no idea how many flats they are intending to cram onto the plot if all the owners decide to sell. They have lived there ever since they moved to England, I'm not sure whether they would sell.

 

[asterix]

Confession to make.

Despite my gung-ho OP, I thought better of it and actually threw in an objection to the build.

Now that's what Queen Maggie would call a U-turn

 

[Fab Foodie]

We live in a nearly 20 y/o 4 bed detached that as RR correctly describes has no room to swing a gerbil, let alone a cat. But, it's the smallest house in a very nice area. In the next street there is a larger 5 bed house with a double garage, the chavvy owner has put in planning permission to demolish his double garage and replace it with a 3 bed house! So far it's been turned-down. But if such a scheme ever went ahead it would be a nasty precedent.

On Cumnor hill (Oxford) there are many sizeable houses on good-sized plots. Slowly these are being sold to developers for flats and "executive housing". Somehow it sems wrong to increase the population density in an area where the infrastructure is not designed to take it. There should be a law against destroying former housing arrangements.

 

[Fnaar]

According to my house deeds, I have permission to dry any fish I may catch in my neighbour's back garden!

 

[sheddy]

I don't think that the infrastruture in the South East can take it.
When is the next hosepipe ban ?