To hate what's happening to London?

[AWholeLottaNosy]

I moved to London in 1989, it was a great place, full of interesting, arty people, lots of cheap things to do, festivals, clubs, shops, museums. I loved the quirky nature of so many different areas, Camden market, Soho, Notting Hill market at the weekend, the urban grittiness of places like Brixton, Hackney etc. however I can't afford to live in London anymore and feel so sad that all these great places are slowly and surely just becoming one homogenised mass of chain stores, 'luxury flats', unaffordable to most Londoners and the things that made London a great place to live in, shops, markets, clubs, music venues, diversity etc are just vanishing. Boris Johnson obviously not only doesn't give a shit but is actively encouraging this, especially the building of flats just to be bought ( and not even lived in) by foreign investors.

I guess this can't be stopped but I do feel sad about it and wondered how other Londoners felt about it..?

Where do you live now?

I lived in London 88-04 and yes it was a brilliant chaotic place. Don't go back much now and don't care for it. Will just have to live with the memories...

the things that made London a great place to live in, shops, markets, clubs, music venues, diversity etc are just vanishing

Really? If anything, those things are are increasing!

The luxury flats aren't even luxury, just expensive. There is no such thing as a proper East End boozer. Pie and mash shops are relocating to Essex. People don't know what a wally is. Fings ain't what they used to be.

Erm, I like the fact that previous no go areas are now pleasant. Parts of nothing hill and ladbroke grove were stabbing and drug dealing Central before. Can't comment on other areas so much.

I couldn't agree more. People watching was fascinating as you had real characters. Now everybody and every place looks the same. Every road has a macdonalds, starbucks and tesco express. It's boring and I never thought I'd say that.

Ive lived in London all my life and I will say this.

Given another 50 years it will be a place for the "elite" and their minions.

I have never seen such a class divide as is happening now.

London is still the brilliant place it always has been. That is why people are so keen to live here.

I love living in London. I agree there is a serious problem about housing though. I would like to see rent caps, and limits on what proportion of housing can be bought buy to let or as investments.

Your "average" person cannot afford to live here.

There are very few Londoners in London and very little of old London. Only the super rich foreigners live there. Normal working class people don't.

I do think you raise some good points. London is one of the best cities in the world but you need a decent disposable income to make living here truly worthwhile. Living in a nice (read: expensive) area also helps.

I'm trying to leave at the moment but the job market here is so much buoyant here than elsewhere

I agree about the 'luxury flats' that are not even 'luxury'!
I agree about the chain stores in wrong places. When i first saw the starbucks branch right in camden lock my heart sunk lol.

I don't get the diversity thing that i keep reading here. There is still diversity, there is even more no?

Yanbu. I share your feelings 100% and am desperately sad and angry about it.

I am a born and brought up Londoner. Can live here because we always have but life is expensive. However there is still a lot you can do for free or very little and it is so very full of life. I love the markets, the museums, the parks and there is always something to go and look at.

I am aware we are lucky but also that 'affordability' is a very elastic thing. We don't go out, I shop at Lidl and all our things are second hand. We are prepared to do this because living here makes up for other stuff.

I can stay here due to being in a housing trust property and luckily my friends are too. Our children will never be able to though

But I am perfectly average, and have bought a home here (single parent £24 000) It is in a block, on a council estate, but I can't imagine anywhere nicer to live. Lovely surroundings, nice neighbours, cheap transport, so much in London is exciting and fun and free!

They are definitely trying to 'cleanse' London of the poor in my opinion.....
Especially so in East London, where they used the olympics as a brilliant excuse to remove some of the 'undesirables'

I agree with idiuntno57.

You just wait until the block needs tarting up Caroniam, what will you do when you are slapped with a bill that runs into £1,000's?

I work in East London, and I assure you that there are plenty of poor people there!

You don't go out? Why bother living in London then??

I'm a Londoner and live in London. I love it and three decades in there's still much more to see! I disagree about chains taking over the capital. There are loads of independent places, more so than ever. Camden lock is horrid though so the tourists are welcome to starbucks!

Medium to long term I don't know where we will live. The new two bed flats are £500k and we can't afford it.

just wondering who are the 'they' cleansing the poor.

It is expensive to live here because demand outstrips supply and there are no mechanisms for controlling these market forces. Capitalism innit

Kings Cross was gritty but interesting. You didn't need a television. There was a man who used to hoover his front doorstep and his part of the pavement. The chap who always dressed in white and locked himself out every night then spend ages talking to somebody in his or another flat from the street. There was a squat with loud music and people talking always but nobody came in or went out.

The block is in perfectly good repair, Tinks.