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..?

I've lived in London since 1992 and I love it, but agree that it is not the city it was. There is plenty that is cheap and free, but the affordability of decent housing is now a really significant problem and is rapidly worsening. I earn a decent salary, but I still rent and have no hope of owning my own home.

I've also really noticed an economic/race/ethnicity divide in the last few years: certain ethnic groups doing certain jobs. I work in central London and it's very noticeable to me. It's not the melting pot it once was, it seems.

Not if you don't want to Tinks, but I just don't really follow your argument.
Anyway there are MILLIIONS of Londoners!

I live in east London and there is a huge sense of community here. Many classes, cultures, religions: I love the diversity. For me, it is better than the monotone suburbia that I grew up in (abroad).

Horses for courses though.

I think where we live has become super expensive. We moved in about 7 years ago. I've seen the local school rapidly become outstanding and the community facilities improve dramatically. There's feels like there are less 'no-go' zones here now, but you certainly can't doubt the strong social deprivation that exists.

In London?

You don't follow my train of thought because you dont want to.

There is now a sense of "community" for the upwardly mobile, of course there is.

The working class however are being forced to leave.

You live in London, you're a Londoner.

I dont know many cultures that feel that way. I think it works, if you're born there then thats what you are.

I fucking love London. Born and bred w12, now a north londoner. I love it enough to make up for you lot who don't, so there's nothing to worry about.

Im not saying I dont love london, of course I do, I was born here. Im saying I dont like the way its being "shaped".

I lived in London in the early 2000s, now live in Paris.

I look at property prices (for renting and buying) in London and despair...but I do still think that in terms of culture, amenities, nationalities, atmosphere, food, shops it is way more diverse than Paris.

Unfortunately I also wonder how long that can last as long as it continues to cost such ridiculous amounts to live there. I suppose a lot of people will still commute into London to work, but just live in the outer suburbs? And London 'proper' will end up being very upper-middle class in terms of income. At the moment there are still people living there on normal incomes who just bought when prices were still reasonable though.

I have lived in London since 1972. I love it, it is home. I still live in the same area of West London. I meet people in the shops, park, pub's who I went to school with. My kids go to my old school...

My parents and siblings have moved out. If ever DH starts talking about where shall we live when we retire, it is always London for me. Why would I go anywhere else when I live in one of the best cities in the world?

I still love it too, but have concerns about how it's shaping up. The unexpected aspects of it are still fab (it's got much more green space than you'd expect, for example).

GerundTheBehemoth that is very interesting, I didn't know you could get common seals in the Thames too, I thought it was only grey.

Has anyone ever seen an otter in the Thames?

Well I like london and being a Londoner. I live in the "burbs" I.e. Zone 4 have great schools and parks, my mum and brother round the corner, bbqs with my neighbours and it's great. I work in zone one, so see the city life and do as much of it as I want and go home. I live in an area of great ethnic diversity, and it is getting more so. It feels safer and cleaner and the tube service is much better than when I first started commuting in 1995. Don't like it, don't stay! Everyone happy

Cities always change and evolve though. Sometimes for the better, think of Liverpool and the way it has regenerated since the 1980s, and sometimes for the worse, like some of our seaside towns that have faded and deteriorated.

Bristol is the new Old London now....artsy, bit quirky, independent stalls and retailers, pricey but stunning property and a lot more green space than you would imagine.

YANBU We moved last year from edge of zone 1 to zone 4 because gentrification was pushing house prices up outrageously. We owned an ex LA maisonette on a giant council estate and developers built a new set of flats in the middle of said giant council estate. Prices started at 1.5m. To live on a council estate! craziness. So we went to Chingford where we could just afford a house before prices shot up here. There are many others like us around this area and walthamstow... So who's actually still living in our old areas??

Hilarious that some people say if you don't like it then leave as if it's as easy as walking into a Starbucks and ordering a coffee. Leave our jobs, friends, family. Our lives. Move to another part of the country where there may not be any decent jobs or we may not know anyone there.

Yes, because life is simple like that, isn't it

GerundTheBehemoth that is very interesting, I didn't know you could get common seals in the Thames too, I thought it was only grey.

Has anyone ever seen an otter in the Thames?

Gosh you are so very funny.

I love my patch of London - zone 3, heaps of parks and green space, know lots of people locally especially since having kids and getting involved with community stuff (but I DID know my neighbours before I had kids!)

But I don't feel at ease in central London any more: transport gets worse and worse and prices go up and up. The trains into town around our area at the moment are currently turning into a farce - we aren't affected as DH works from home and I work locally, but anyone commuting from our area is having a hell of a horrible time right now, and paying more and more for the privilege.

It definitely feels more homogenised and less independent than it used to - not just Starbucks, but same chain stores everywhere. The likes of Covent Garden were always tourist traps, sure, but there were still independent and unique shops there. Now it's just the Apple store and designer shops.

I love where i live but it's MY local patch I love and feel attached to. I don't feel like a Londoner any more, and I did live in zone 1 for years, I used to feel like a proper townie. DH definitely wants to stay in London though, so we're here for the duration I think.

Totally agree with Southeastdweller's post.

Walk in my shoes (or even snap a heel off your Jimmy Choo's) and you may get a glimmer of what really goes on.

Transport in London is cheapy cheap! I remember in the early 00s a daily tube pass was about £6. 15 years on and an oyster does it for £2.50 or something

I think yabu . I managed to buy in London by buying ex local authority housing . I live in the suburbs now but can get a 20 min fast train to the centre . I appreciate I am lucky but I don't live in a particularly chi chi area - but it's in a nicer borough.

I am so so grateful to live here and I love the lack of a mono culture.

And there remain many areas which are affordable but I think for middle class families that want a naice Victorian terrace and a naice little school with primarily white mc kids - yeah they have to move out I guess as the houses are ridiculous prices

So I agree on the housing but everything else is great

There are otters in the upper Thames, though I only know of one confirmed recent record from central London.

You moved out though didnt you from? We are talking still living in London and whats happening.