Brexit just keeps on giving

[Leftinlimbo]

This is not progress - now the government is going to relax the laws allowing housing to be built near our waterways without any concern for the environment:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66642878

Well, where do you suggest the extra 300,000 new residents are going to live? In your back garden?

Building on a flood plain is never a great plan.

In the 6 million spare bedrooms owned by the over 60s. Perhaps they could… I don’t know… downsize and let families live in family homes?! Mad. I know!

Here we go again... 🙄

oh there's the ageism. Does it have to be in every flippin' thread?

In shit, by the looks of it. Which I suppose will lead to more deaths, so does that help?

YANBU OP. Every day gov sink to new depths.

No, not mad, fucking offensive actually. Who the hell are you to throw me (& other over 60s) out of our homes.

Ah you mean buy up all those starter flats that all the young single/childless couples would quite like? Yeah I'm sure no one will be annoyed about that! Especially not the families who use the grandparents for babysitting and now granny can't have the kids overnight/any length of time as she only has a 1 bedroom flat with no garden and has lots of direct neighbours who complain about kids thumping around the tiny flat.

What a surprise - ageism on MN.

MN is getting almost as bad as the Guardian in that respect.

My local council is building social housing on brownfield sites that it either owns or purchased. I don't know where they are getting the finance but it does show there are sites to build on.
Speaking as a keen social historian Britian's housing problems are cyclical not caused by any specific demographic changes.
Thatchers sell off has definitely not helped in that the original plan which was a Labour govt idea was to build new housing with the cash from sales. Seems obvious with hindsight.

@FoodFann
You what?!? Why should they if they own their house? It's theirs to do what they want with!

close to my parents they built on a flood plain. It has worked out really really well. Oh wait. Sorry. No, it hasn't

We can build houses without poisoning our rivers

We could also house a lot more people today with the housing stock we already have

Greed is what prevents both of these things

There are around half a million empty homes, and about a million second homes. No need at all to build new ones.

I think this is a fair point.
We've got 3 choices really;

1. Build lots more housing
2. Use existing housing more efficiently
3. Accept that less babies and less migrants means significant gaps in care sector, agriculture etc.

Can't have it all ways.

Considering Britain is less than 2% built on, one would imagine that there are alternatives to building right on top of waterways.

Oi, do you mind. This is my home which we worked and paid for. One bedroom for us, one for an office (still working in my 60s, thank you very much), one a spare for visitors and a small single for extras. Why all the antipathy to the over 60s here?

In the 6 million spare bedrooms owned by the over 60s. Perhaps they could… I don’t know… downsize and let families live in family homes?! Mad. I know!

This again.

Why should they downsize. I know I won't be when both of our boys have fully left home. Not my problem to solve.

MN regularly vilifies anyone over 60.

Mumsnet can you please do something about the rampant ageism which appears in so many threads now.

"In the 6 million spare bedrooms owned by the over 60s. Perhaps they could… I don’t know… downsize and let families live in family homes?! Mad. I know!"

I'm not over 60 but am single and live in a four bedroom house. Do I get a free pass?

well put and bears repeating

Yes! Of course you do. Anyone under 60 obviously needs and uses their space efficiently. Anyone over 60-get out, you bloody aged land hoarder.