Londoners have absolutely decimated my city

[CrushedOrange]

NC as really outing.
I'm a musician and over the years I have seen what was a steady stream of londoners turn into a flood this year.
I'm so gutted. I know everybody has the right to live here but it has pushed so many of my friends out, artists and other musicians. It pisses me off that the whole reason these londoners moved here, they are also destroying.
I'm lucky as my landlord is really decent and hasn't put my rent up in years, so I can afford to stay here. But now I'm considering just leaving because of the vibe factor. It makes me really sad. I still gig a few times a week but the crowd is different. I miss my community, but now everybody is scattered as everyone who was pushed out has gone to different places.
I'm considering just jumping ship and moving on myself but I don't know where to go.
Today some more londoners moved into the street...The whole street is full of scaffolding as they seem to really love doing home improvements 😅
I know I sound really bitter. I guess I am. I don't know whether to stay or go, and of I go, where to?

Sheffield is great if you are seriously thinking of moving.

You can't have spent much time in Hastings. It has a great community spirit and absolutely tons to do! Especially music related stuff. Shaking my head...

No worries!

I'm pretty sure theres a generation of people who were in Brighton before you and your friends who weren't keen on how you all changed their city too.
Places are always changing, everywhere and when you and your friends go elsewhere for the vibe, you will be changing that area too.
Nowhere stays the same always.

There are no Londoners in London.

Er I am.

Your OP and this really resonate @CrushedOrange

I don’t live in Brighton, but in a place that many people have moved into from London and affluent SE England since the first lockdown. They move for the vibe, but they don’t contribute to it and they are pricing out the people who do. I am also thinking of moving….

So if the defensive among you have moved to a new place for its vibe in the last few years, I’d implore you to get involved and make the effort. Invest your time in community activities, donate. It won’t stop you pricing people out of housing but it will help preserve the culture everyone values.

I'm one.

Or alternatively, everyone in London is a Londoner, and all are welcome here.

Am I becoming an amiable (hopefully) pedant as well? Because that was the first thing I thought, and then someone lower down in comments said that London itself had been decimated and I was thinking, “That’s a LOT of killing that I missed.”

Really? I’m a Londoner. I moved to a tiny Welsh village. I’ve never encountered anything like that. We just settled into the village quietly and our children both attend the local Welsh education. We bought a property that had been empty for over a year and was completely run down. We are doing it up because it needed it.

Im perfectly able to cope with brutal winters and storms with the power cuts and our village getting cut off. Being born and living in London didn’t suddenly make me an incapable person or likely to moan about silly things. Tbh I’ve encountered more sniping and council reports in the village than in all my years in London, still love it here though. I think people are just more bothered about how things impact the village than they are how they impact a rented London property.

And what do you reckon the people in Sheffield or Birmingham are going to think about a southerner coming and driving up housing prices and killing the vibe of their city?

Your frustration is misplaced OP, we’re all just trying to live best we can in difficult circumstances.

Yep. That’s been my impression of London. Moved here age 18 and felt welcome and never left. It’s brilliant.

Oh I’m a person like you too…although probably naturalised now.

My parents moved us down here from East Croydon when I was 3.5yo 😂

They sound like a “nice” bunch 😳

OP, don't move to Bristol. It's full up and rents are the same as London - that's if you can find anything.

Brighton was a run down fishing village which was built on being a bolt hole for rich Londoners from the Prince Regent onwards.

Sorry, no sympathy from this Londoner.

Out of interest where do you live? And I understand, where I grew up average wage earners could buy houses there, but now you have to be a banker from London, one primary school has actually shut as there are not enough young families anymore, lots of Bouji cafes set up now too, I like those but yep vibe totally different! No more teachers, nurses,shop assistants living there now. It feels so artificial

I can’t imagine ever having the arrogance confidence to think that I could move to a town and liven it up! 🤣

People did this to London first. They moved in and priced out all the locals and built huge luxury flats that are empty most of the time. See One Hyde Park. And Londoners who could no longer afford their home city received scant sympathy.

Limited sympathy, I'm afraid. It's shit but it's hardly an isolated problem. People go where they can afford a good standard of living. Sometimes it's not where they were born. Sometimes it's nowhere. 'Tis the state of the country. If you vote for elitist charletans, that's what you get. And there's no right to buy a house where you grew up.

Spot on and why I moved to Wales Bristol is crazy and it will now be filled wth new student accommodation pushing residents out. It's a real shame

NC as really outing

Pretentious artsy musician from Brighton. Must be the only one

I agree with everyone saying we need to shake up the whole system so that people who buy second homes (for occasional use, and I include AirB&Bs in that) are shot are stopped.

Fancy a second home by the sea? Buy a bloody caravan.

Houses should be homes, not cash cows.

You don’t need two chairs if you only have one arsehole.

I agree. House across the road just sold as a holiday home - That means either they are going to visit for a few weeks over the summer or they’ll rent it out as air B&B

Bringing in people who under cut the hotels, campsites and the like and add nothing to the economy.

Shouldn’t be allowed.

Not even an arm chair and a dining chair?