To be sick of hearing about 'the housing crisis'?

[GoldfinchFeather]

This is related to the thread about Angela Rayner wanting to build 1.5 million new homes. Is anyone else sick to the back teeth of hearing about the supposed housing crisis in this country?

I live in a semi-rural area, and the amount of house building around here over the last few years has been crazy. Hundreds of houses appearing on pretty much any vacant piece of land, turning what was once a small village into something that feels closer to a town in size. Roads getting busier and busier, and and all the while nothing has been done to provide any new facilities like doctors or schools.

I understand people's frustration of not being able to buy a home. But surely just concreting over more and more of the countryside is completely unsustainable?

If the housing crisis is really so bad, why isn't the Government taking more of an innovative approach? How many town centres/high streets have empty shops that could be converted to residential use? Or properties that have stood empty for years and haven't been brought back to market? Surely just through that, there would be an enormous surplus of homes available, and less need to concrete over more and more of the countryside?

@BourbonsAreOverated my father in law at 85 has bought a bungalow- 3 beds, plenty of space but only a small garden round side and back - he actually only wanted a small garden -

I also think more blocks of well built 2 storey only flat blocks ( not just for over 55s) with ground floor garden or at least a patio would help with non stupid level service charges! At the moment in many areas there is little to downsize too unless you are happy to pay McCarthy stone type prices and service charges!

The world has changed a lot since the 1970s.. housing has become an asset class and the relative low price of food, consumer goods like fridges and phones and holidays mean that there is more available income to spend on shelter. Even in countries that build a lot of government housing like Singapore (85% of all housing), housing as a percentage of income has increased (in Singapore it's also due to rising incomes; our incomes haven't risen here for most jobs but they still have risen for the top 10% of earners, many of whom have delayed childbearing meaning more money to spend on housing since there are only so many days in the year you can go on holiday and so many times you can replace your iphone).

So mediocre housing wouldn't be affordable in relative terms. It would still be pretty expensive by historic standards but if the standards haven't changed since 1970s, then that is worse.

Is this sarcasm? Plenty of people have died of mould. Black mould is a known danger. No idea why I'm even commenting you must be joking surely

Well it is a crisis - it's just not for you because you have a home. Duh.

True. So how are you asserting we’re “full”. Just interested what you’re basing that on

Well they need to build to the brims to house for the numbers of people coming in. However, the problem is the numbers coming in once being processed won’t be able to afford to buy. Therefore, straight to social housing. I suspect a new wave of hideous buildings as AR said beauty is subjective so she will built massively and upwards. So dear God help us all. It is now not just the nimby types. All of us.

Watched a programme on modern prefab homes which were timber built. You need land and a concrete slab. Services pre installed in the road. I think they were German made. Was amazing watching them go up so fast. Somewhere in Wales has created 90 homes like this. Villagers not impressed but the council say it's temporary housing.

Sons school went to Roumania charity trip to deliver school equipment. The families were living in containers like the ones you see used for shipping.

Yes. Perfect for small families, singles, couples or downsizers.
People are put off and scared by ground rent, it puts people off flats.

"Llantwit Major refugee homes branded an eyesore by nearby residents - BBC News" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn012e2ylk1o

Ah the fruit picking again. Which is mostly live in work on site. You do know that when ppl rent social housing they are actually supossed to live in it right? And that there are rules about how much time you can live away.
Because i live in social housing i have to have checks and surveys done which means i have to be here to let them in. Gas safety checks Electrical check. Visits from housing officer. Isolater fitted (this was with no notice) And our estate is currently getting its THIRD set of new fire resistant front doors Mine is being done next week so the door to my actual flat (not the communal door) will be taken off its hinges and replaced.

When ppl keep having a go that "Brits wont fruit pick" we know damn well its not those that live in a naice house in Chiswick that they are aiming this at. Its the people on low incomes who live in SH who have to do as the housing association tells them.
And yet the SAME nosy parkers would be the first to report if a flat was standing empty for a while saying that the flat must have been abandoned.

You want them to be able to live away fruit picking? Then start demanding more rights for SH tenants.
Ah but we all know that wont happen because that would mean tenants would get the right to live away for any reason.
Which would create even more jealousy and comments about "free" homes.
Cant have it both ways.

So, just because I am (admittedly) fortunate, I'm not allowed to have an opinion or object to the continued destruction of our countryside, then? That's not how it works...

And for everyone commenting similar - I'm going to take a guess you've lived exclusively in big towns or cities, so are completely oblivious to the extent of house building going on in rural areas - or the affect it is having on those areas.

But hey, maybe when the entirety of the countryside has been concreted over and every small village or town has been turned into Manchester, you'll feel more at home...

It’s not about whether you’re allowed an opinion—it’s about whether your opinion holds up to scrutiny.

Saying people should just live above shops as ‘affordable housing’ completely ignores the scale of the housing crisis. The idea that it ‘isn’t real’ doesn’t change the fact that house prices and rents have far outpaced wages for years, homeownership is slipping out of reach for many, and social housing waiting lists are longer than ever.

Yes, brownfield sites and repurposing existing buildings should be part of the solution, but they aren’t enough on their own—especially in rural areas where the demand is for family homes, not cramped flats above a corner shop.

And, again, let’s not pretend your home wasn’t once a development someone objected to. The issue isn’t that people want houses; it’s that they don’t want them near them. That’s not environmentalism, that’s ‘I’ve got mine, so tough luck to everyone else.’

If you have a real solution to housing shortages, let’s hear it. But pretending there isn’t a crisis just because it doesn’t affect you isn’t a solution - it's denial.

I agree with the OP.

And would much rather we do something about our growing population than further destroy the countryside. I mean strictly limiting immigration rather than topping old people.

I’d rather something was done about greedy landlords hoovering up affordable property and charging ridiculous amounts for shitty accommodation.

Actually Awaabs law exist SPECIFICALLY because the proved the DIRECT cause of an innocent 2 year olds death was the black mold from damp the landlord repeatedly refused to fix. That is just the major named victim but there has been loads more.

As someone who has been homeless and actively choose that over the appalling state of the homeless hostels which where far more dangerous than the street you are ignorant and talking out your privileged ass.

Homelessness is due to lack of suitable housing not lack of slums.

Most new homes are built in urban areas. Perhaps you're oblivious to what life in urban areas is like as well. I'm sure you know that big towns and cities don't become big towns and cities by spawning overnight....

@GoldfinchFeather taking our area as an example, I've actually seen relatively little going on in truly rural areas although we do have some round here on the peripheries of Frome , corsham and Chippenham - it seems more like expansion on small towns or mid sized towns but in all fairness you can get very nicely 'proper rural ' within 5 to 10 minutes of these places. .

I think the biggest concern for me is less about access to countryside in areas around here and more about whether appropriate extra facilities are built in, extra schools, a local shop at least, maybe a pub/bar on doorstep , GP practice etc and an extra road 'in and out' servicing developments over a certain size.

You weren't quoting me and I haven't aserted anything.

However the people who keep saying "only 11% is built on" is also a shite statement, which was my point I just added.

In my area of London loads of office blocks have been/are being converted. They are not great, poor insulation and sound proofing.
There still isn't enough homes...
You're just a NIMBY

You must be in quite a special place if the countryside looks nice about you. I overlook fields and the farming is ramshackle and I could think of some far better uses for the land.

I think we are shocked at the prospect of building on greenbelt because we are worried we'll get more of the same old shit that has come before. Hilariously the link above to the refugee prefabs makes them look nicer than the neighbouring estates. With a bit more imagination and planting we could blend these in.

I live close to an old village that has been expanded. There's not much that remains of the picturesque part of the village. The village has been trashed through poor design and sprawl. It isn't sustainable as it is, it's a weird urban island dumped in the desert where about 80% of the inhabitants travel 10 miles or so elsewhere to do their local shopping or pretty much anything else.

Moving agricultural farming back into towns makes quite a bit of sense so even a hybrid housing / farming approach could be an interesting avenue.

We don't have a housing crisis. We have an affordable/ social housing crisis
I have not seen anything that convinces me that this actual need is going to be met.
Until then, I can't support the rhetoric

You propose that because this type of thing is the hell people lived through historically it should never get better.

Speaking of Singapore - government housing. They do something I admire.

They force mix ethnicities in the housing blocks to represent the actual mix in country - I’m sure for selfish political reasons. But it’s a smart way to force integration of everyone. There’s no ghettos of a particular culture group,

They also let people use their government pension to buy a property as an investment. They also force people to have medical care savings, pension etc. No welfare / benefits like in UK. Culturally people look after selves and family.

I've already said my solutions, in the opening post and thread.

Repurposing shops/town centres & under used industrial estates - the Government's job is not to provide houses exclusively in "nice areas", it's just to provide homes. And I'm sure if people have the choice of that and no home at all, they'd be glad of it. It's not practical to provide everyone with a new semi-detached house in the suburbs.

Ramp up building on brownfield sites extensively - see earlier post about how many houses this could account for from a CPRE study.

Clamp down on Airbnbs/holiday homes/second homes. In addition, the government should reclaim any property that has been standing empty for over a year, and bring it back to market.

This alone would provide MILLIONS of homes, and, if this crisis is as bad as people claim, surely that can only be a good thing? Providing homes is the objective, their location is of secondary concern.

Building in greenbelt or rural areas only when there is proven exceptional need. Forward-thinking approach to planning, not just plonking hundreds of thousands of new homes without prior consideration to infrastructure and amenities. Really, before any big new build, that should be the first step.

My son has just been charged a fortune for a moldy room in a mold riddled house.Landlord just threw machines in that didn’t work and sent people in to drench the walls of the room he was sleeping in with chemicals. The boiler didn’t work on move in day and they had to put up with no heating, hot water or washing machine intermittently during winter. I firmly believe there should be a name and shame landlord/ property site. Hysterically said landlord is trying to withhold the deposit for blu tax marks my son never did( I suspect to fund the improvements he should have done before putting the propertyon the market)I for one will be letting other parents know to avoid said property via the uni FB group. It breaks my heart to think of children growing up in such horrible conditions long term. The least we should do is make good quality housing mandatory for everybody
and stop shitty landlords from being able to rent out property.