Earl Aelfheah

Crime hasn't gone up, but I do miss the horses none the less.

West Dulwich! Get out!

... that said, I do quite like her personality.

Who says politics has just become about personalities?

...or how about an indefinite restriction on reselling new council housing... or barring that, how about we just stop selling the few existing council houses at well below half the market value. Jeremy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Well yeah obviously... so how about city hall > building homes directly? Perhaps with a five year > restriction on resale and renting.

Interesting post ????s - must admit, i had never really thought about national pay bargaining in that way.

It's not all about planning laws - there must be an element of builders pursing a low volume, high margin strategy. ???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The market would sort it out - planning laws are > what are stopping family homes been built in areas > where they are needed as much as anything else.

I would kind of like our local MP to live in the area.

Does she live locally?

I'm not sure anyone is claiming to be expert, but we are exchanging opinions on a public forum.

70% of new build homes snapped up by investors: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-2394704/Foreign-investors-snap-70-new-build-homes-central-London.html Billionaires row scandal: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/02/tories-taxing-poor-ignoring-billionaires-row-scandal-labour

... or by a hike in interest rates... or another banking crisis brought on by 5% deposit mortgages and the like. Personally, I don't by the lack of supply argument. 70% of new builds in London are snapped up by investors and I'm sure a large number of them are overseas. So how many would you need to build for it to have an impact on the residential market? It's not like there are fewer properties than people - far from it, in prime London there are a lot of empty properties. Until government pursue policies which discourage international speculation in the 'property investment market', then prices will be all over the place and bear no relation to local wages or housing need.

rahrahrah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is interesting: > http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/feb/02/lo > ndon-property-market-bubble-cool-down-ey-item-club "....Arguably it would be more appropriate to treat it [London] as an investment market, rather than a residential market."

What's really irksome is that investor's get tax breaks. hpsaucey Wrote: > Spot on, but makes me so mad! We - eventually - > raked up enough to buy a shared ownership property > last year. It's our HOME and I wake up grateful > for it every single day. All we ever wanted was > somewhere to live. I know there are 'logical' > reasons for people buying as an investment, but > when people who want a property just to bloody > live in are priced out by those looking for > immediate investment/profit it sucks quite > frankly. > > H

This is interesting: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/feb/02/london-property-market-bubble-cool-down-ey-item-club

If you look at asking prices vs actual sold prices, there does seem to be a big inconsistency. There is of course a lag in terms of published sold prices and current asking prices which may account for some of this (assuming prices have actually soared over a period of just a couple of months), but I suspect that asking prices are pretty optimistic in some instances.

you can get motion sensitive, alarmed padlocks (and they're not as expensive as you may think. I used to use one to secure the bike cover at the bottom with. Any attempt to move the cover would set it off.

Agree re. all the psuedo military vehicles. My road looks like helmand province. We used to laugh at the Americans all driving ludicrous oversized tanks. tallulah71 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What SJ and Ron70 said. > > Lots of young families moving here, breeding, and > needing education and that. I can't think of a > better use of space. > > What we really don't need are those idiots who > drive 4x4 cars so no-one can ever pass them. > Please buy smaller cars and get over yourselves - > We know you're rich, but you really do block most > of East Dulwich. And the world. ;) > > And east dulwich is fairly flat. You're not having > an "adventure" in your 4x4. You are just causing > traffic.

That little stretch of LL is becoming a right little food and drink hub. Just need Thomas Moore Hall to become a cinema and it'll be amazing.

Great news. James - What's the likelihood of also getting a new coed secondary school in the area (I think there was talk about the hospital site at one point)? Thanks

The waiting lists are pretty long (some up to 4 years). There are quite a few in the surrounding area though, so worth phoning round and seeing what's what.

I didn't mean to criticise anyone taking up these schemes - it makes sense from an individual's point of view to do what they can to get on the ladder. I just despair at the whole narrative around house prices. The fact that papers report increasing prices as 'good news'. Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > rahrahrah Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > It's completely cynical IMO. > > > > Tend to agree. I certainly am under no illusion > that the gov are doing this to help the likes of > me. But it's the only option open to us so we just > have to go for it and hope that we get a better > deal (or at least not a worse deal) next time.

I actually don't think you can blame the banks really. I mean, lending to people who you know are likely to default is not the most ethical thing and is (as I said) pretty cynical, but them their duty is primarily to their shareholders. It's not *entirely* the fault of government either, as they know that even if it would be in the general long term good to put measures in place to bring house prices down, it would be political suicide. Fundamentally, it's the fault of the many home owners who get excited about the ever increasing list value of their home, base their feelings of security and well being on it and use it to judge the success of government.

The banks are perfectly happy to lend to individuals that can't afford it, because should they default the banks still get their money back, with interest. With a deposit put down, prices rising and a taxpayer guarantee to boot, they can't lose. If they can squeeze a good rate of interest up to the point that the inevitable does happen then all the better (from their point of view). The banks and the government are complicit in this crazy 'help to buy' scheme because it's a vote winner with those already on the ladder (who tend to be the demographic most likely to go to vote), who like seeing the price of their house going up on paper. It's completely cynical IMO. Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > That's what we'll be paying. For two years... > > Funny how the people that are "high risk" are the > ones they make life most difficult for. And surely > the whole point of the government guaranteeing 15% > is we default is to take the risk away from the > banks, so we should be treated like everyone else, > but instead we just have to bend over and let them > roger us, because they can, and we don't have any > other option other than to keep paying low rent > for a dump or stupid rent for somewhere half > decent. > > > > I know it's cheap and simplistic and left wing to > have a go at the banks, but they are a bunch of > theiving @#$%&!

Sounds like a great idea. Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I reckon if Youngs took the site on and had the > team behind Dulwich Wood House going in to sort it > out as some sort of 'sister' pub/dining > experience, they could promote walks through the > woods connecting the two establishments I can't > think of anything better than a nice summers day > walk between the two places for a beer or even in > winter a nice open log fire in both. Foresight is > needed with this one. Come on Dulwich Estate put > those thinking caps on please. > > Louisa.