LondonMix

Nowadays these are called internal shutters (by the people who sell them). Internal shutters still reduce the heat in summer and retain the heat in winter as do curtains. ETA: X-posted with Sue

I?m sure there are a lot of Family Room users who may not be aware of the plans and would like to lend their support. This is quite an old thread that many may have stopped reading so perhaps Admin would be willing to make a Dulwich Hamlet-Bellenden Old School thread sticky at the top as they did for Harris to facilitate informing as many parents as possible of the current developments.

We used Hillary?s. As far as I can remember, everything went smoothly and we haven?t had any issues with them. Don?t know if they are the cheapest as this was 7 years ago now. Also, womanofdulwich, we?ve never had to repaint them and they still look brand new. They do need dusting but only every couple of weeks (unless you are particularly fussy) and they are easy to clean- quick wipe down with a damp cloth usually sorts in a couple of minutes. Truthfully, ours don?t get dusted as often as that as you can?t really see the dust unless you are up very close to them. I think shutters are more expensive than curtains (at least when I was last in the market for them). I can?t say if thermal curtains do as good a job as shutters at keeping out the cold but I suspect not given shutters get a better seal around the window. However, if you don?t think the style will fit with your house Sue, it might not be worth the investment as they aren?t cheap.

Actually both! Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sue Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > They keep in heat (in the Winter obviously :) > )? > > > The opposite of this. They stop the place getting > so hot in hot weather. That's why they are much > more common in hotter places, and why lots of > Europeans laugh at us rushing to fling the windows > open and let the sun in the secnd it gets above > 20?C.

Yes, to most of your questions (if you mean shutters rather than blinds). They are a good thermal insulator. Not only do the keep in the heat during winter, they also block the heat from coming in during the summer. During the heatwave, keeping the shutters closed when we weren't in the house meant it was much cooler when we came back. We had single glazing in our old place and shutters and draft proofing made a world of difference. English Heritage specifically recommends shutters for thermal insulation in conservation areas where historical windows can't be replaced with new double glazing and state that modern shutters have a similar thermal performance to double glazing when the shutters are closed. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/faq-conservation-areas/faq.pdf Curtains also do a great job though so its really a question of if you like them or not. I like both and so we have different window treatments depending on the room including unlined linen voile curtains during the summer which are a modern take on net curtains and let in lots of light. Good luck making your decision.

Saffron, everyone who is not very wealthy will be affected by the shortage of housing. My only point was that a large portion of London?s population will remain low income because of the high proportion of social housing in the capital. That certainly doesn?t mean every low-income person who wants to move or live in London will be able to, but low income workers will always be part of London?s cultural milieu. Middle income workers will have to make a choice- sacrifice increasing amounts of quality of life to live in London or move to the home counties. Depending on what London has to offer, some will stay and others will go. A lot of professionals work in London and live in the surrounding countryside already. For a long time, this wasn?t even to do solely with the cost of living. Families in much higher proportions used to leave London as a matter of course. Now- perhaps because London state schools are the best in the country?- more families want to stay in London than before. This is partly why the general nationwide shortage in school places that is a result of the recent baby-boom is even worse in London?not only are people having more kids but instead of moving to Kent they are staying put in London. If I had to guess what would happen it would probably be like New York and San Francisco: 1. Young people and singletons will live in shared apartments and much smaller apartments for longer than before?the shortage of affordable house in both San Fran and NY has led to the approval for the creation of new micro units. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sfs-micro-apartments-220-square-feet-1500-what-the-hell-180708 2. More middle income households will permanently live in apartments as residential accommodation becomes denser and denser in London in line with most big cities. In New York even the very wealthy live and raise their kids in apartments. People just take it as part of urban living. Hopefully, nicer, more spacious and family oriented apartments will be developed accordingly with better sound insulation etc. However, the need to live in a house rather than a flat seems to be really engrained in the UK. 3. More middle income workers will move to the home counties. House prices there will increase but there is also more scope to develop housing I think. The upshot will be that London will largely be comprised of those relatively well off and those who got onto the housing ladder years ago and those poor enough to qualify for social housing. What this means for jobs growth in London is hard to say. The infrastructure for commuting from the home counties to London is really good and again if NY is anything to go by, won?t necessarily put people off. Professional service firms and the like, as long as they can still recruit, will probably stay in London as there are certain synergies firms get from being near other firms in the same industry and near their clients etc. Overall, my guess is the demographic composition of London will change, housing and commuting habits will change but London isn?t going to collapse due to the shortage of housing. With that said, I do think the government?s new buy scheme is creating a mini housing bubble again!

The advice from the police is correct based on a friend's experience. It wasn't the car that was targeted if you read to OPs post but rather the house that was burgled and then the keys stolen as part of that burglary. The car was likely used as an after thought to transfer goods as another poster pointed out. A professional car thief stealing the car to order as you suggest wouldn't have bothered breaking into the house to steal other items.

Eltham, Mottingham, Abbey Wood...... StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > > Try earning a decent salary in london, and you are > early 30s. Should be thinking of setting up a > base. Say 30ish k. Where exactly is affordable?

Agree completely with all of that!

Putting aside the broader points for a moment, but when did this government cut taxes? The government temporarily raised them and then partially reduced them but taxes are still above the level they were when the current government took office.

Yeah, I've done that. Even for places I never actually got to live in :) *Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think it goes something like this. > > I like X > I like X > Property in X is getting expensive > Want a bigger house, more space > Property in X is getting expensive > Still want a bigger house, more space > X is not so great > Look at moving to Y > X is not so great > Move to Y > I hate X, it's full of knobs, glad I left. > > Psychological readjustment complete. Live happy.

Are you saying life in the country is more genteel?

Also, I care a lot what the building I use / go by look like. The built environment has been shown to have an impact on people psychologically. There is a beautiful historic building hiding there and its great that the funds have been put together for its renovation. Peckham has some great architecture and it should be celebrated.

Isn't that the truth! For eveyone its a balance between commute, ammentities, size of house, quality of schools etc etc. I doubt anyone gets everything off their wishlist. However, I think a lot of people overestimate how large a house they really need. Even my rich friends in NY happily raise their kids in condos and no one thinks anything of it. For city-folk, a lot of Londoners are much more focused on living in a house and having an enormous backyard relative to other big cities I've lived in. I think that's why most expats I speak to are always commenting on how "young" London is regarding population. Moving out to the sticks in part is cultural not just financial... Jeremy Wrote: -- > > Not everyone can afford to buy a place in the area > they'd like to live in, you make the choice which > suits you best within your budget.

Note-- less akward for all involved. Try to make a joke of it in the note (rather jealous or that sort of thing) but mention that its waking up your son. If they are even remotely reasonable people, they will be more quiet. No one likes the idea of a child hearing them have sex :)

Yeah, everyone I know who lives in Eltham sees it as a "stepping stone" :) I also think its odd people willing to take a punt on ED are less willing to do so for their next move. However, I imagine taking a punt as a young couple is different than doing so with small kids for a lot of people. Thinking about it, if I had to leave ED (after 8 years here), I'm not sure I'd be up for blazing a trail so to speak Jeremy Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > LondonMix Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > If you > > lived in Eltham, you wouldn't be experiencing > > this. > > > No, but you'd definitely want to mive! ;-)

I think all of what has been said is true- the middle is getting squeezed out of London and its becoming a city increasingly for the poor and the relatively rich. Part of the jump in the gap between flats and houses (and the trend to reconvert flats to houses) has to do with a broader trend for families to stay in London rather than leave as they used to. That is in part why the school places shortage is more acute in London than elsewhere. Where before everyone moved to the sticks, with improved schools and safety, more young families want to stay in London and enjoy city life. However, I think it?s easy to overestimate the impact of this living in ED. ED has increased in value faster than most parts of London. If you lived in Eltham, you wouldn't be experiencing this. The jump in ED is harder because families love the area so houses are at a premium and because the area's amenities have improved pushing up prices very quickly over the last couple of years. I?m also surprised lots of people seem to be choosing Beckenham over Forrest Hill etc when they are priced out of ED.

Not to be cynical but as Dulwich Hamlet is an academy, the LA has less control over it. By expanding an LA school, Southwark will maintain more control and be able to provide centralised services to the new school. I am not saying this is good or bad, just a fact.

What different choice? If the need to bulge wasn't known until after everyone submitted their application listing their preferences I can't see what difference it makes finding out about the bulge now or when you accepted the place. Given the shortage of spaces, would any parent really have given up a place in a school that they originally selected because its bulging? The consequence of this would be to have no place guaranteed and having to join waiting lists for other schools. If you feel that strongly, that option remains open to you now. The only way parents could feasibly have really made a different choice is if they were told before they applied to the school that the school may have to bulge. However, I think this is an implicit risk for any school you apply to in our area given the shortage of places and while some of the fault rests with poor planning from the LA (underestimating how many bulges would be needed), its also difficult to know with new families moving into the area, etc what will be needed. At the end of the day, you are fortunate to have a local place at a school that you selected. Talk of trying to block the creation of a bulge class through legal action is really not very community minded.

Agree DJQ. The demographic changes affecting much of London has led to widespread shortages that require bulging while more permanent solutions are undertaken. If you are concerned, it might be more useful to ask the school how you can help them manage the additional demand on school resources than trying to fight the school's and the local authorities efforts to create the needed places.

I don't really agree with this. London has more than 30% social housing. There is more demand for housing than there are houses to live in which is what is pushing up prices. This is turning London into a city for only the very rich and those poor enough to qualify to get social housing (and fortunate enough to secure it). It is middle income workers in general that are being pushed out of London as a demographic. While middle income workers and low income workers alike want to live in London in greater numbers than is possible, social housing guarantees that a sizeable portion of London's population will be low-income workers even if there are some who can't get it because of the waiting lists. DJKillaQueen Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > No the bubble won't burst, because the current > government don't want poorer, low income families > living in London, and because they are hoping > equity in property will solve the looming pensions > crisis. We are certainly heading for a dominent > rental market in London (and many areas of the > South East). >

Loft conversions typically do not need planning permission. They can be done under permitted development if the size etc meets with certain criteria.

They are just assuming you won't be able to make it, won't be interested. I remember when my friends first started to have kids, my husband and I would joke it was like they had fallen of the face of the earth. They also seemed to have made a lot of new friends that had small babies via NTC groups. If you are only now getting back into making plans with them, give it time and they'll get used to the idea of you being available to do stuff again though it will take time. There is definitely an out of sight out of mind aspect to it and figuring out how you all fit together again as people's lives change is always a bit tough. Trust me, I remember what its like to be your friends and unless they are making up reasons not to see you, nothing is wrong!

Like Carbonara said, you can't rent a place closer to a school while still having another home. They are very strict about checking up on this. I had a friend who had genuinely sold her home and moved and the school required proof from her solicitor that the other home had been sold. They also check council tax records etc. If the place they are renting is genuinely a family's primary residence, I'm not really sure the fact that they decided to rent close to a school is unreasonable but its definitely terrible that the shortage of spaces means that only those who happen to live close to a school can get in to one. Hopefully, the various plans for primary school expansion (Ivydale, the new free schools, etc) will help make this less the case.

Hamlet said "straight line from our school office on Dulwich Village to the main entrance of your home." DVI didn't say but again, I am sure they will get back to you within an hour or two of you emailing them about 2013 distance as well as location. Happy house hunting :)