Journalist seeks empty home for newspaper project

[Susbo]

Hi there,

I'm a journalist based in Dulwich. I'm looking into a story for The Guardian about empty homes, which will involve profiling a particular house. I want to tell its history and report on its current emptiness in a way that sheds light on the broader issue.

Let me know if you're aware of a potentially suitable empty home near you. I'd love to hear about it.

Kind regards,

Simon Usborne

susborne.com

[Susbo]

PS I should add, "empty" means at least the past six months, ideally. And by all means email me using the address at my website if you prefer.

[EDmummy]

6 new houses built well over a year ago in the development on the corner of Crystal Palace Road and Upland Rd. They took several years to build, caused a great deal of local disruption and now lay empty! Each are 4 bed homes and at least a few have been bought but remain empty. Makes my blood boil.

[ianr]

> I want to tell its history and report on its current

> emptiness in a way that sheds light on the broader issue.

How informative of the broader issue can the story of any single house be; however interesting, telling or instructive?

[Susbo]

Very!

[Abe_froeman]

sorry, posted a response to the wrong thread!

[ianr]

>> How informative of the broader issue can the story of any single

>> house be; however interesting, telling or instructive?

> Very!

That does sound alarmingly self-confident.

[intexasatthe moment]

If you don't respect yourself no one else will .

[Burbage]

ianr Wrote:

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> How informative of the broader issue can the story

> of any single house be; however interesting,

> telling or instructive?

You don't know till you've looked. But there's a finite number of types of problem (practical, financial, legal/regulatory or personal) that can affect any one development, and so any one is likely to represent a decent chunk of the whole.

[TE44]

https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/housing-crisis-weve-got-four-empty-council-homes-street/

Here is an article from Sept, whether these houses are still empty I cannot say. Are you looking for a house in a particular area? Are you looking at council houses or private?

[TE44]

Hi Simon, I know you asked about empty homes but are you aware of thread ined issues section regarding the disabled man who has been living outside The empty Harvester on Lordship Lane. This is a situation

many local people feel helpless after a certain point.

The fact this man seems to have been evicted from the garden, regardless of it actually not against the law for him to squat inside the building. Does your project have movement to connect and include local people as i believe there area group of local people looking at this empty building, with a mention of people who have been camped in the grounds. Good luck.

[civilservant]

EDmummy Wrote:

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> 6 new houses built well over a year ago in the development on the corner of Crystal Palace Road

> and Upland Rd. They took several years to build, caused a great deal of local disruption and now

> lay empty! Each are 4 bed homes and at least a few have been bought but remain empty. Makes my blood

> boil.

just seen this thread, hence delayed post

these houses are still empty, 2 years after completion.

absolutely no takers even though i hear the price has been reduced from 1.5 mill to 1.2 mill, and this in spite of housing demand in ED outstripping supply

the developers' company is registered off-shore, so no idea who they are. Southwark council gave strong support to them to bulldoze through neighbours' objections and build a hideous four-storey terrace with no car-parking or gardens.

[Susbo]

Interesting. I did that story outside Dulwich in the end (Elephant and Castle) but will keep an eye on this (I've noticed the houses myself). Appears to be Dulwich Holdings Ltd, which has a named officer (Nicholas Weston) and a registered address at an accountant's in Upper Norwood

[Abe_froeman]

All 4 of those houses on Upland Road are still listed for sale as new builds

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/new-homes/property/london/upland-road-se22/?category=residential&include_auctions=true&new_homes=only&q=upland%20road&results_sort=newest_listings&search_source=new-homes

[civilservant]

Susbo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Appears to be Dulwich Holdings Ltd, which has a named officer (Nicholas Weston) and a registered address

> at an accountant's in Upper Norwood

only since March 2018. company was offshore before then.

ETA i see you wrote about Hayles Street - i used to live around the corner from there. A different set of issues

the video of Come On Eileen, shot on the corner of Hayles Street and Brook Drive, gives an idea of what it used to be like

[DuncanW]

The same Nick Weston who used to own a restaurant where GBK is now on Lordship Lane??

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,10466

[civilservant]

interesting

so a Labour-led council rode roughshod over neighbours' objections to help a dodgy geezer and his offshore friends build some houses which remain unsold more than three years on, while property all around them is changing hands overnight in a sellers' market