In response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that he plans to demolish estates that are, as he puts it, home to ‘criminals’, ‘troubled families’ and ‘anti-social behaviour’, Architects for Social Housing has identified the key problem areas:
Let All The Children Boogie: David Bowie and the Housing and Planning Bill from Mars
A wise old man once wrote: ‘Give me a child till he’s seven, and I’ll give you the man’. David Bowie was born in Brixton, where he lived until the age of six. He was also born into the newly created Welfare State that this Tory government is working to demolish. A key tool of … Continue reading Let All The Children Boogie: David Bowie and the Housing and Planning Bill from Mars
Housing Bill Diary
10 December, 2015 WHAT LIES BENEATH. On the final day of the House Committee stage of the Housing and Planning Bill, Brandon Lewis, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, without producing impact assessments (though the government hasn’t done this for any part of the Bill), without providing the Committee with background information in advance, … Continue reading Housing Bill Diary
Where Will We Live?
Let’s begin with what we know about the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill. We know the Bill is designed not to provide affordable housing but to remove the obligation of developers to build it. We know the Bill is designed not to build homes for the people who need them but to subsidise private investment in housing … Continue reading Where Will We Live?
The End of Social Housing
The Housing and Planning Bill is one of the most dangerous and far-reaching pieces of legislation to be passed in this country in a long time, yet its true impact has been unreported in the mainstream press and is largely unknown to the people it will most affect. Far from addressing the so-called housing ‘crisis’, … Continue reading The End of Social Housing
The Housing & Planning Bill: ASH submission to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee
INTRODUCTION Despite what we had previously read about the Housing and Planning Bill by commentators in the press and housing industry, it is far worse than we expected. Part 4, Social housing in England, seems designed to bring about the end of social housing in this country, particularly in London, at which the Bill is very … Continue reading The Housing & Planning Bill: ASH submission to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee
ASH Meeting on Central Hill
This meeting of ASH was devoted to Central Hill estate in Crystal Palace, for which ASH is currently assembling a team to design an architectural alternative to demolition. The focus of the meeting was the presentation by ASH member Viola Petrella of her extensive work on Central Hill. Coming out of her consultations with the Central … Continue reading ASH Meeting on Central Hill
Home: Pin it Down!
ASH consultation workshop at the launch event of The People’s Plan, feasibility study for refurbishment and additional buildings for West Kensington & Gibbs Green estates, as part of their application for the Right to Transfer. Residents were grouped into the building type they lived in, high-rise, 4-5 storey blocks, terrace houses, etc, and its location … Continue reading Home: Pin it Down!
Knight’s Walk Redevelopment: Recommendation to Cabinet
After nearly a year of consultation with the residents of Knight’s Walk, Lambeth Council last week announced the redevelopment plan they will be recommending to Cabinet. Knight’s Walk is a collection of mostly bungalows, originally built for the elderly and disabled, that are a part of the Cotton Garden Estate in Kennington. Designed by LCC architect … Continue reading Knight’s Walk Redevelopment: Recommendation to Cabinet
The London Clearances
I want to begin with those often-quoted words scribbled down by Marx 170 years ago: ‘The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.’ This famous statement poses the question of the role of knowledge within the relations of power. It’s a role we should consider within … Continue reading The London Clearances