Garage boss: I'm being driven out of Hackney by hipsters

[editor]

Another tragic tale of the big sell out of London. This shit has to end soon.

A motor repairs boss today hit out at the “arty types” he says are colonising east London as he prepared to leave his business of two decades to make way for a craft brewery.

When Michael Vallance came to Queens Yard industrial estate in Hackney Wick in 1992 it was home to lithographic printers and finishers and a glass factory.

Now he fears traditional firms, such as his MV Motor Repairs, are being pushed out for the likes of flexible event spaces and pop-ups, from which higher rents can be demanded.

Mr Vallance, 57, must make way for the Crate Brewery, which already runs a brewery, bar and pizzeria in a canal-side unit on the industrial estate and which will use his unit for storage.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/lond...iven-out-of-hackney-by-hipsters-10132319.html

 

[Greebo]

Ought to end soon, but won't.

 

[Batboy]

I am in the hub of this and we have had to relocate our main operation to Tottenham, soon it will be Tottenhams turn .

Our old premises in Hackney was at the centre of a fight against developers people (including a car mechanics) who had been there for decades were forced out, many having to close their businesses. When the developers (who were Orthodox Jews) won the day they sold the development to another consortium of Orthodox Jews for 10 million. Now these current developers want a bigger development, in the meantime they have decided to relet the crumbling decaying buildings (neglected by all owners over decades) with prices increased by up to 1000%

A 2500 sq foot space which is a wreck, is currently on offer at a staggering 1443.00 per week, we occupied this building up until 18 months ago our rent was 170.00.

The place is being taken on by film companies and set developers.

When the place was originally emptied out we were given a stay of execution and a new lease by the old developer for two years, we are still there so we know exactly what is going on. The current owners either want to whack our rent up from 10k a year to 100k a year or have us out. Here's another rub what we didn't realise at the time was that we were allowed to stay not through the charity of the previous developers, but because it allowed them to sell to the other developers on the basis of the site being a 'going concern' business and therefor not subject to 2 million VAT hike. On top of the 10million sale tag. We aside from one other entrenched occupant are the only people left on site.

I understand the need for housing but London is morphing into Manhattan where only the rich will be able to afford, there is no consideration for affordable space for small businesses.

And incidently I mention the orthodox Jewish aspect for a reason as they are at the core of many of these developments having sat on many decaying commercial properties in Hackney for decades, they operate very secretly they appear not sell to 'outsiders' I know we tried to buy the site to keep as a business hub, any other communities would have negotiated or considered, they are a very closed shop when it comes to property.

Hackney is fucked for the working classes. I am all for improving areas but there has to be a balance in all aspects including business and workspace, the property market in London is insane. Small businesses are following working people out of London.

 

[Santino]

Oy vey

 

[Sparkle Motion]

My factory left Hackney for suburbia in the 1980s.

Might as well stand on the beach ordering the tide not to come in.

 

[bi0boy]

Might as well stand on the beach ordering the tide not to come in.

Yes, everyone is a gentrifier. Everyone enjoys facilities that are only there because they were built on that which formed part of previous communities. Such are cities.

 

[Choc]

gosh batboy this is terrible. Its right to bring this up to light, can you send your experience to journalists. i know people know to an extent what is going on, but its still such a good insight as like you say big business usually gets passed on among the wealthy/groups who are not keen to have their methods and returns exposed.

i am fearing this trend to be a worldwide trend there are similar stories (though not such high prices) in other capital cities.

 

[marty21]

awful shit going on , admittedly I benefit from rising house prices but I could end up living somewhere with no services that I need.

 

[toblerone3]

The hipsters moving in will probably have lower levels of car ownership than the working class communities being forced out. So increasing demand for craft beer and decreasing demand for car garages.

 

[Batboy]

gosh batboy this is terrible. Its right to bring this up to light, can you send your experience to journalists. i know people know to an extent what is going on, but its still such a good insight as like you say big business usually gets passed on among the wealthy/groups who are not keen to have their methods and returns exposed.

i am fearing this trend to be a worldwide trend there are similar stories (though not such high prices) in other capital cities.

I almost get slated on these forums for not being a stereotypically left wing urbanite, I run a small manufacturing business and we are being hammered to the point I almost wish I had adopted the 'lets just buy property and become landlords' stance like so many people have, including those who have regular jobs , the same thing happened in the 80's until the market crashed, I knew one woman who at 28 had bought 17 properties and lost the lot. She never ever ran a proper business and employ permanent people. I actually didn't feel sorry for her.

This time around it is far more profound as globalisation has seen London swarmed with overseas investors out to make a quick buck, the Chinese and Russian nouveau rich will flee once they have made money and take it to another country.

Ironically small businesses and working class people should really pull together instead of dividing along political lines. The other irony is the whole Tory/Labour thing if anyone thinks that The Tories are pro small business then they are deluded especially in London. Labour Party is a fucking joke too they don't represent working people they go through the motions with tokenism politics and from a small business perspective they put obstacles in the way that only larger businesses can cope with.

Should there be a global property slump (a real long overdue possibility) then there will be huge pain for many people who ultimately will pay the price for lack of a regulated property market.

As regards the Hackney debacle the developers operated within the confines of the law, so nothing criminal was committed, it is just immoral and driven by greed.

Nobody loves London and Hackney more than me, I like seeing regeneration but not at the expenses of either small businesses or regular working people.
People need houses and tangible jobs the two have to be constructed together, our economy in London over the last 15 years has been built on the back of property inflation. It cannot continue like this.

 

[quiquaquo]

Can't stand hipsters but the the blame here seems to lie fairly and squarely with Orthodox developers according to what Batboy reports.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

"They operate very secretly"

FFS.

 

[toblerone3]

What does a hipster Orthodox Jew look like?

 

[Dogsauce]

Eventually the hipsters get squeezed out by Russian and Chinese money, this is already happening with some amount of squealing and a bit more attention from the media than WC communities would ever get.

Last week I was chatting to someone who lives in Sydney who said lots of British graphic designers had moved there recently, giving up on the London bullshit where you have no chance of settling anywhere properly. From their account Sydney isn't much better (centre flooded with expensive new-builds bought primarily by Chinese investors, city suburbs already out of reach of most) but maybe a little bit behind London.

I know a fair few people who have or are about to relocate back to the north from London too. It's getting hollowed out.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

What does a hipster Orthodox Jew look like?

Unfortunately, they operate in furtive corners where they can't be photographed. The socialism of fools, and there's more of it on Urban than one might expect.

 

[Pickman's model]

It's getting hollowed out.

given the paltry number of people who live in the city, and the historically low number of people who live in the west end, i think it's been hollowed out for quite some time. in fact it's amazing the population of london's so high when so many people can't afford to live here any more.

 

[Pickman's model]

What does a hipster Orthodox Jew look like?

if they look anything like a punk orthodox jew then they look like er an orthodox jew.

 

[quiquaquo]

if they look anything like a punk orthodox jew then they look like er an orthodox jew.

http://hipsterjew.com/tag/njb/

 

[Pickman's model]

People need houses and tangible jobs the two have to be constructed together, our economy in London over the last 15 years has been built on the back of property inflation. It cannot continue like this.

& where it hasn't been built on property inflation it's been built on financial shenanigans in the city.

 

[Dogsauce]

Density even in existing housing has been increasing for years as housing is split into flats, pubs converted into shoebox flats etc.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

And whose fault is it?

 

[butchersapron]

And incidently I mention the orthodox Jewish aspect for a reason as they are at the core of many of these developments having sat on many decaying commercial properties in Hackney for decades, they operate very secretly they appear not sell to 'outsiders' I know we tried to buy the site to keep as a business hub, any other communities would have negotiated or considered, they are a very closed shop when it comes to property.

And their key characteristic is not in being property owning rent-seeking landlords but their orthodox jewishness. Like yours isn't profit seeking boss - but concerned local.

 

[Pickman's model]

I am in the hub of this and we have had to relocate our main operation to Tottenham, soon it will be Tottenhams turn .

Our old premises in Hackney was at the centre of a fight against developers people (including a car mechanics) who had been there for decades were forced out, many having to close their businesses. When the developers (who were Orthodox Jews) won the day they sold the development to another consortium of Orthodox Jews for 10 million. Now these current developers want a bigger development, in the meantime they have decided to relet the crumbling decaying buildings (neglected by all owners over decades) with prices increased by up to 1000%

A 2500 sq foot space which is a wreck, is currently on offer at a staggering 1443.00 per week, we occupied this building up until 18 months ago our rent was 170.00.

The place is being taken on by film companies and set developers.

When the place was originally emptied out we were given a stay of execution and a new lease by the old developer for two years, we are still there so we know exactly what is going on. The current owners either want to whack our rent up from 10k a year to 100k a year or have us out. Here's another rub what we didn't realise at the time was that we were allowed to stay not through the charity of the previous developers, but because it allowed them to sell to the other developers on the basis of the site being a 'going concern' business and therefor not subject to 2 million VAT hike. On top of the 10million sale tag. We aside from one other entrenched occupant are the only people left on site.

I understand the need for housing but London is morphing into Manhattan where only the rich will be able to afford, there is no consideration for affordable space for small businesses.

And incidently I mention the orthodox Jewish aspect for a reason as they are at the core of many of these developments having sat on many decaying commercial properties in Hackney for decades, they operate very secretly they appear not sell to 'outsiders' I know we tried to buy the site to keep as a business hub, any other communities would have negotiated or considered, they are a very closed shop when it comes to property.

Hackney is fucked for the working classes. I am all for improving areas but there has to be a balance in all aspects including business and workspace, the property market in London is insane. Small businesses are following working people out of London.

so what you're saying is - as others have pointed out - it's all the jews. not the council, which as we all know has the best interests of local residents and small businesses at heart.

 

[stethoscope]

So, did I get this right? It's nothing to do with capital, but its all down to those joos?

 

[purenarcotic]

I am in the hub of this and we have had to relocate our main operation to Tottenham, soon it will be Tottenhams turn .

Our old premises in Hackney was at the centre of a fight against developers people (including a car mechanics) who had been there for decades were forced out, many having to close their businesses. When the developers (who were Orthodox Jews) won the day they sold the development to another consortium of Orthodox Jews for 10 million. Now these current developers want a bigger development, in the meantime they have decided to relet the crumbling decaying buildings (neglected by all owners over decades) with prices increased by up to 1000%

A 2500 sq foot space which is a wreck, is currently on offer at a staggering 1443.00 per week, we occupied this building up until 18 months ago our rent was 170.00.

The place is being taken on by film companies and set developers.

When the place was originally emptied out we were given a stay of execution and a new lease by the old developer for two years, we are still there so we know exactly what is going on. The current owners either want to whack our rent up from 10k a year to 100k a year or have us out. Here's another rub what we didn't realise at the time was that we were allowed to stay not through the charity of the previous developers, but because it allowed them to sell to the other developers on the basis of the site being a 'going concern' business and therefor not subject to 2 million VAT hike. On top of the 10million sale tag. We aside from one other entrenched occupant are the only people left on site.

I understand the need for housing but London is morphing into Manhattan where only the rich will be able to afford, there is no consideration for affordable space for small businesses.

And incidently I mention the orthodox Jewish aspect for a reason as they are at the core of many of these developments having sat on many decaying commercial properties in Hackney for decades, they operate very secretly they appear not sell to 'outsiders' I know we tried to buy the site to keep as a business hub, any other communities would have negotiated or considered, they are a very closed shop when it comes to property.

Hackney is fucked for the working classes. I am all for improving areas but there has to be a balance in all aspects including business and workspace, the property market in London is insane. Small businesses are following working people out of London.

What relevance does their being Jewish have?

 

[purenarcotic]

Oh, I see, we've already asked that. Sorry.

 

[Pickman's model]

I almost get slated on these forums for not being a stereotypically left wing urbanite, I run a small manufacturing business and we are being hammered to the point I almost wish I had adopted the 'lets just buy property and become landlords' stance like so many people have, including those who have regular jobs , the same thing happened in the 80's until the market crashed, I knew one woman who at 28 had bought 17 properties and lost the lot. She never ever ran a proper business and employ permanent people. I actually didn't feel sorry for her.

This time around it is far more profound as globalisation has seen London swarmed with overseas investors out to make a quick buck, the Chinese and Russian nouveau rich will flee once they have made money and take it to another country.

Ironically small businesses and working class people should really pull together instead of dividing along political lines. The other irony is the whole Tory/Labour thing if anyone thinks that The Tories are pro small business then they are deluded especially in London. Labour Party is a fucking joke too they don't represent working people they go through the motions with tokenism politics and from a small business perspective they put obstacles in the way that only larger businesses can cope with.

Should there be a global property slump (a real long overdue possibility) then there will be huge pain for many people who ultimately will pay the price for lack of a regulated property market.

As regards the Hackney debacle the developers operated within the confines of the law, so nothing criminal was committed, it is just immoral and driven by greed.

Nobody loves London and Hackney more than me, I like seeing regeneration but not at the expenses of either small businesses or regular working people.
People need houses and tangible jobs the two have to be constructed together, our economy in London over the last 15 years has been built on the back of property inflation. It cannot continue like this.

do you have a jewish landlord in tottenham?

 

[butchersapron]

Wait, we have the diamond situation to come yet - my partner is jewish, i know what i'm on about.

 

[Brainaddict]

Batboy, sorry to hear about your situation. I do think you should think about some of that phrasing. What you describe is simply how all developers behave. They are secretive so as to keep out the competition, do dodgy deals with the council and with their mates/family, don't give a fuck about anyone else. They behave, by and large, like scum. I just don't think it is helpful to identify their ethnicity as an issue.

 

[andysays]

...I mention the orthodox Jewish aspect for a reason as they are at the core of many of these developments having sat on many decaying commercial properties in Hackney for decades, they operate very secretly they appear not sell to 'outsiders' ...

Unlike all other commercial developers who operate completely openly and wouldn't dream of operating any sort of network which excludes percieved outsiders, I suppose...

It's a shame that this thread had now been effectively derailed by your pointless and idiotic comment.