"Young professionals" to infest flats above Iceland

[ViolentPanda]

So hands up who would refuse to buy somewhere on point of principle if they could afford to. I can think of a lot of friends who do socially useful jobs (e.g. aid workers, teachers) but with maybe one exception nobody who would refuse to buy a place on principle. The same amount of housing will exist regardless of whether you've bought or rented where you live. Or do you object to yuppies renting as well?

That's hardly a decent argument for the development of expensive (in terms of the supposed national "average" wage) private housing though, is it? What's the odds that if your principled friends were able to access decent and affordable social housing they would in preference to taking out an (in terms of salary to repayment ratio) expensive mortgage?

 

[OldSlapper]

A further apology to urban75 yuppies

I wasn't aware that anyone had made a statement about people buying a house in Brixton being an "infesting yuppie", I thought they'd mentioned a specific development. Is that what you mean, or are you just on a free-style rant?

Oh dear. To clear matters up:

As a consequence of my starting this thread someone, somewhere, appears to have developed the 'bigoted notion that anyone who buys a flat in Brixton - regardless of their background or circumstance - can be instantly pre-labelled as an "infesting yuppie".'

I would like to make clear that:

(a) not all bigots are yuppies

(b) not all yuppies are bigots

(c) a person buying a flat in Brixton is not, a priori a bigot or a yuppy.

(d) no one should be "pre-labelled"*

Thank you.


* I'm unsure what that is but not to worry.

 

[IntoStella]

Oh well, let's open up that question to the Yuppie Police.

OS/IS (those two abbreviations seem go together so well!): is someone buying a house for, say, £200,000 an infesting yuppie too? Or is only the ones who buy flats?

What part of "in this particular instance" are you having trouble understanding? Or are you simply going to continue to bully everyone who disagrees with you? Only you piled in and started being aggressive and abusive here. People are allowed to have a PoV that you don't share. Just because topcat has pissed you off, there's no point in taking it out on everybody.

On the recent Merrett thread you were very much on the side of ''a pox on yuppified boozers". Don't you think you're being completely inconsistent?

 

[IntoStella]

That's hardly a decent argument for the development of expensive (in terms of the supposed national "average" wage) private housing though, is it? What's the odds that if your principled friends were able to access decent and affordable social housing they would in preference to taking out an (in terms of salary to repayment ratio) expensive mortgage?

Especially as the only example he can find is a nasty RTB'ed, leaky 60s shoebox on a very unprepossessing estate.

 

[OldSlapper]

By the way, the plans for this infe... much-needed private capital investment-in central Brixton for the benefit of the WHOLE community can be viewed at:

The Planning Office
Acre Lane
Brixton

(Close to the Town Hall)

Or in the Tate Library

And yes. The flats are small as buggery. And there's nowhere for the yupps to park. Poor dears!

 

[IntoStella]

And yes. The flats are small as buggery. And there's nowhere for the yupps to park. Poor dears!

Yes, having to walk the two and a half feet to the tube station. It's an atrocity, I tell you.

 

[Bob]

Especially as the only example he can find is a nasty RTB'ed, leaky 60s shoebox on a very unprepossessing estate.

I think you'll find that's your anti council flat prejudice showing.

<wanders off to eat>

 

[OldSlapper]

get on that property ladder!!

Well that was fun.

Sorry again to any u75 yuppies I offended and get those deposits saved for the Iceland Luxury Apartment Property Oportunity.

You know it makes sense.

 

[OldSlapper]

Sarcasm. How hilarious!

I'm serious. I genuinely don't want to offend any urban75 yupp.

Ciao

 

[ViolentPanda]

I think you'll find that's your anti council flat prejudice showing.

<wanders off to eat>

More likely it's prejudice against most local authorities' seeming inability to hire good architects who don't design shit-poor housing.

A case in point: Where I live a mate (an architect and civil engineer) took a look at my flat and said "great ideas, but it's been put together to look good, not to live good". He was especially unimpressed by the lack of eaves (the roof having flush guttering, pleasing on the eye but not very good at it's job), which meant that heavy rain overflowing the guttering ran straight down the walls and windows, causing very bad damp problems. A simple problem to solve, but my flat had received 27yrs of this before the council remedied this particular design fault.
The same sort of inattention to the fact that people were actually going to (in all their sweaty glory) live in a lot of these places is writ large across a lot of urban social housing.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Tax to be paid for last year's 'earnings' = 0p

That is scary. Are you on schedule D? My husband is paying under £100 tax on his music earnings this year, and he earned very very little on the music for this tax year*...I think I need to bring you food parcels on my way into work....



*What's the difference between a pizza and a musician?
A pizza can feed a family of four.

 

[lang rabbie]

A pedant writes:

The report goes on:-

Quote:
The proposed units will offer accommodation to single young professionals and couples

One small problem - the planning document actually says:

Dwelling Mix - It is proposed to convert the application site into twelve 1-bedroom flats. Adopted Policy H17 states that conversions should as far as practical provide a mix of dwellings within the whole building, however Part (h) allows for a flexible approach to be taken for accommodation above shops. As there is no available amenity area it is not considered that the premises is suitable for family accommodation. The proposed units will offer accommodation to single professionals and couples. As such, in these circumstances it is considered that the proposed dwelling mix is acceptable.

No mention of "young" - indeed it doesn't appear anywhere in the document. Whether you come to your definition of "yuppie" from "young urban professional" or (the oh so class-ridden British variant) "young and upwardly-mobile", there is no justification for saying that Lambeth planners are formally recognising yuppies as a breed.

However, I am outraged by the notion that "single professionals" as a group are somehow regarded as mutually exclusive from "single parents". Use of language that makes that kind of assumption should have no place in a Council report.

 

[OldSlapper]

who are these saracen investments, eh?

Details shown on the planning application form, under "Applicant":

Name: Saracen Investments
Address: 668 Streatham High Road, SW16 3QL
email: contact@saraceninvestments.com
Telephone: 0208 765 4555
Fax no: 0208 765 4554

 

[editor]

What part of "in this particular instance" are you having trouble understanding? Or are you simply going to continue to bully everyone who disagrees with you? Only you piled in and started being aggressive and abusive here. People are allowed to have a PoV that you don't share.

And you, naturally, don't think that you ever show any traits like aggression and bullying when people don't agree with you, no?

 

[editor]

Just because topcat has pissed you off, there's no point in taking it out on everybody.

Untrue and totally irrelevant.

 

[editor]

No mention of "young" - indeed it doesn't appear anywhere in the document.

Oh dear. But hey! Why let the pesky facts get in the way of a stirring anti-yuppie rant!

 

[OldSlapper]

However, I am outraged by the notion that "single professionals" as a group are somehow regarded as mutually exclusive from "single parents". Use of language that makes that kind of assumption should have no place in a Council report.

That didn't occur to me. You're right. The language imples that only single non-professionals get themsleves or their partners up the duff.

Plus, as the plans show a lift is proposed I don't see why a young single parent, be s/he professional, chav or member of the titled aristocracy, place him/herself and infant in the lift and seek "amenity" in Windrush Square or Brockwell Park.

IMV more children are needed in central Brixton, not less.

 

[editor]

I'm serious. I genuinely don't want to offend any urban75 yupp.

Ciao

The sneering sarcasm aimed at other u75 posters sure seems mighty familiar.

Are you the poster previously known as Anna Key YES/NO?

 

[dogmatique]

Look - let's get realistic here - the development will no doubt be cheaply designed and cheaply built tiny flats specifically to maximize profit from a long empty building, no doubt bought on the cheap by a property developer looking to make the maximum return for his money.

I'm sure the soundproofing will be non existent, you'll be able to hear every flush, every door close and every argument on the street.

These will not be luxury apartments - but what do you expect the planning application to say? "Shoddy workmanship and skimping on detail will be at the core of our design, as will the cheapest of components we intend to to deploy."??

Personally I would have preferred a housing association to have made use of this building years ago, but we have this instead. Shite flats going to anyone daft enough to want to live above Iceland.

 

[editor]

Personally I would have preferred a housing association to have made use of this building years ago, but we have this instead.

Me too. It's a fucking disgrace that such a wonderful building should be left to rot.

 

[lang rabbie]

I have a vague idea that refurbishment of these flats was yet another Brixton Challenge project that never got off the drawing board a decade ago! I'll see if I still have the document listing all the projects.

 

[editor]

I have a vague idea that refurbishment of these flats was yet another Brixton Challenge project that never got off the drawing board a decade ago! I'll see if I still have the document listing all the projects.

Can you find out what's happening to the buildings at the north-eastern end of Electric Avenue (on the corner)?

There's a shop underneath, but the rest of the building has been empty for years with broken windows attracting pigeons inside....

 

[Pickman's model]

Christ, you're a fucking pedantic bore at times.

But seeing as you - and only you, please note - simply has to know what is quite probably clear to anyone else if they saw my words in context - I'll explain.

I used the phrase to describe the practice of accusing people of being yuppies before they even know who they are. So the 'infesting yuppie' accusation is a sort of a big metaphorical, jabbing finger floating above Electric Avenue, ready to loudly condemn anyone who buys a flat there, sorry "infests" the building.

I do hope this satisfies you. It's unlikely I'll use the phrase again, though.

right. so it's the same as prejudice.

thank you.

 

[hendo]

Personally I would have preferred a housing association to have made use of this building years ago, but we have this instead. Shite flats going to anyone daft enough to want to live above Iceland.

Couldn't agree more.

What a pile of repetitive tripe this thread is. Legitimate concern about the shortage and cost of homes is used to mask foaming hard-left hate of anyone daring to get off their bottom, luck out in the jobs market, work themselves to the bone, scrape together a deposit and actually, sin of sins, buy a home.

It's posted by the usual suspects, who are pleased to share a pint with me when it suits them but quietly log on and label me and people like me as an 'infestation' of 'yups' (I'm forty) when my back is turned.

It's followed by an arch apology and frenzied allegations of bullying when someone picks them up on it.

In the past I've been bothered, but not now. There's something a little bit sad and circular about all this isn't there?

When I'm on my way to work from Brixton at 6 in the morning there's a pile of people on their way to a myriad of workplaces in this city of ours. They come from all over the world to work here and make themselves a future. Those are the people I respect. They will not give up. I won't either. Must you?

I'm not responsible for the shitty housing market, the appalling estate agents, or capitalism generally. I'm just doing as best I can like everyone else.

In the future though, 'Old Slapper' if you really feel like that about me and the people like me, don't speak to me. Infact, tell me to fuck off, in order that I'll know where I am. Really - a little honesty is called for, if this is how you really feel.

I understand what you and Justin have posted about exclusion, and have some sympathy, but don't you think the manifest hate for those who've managed to sort themselves out (to some degree) tends to degrade the principle of your position?

Whatever, I've some bad news for you.

We're not leaving.

Infact we're staying, and I've a hunch that more like us are on the way. We're not titled, or inheritors of the Duchy of Cornwall, just people who've managed to get a decent job, acquired a half decent income, poolled resources, borrowed an obscene amount of money and got themselves a place in this area of London.

Best start living with it, or resign youself to the future spent posting these fucking 'yup infestation' threads, and minus a couple of friends at that.

 

[Pickman's model]

atm the cost of the flats is - to me - less material than that no one knows who's building the fucking things. the developers don't seem to exist, unless it's the ones who appear on some sort of islamick approval list to which i've above posted a link. i tried calling saracen property services to find out if they were handling the flats, but they seem to have shut up shop.

Name: Saracen Investments
Address: 668 Streatham High Road, SW16 3QL
email: contact@saraceninvestments.com
Telephone: 0208 765 4555
Fax no: 0208 765 4554

i think that's the same lot which have the islamick approval i refer to above.

 

[Pickman's model]

they're bloody at it all over the place:

http://apps.newham.gov.uk/environment/planning/2004/Registered/Regis Nov 2004.htm
http://apps.newham.gov.uk/environment/planning/2004/Registered/Regis May 2004.htm
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/planning/documents/applications/Jul2004/090704webapps.pdf
http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/planning/documents/applications/Aug2004/200804webapps.pdf
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cach...39/155925.pdf+"saracen+investments"+668&hl=en
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cach...08/155959.pdf+"saracen+investments"+668&hl=en

 

[Giles]

I resent them, I resent the policy, I resent the market and I resent all the fucking whining that takes place on their behalf when people like me are less than fucking chuffed about it.

You should get a better job, or find another way of earning more money, rather than just whinging about how you can't afford stuff. What do you want, that some "committee of proper prices" tell people what they can buy and sell things for?

Giles..

 

[guinnessdrinker]

SilentNate? RaverDrew? IsVicthere? Fanta? There's four. You can tell they're wealthy young men about town from the way they post.

what is the it about their posting style that makes you think that they are wealthy young men?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

That's shite on a stick Giles. Justin does a job which is of great worth. He's a 'backroom boy' on poor pay but without him, there'd be no Doctors. Hope you never get ill mate, with or without health insurance.

 

[sonicdancer]

I only know of one of those four that you mention oldslapper and when I was last drinking with him in the Albert he was not wealthy, young maybe yes but not wealthy.