Jump to content
House Price Crash Forum

Luxury Block Acquired for Grenfell Residents


rantnrave

Recommended Posts

0
HOLA441
  • Replies 69
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

1
HOLA442

Those who bought at full price are not going to be happy...........:mellow:

               The flats have a gym, swimming pool and concierge........bit of a differnce from Grenfell which I read had homeless people in the communal bits.............

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2
HOLA443
3
HOLA444
18 minutes ago, fru-gal said:

Wonder if this will set a precedent for every council tenant that has been made homeless through no fault of their own?

Haven't seen all the details, but the deal today isn't straying too far from established precedent, which is that councils have a duty to rehouse people in social housing in the local area if possible. 

The flats that have been acquired were already being built and designated as affordable housing (i.e. shared ownership / subsidised rent). They won't be the £2m ones that are for private sale.

Looks like they were acquired by the City of London Corporation and handed over to Kensington & Chelsea council to manage as social housing. 

From the Guardian

"The most luxurious four-bedroom apartments are currently on sale in the development for £8.5m but the homes being released to Grenfell residents are part of the affordable quota being built and feature a more “straightforward” internal specification, but have the same build quality. 

The complex includes a 24-hour concierge, swimming pool, sauna and spa and private cinema.

It is not yet clear if the Grenfell residents will have access to the facilities, which are normally not included for those in affordable housing."

And from the Standard

"A source close to the deal said the City of London Corporation paid around £10 million for the flats thanks to an “extraordinary gesture” of goodwill by St Edward in selling the properties at their cost price."

 

Edited by Patient London FTB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4
HOLA445
5
HOLA446

Will the luxuty residents be enacting their Right To Buy next year :lol:

The government really havent thought this out.

Young british people stuck in their parents houses while immigrants ( and we've all seen them on TV ) get treated like lords.

Jeese, i';m out, I am paying for the loonies running this country any longer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6
HOLA447
Guest TheBlueCat
1 minute ago, TheCountOfNowhere said:

Yes, but they have  a conceirge service....how much ground rent will you and I be paying to keep these people in their flats ?

Me, none, as I moved all my assets out of the UK earlier this year! I'd guess that the monthly service charge for the smallest flats will be in the region of 1000GBP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7
HOLA448
Guest TheBlueCat

I wonder how careful they're going to be checking whether they give these flats to the people who were actually living in the building vs those whose names were on the flats or owned the leasehold?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8
HOLA449
9
HOLA4410

I predict there will be blood on the streets.....alll those people who have been on council waiting lists for years won't be happy either even if they feel sorry for the Grenfell residents..........

Are the government mad?  Silly question really.........

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10
HOLA4411
11
HOLA4412
Guest TheBlueCat
3 minutes ago, janch said:

I predict there will be blood on the streets.....alll those people who have been on council waiting lists for years won't be happy either even if they feel sorry for the Grenfell residents..........

Are the government mad?  Silly question really.........

This isn't the government though is it? It looks like the City of London Corporation are paying for it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12
HOLA4413

scene: interior, Daily Mail editorial office.

"COMMUNISM!! State seizure of assets. Call in the troops to dislodge this anti-free-market anti-business Maoist collectivist totalitarian red Corbyn government.

Oh, hang on, it's the Tories and a Tory council. Well that's ok then."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13
HOLA4414
14 minutes ago, Patient London FTB said:

Haven't seen all the details, but the deal today isn't straying too far from established precedent, which is that councils have a duty to rehouse people in social housing in the local area if possible. 

The flats that have been acquired were already being built and designated as affordable housing (i.e. shared ownership / subsidised rent). They won't be the £2m ones that are for private sale.

Looks like they were acquired by the City of London Corporation and handed over to Kensington & Chelsea council to manage as social housing. 

From the Guardian

"The most luxurious four-bedroom apartments are currently on sale in the development for £8.5m but the homes being released to Grenfell residents are part of the affordable quota being built and feature a more “straightforward” internal specification, but have the same build quality. 

The complex includes a 24-hour concierge, swimming pool, sauna and spa and private cinema.

It is not yet clear if the Grenfell residents will have access to the facilities, which are normally not included for those in affordable housing."

And from the Standard

"A source close to the deal said the City of London Corporation paid around £10 million for the flats thanks to an “extraordinary gesture” of goodwill by St Edward in selling the properties at their cost price."

 

The Standard mentions Kensington Row which is Berkeley Group.

https://www.buildington.co.uk/london-w14/warwick-road/kensington-row/id/3866
 

A bit here about affordable housing from Berkeley in 2016

Quote

 

He also praised Sadiq Khan, the new mayor of London – where Berkley focuses most of its business – for “showing welcome signs of adopting an approach to delivery which is both ambitious and pragmatic”. 

Mr Pidgley had previously criticised Mr Khan’s plans to lift affordable housebuilding in London to 50% of total delivery. Mr Khan has not set a timescale to deliver this target since being elected.

....

On Mr Khan, he added: “His administration has already shown welcome signs of adopting an approach to delivery which is both ambitious and pragmatic.

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk//berkeley-group-records-profit-of-4799m/7015630.article

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14
HOLA4415
15
HOLA4416
16 minutes ago, TheBlueCat said:

This isn't the government though is it? It looks like the City of London Corporation are paying for it all.

I doubt we will ever know how much it's really cost

Quote

 

The Department for Communities and Local Government said extra public money had been found so the flats could be fitted out more quickly, and more builders had been taken on.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40357280

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16
HOLA4417

My guess at a timeline of what's happened here.

PRE-GRENFELL: 

  • Berkeley (aka St Edward which is a JV of Berkeley and Prudential) applies for planning permission for luxury flats
  • K&C Council says yes but you must build x% affordable homes as part of this deal
  • Berkeley says ok and applies to the Homes and Communities Agency (part of the government) for a grant to fund the building of the affordable homes
  • Berkeley offers the affordable homes on the open market to housing associations, but hasn't yet had a taker (or the taker is the City of London Corporation which invests in social housing itself anyway)

***GRENFELL FIRE HAPPENS****

  • K&C Council and central govt look around thinking where can we house these people 
  • City of London Corporation wants to help too
  • Berkeley wants to help and demonstrate its social credentials
  • City of London Corporation stumps up the cash to buy the affordable housing from Berkeley, saving K&C Council and the govt money
  • It's better that K&C Council manages the housing so the management is transferred to them, but City of London Corporation retains ownership
  • The Govt makes the announcement because the Homes and Communities Agency is the regulator of social housing providers
  • Also, the govt says it will chip in extra (remember Berkeley has a grant from the HCA to fund the building) to hurry up the building to get the flats ready by end of July

That's my take. I admit it is half-informed speculation, hopefully someone better informed can clarify? 

 

 

 

Edited by Patient London FTB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17
HOLA4418

Not entirely without precedent - a 'luxury executive' block of apartments in Belfast at the former Curzon Cinema site was bought out by a local  housing association to be used for social housing (after the developer was having trouble shifting them all, hmmmmmm):

http://www.kevinwatsongroup.com/portfolio/curzon/

 

http://www.communityni.org/news/clanmil-housing-rewarded-rics

http://www.clanmil.org/curzon.php

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18
HOLA4419
Guest TheBlueCat
9 minutes ago, Patient London FTB said:

My guess at a timeline of what's happened here.

PRE-GRENFELL: 

  • Berkeley (aka St Edward which is a JV of Berkeley and Prudential) applies for planning permission for luxury flats
  • K&C Council says yes but you must build x% affordable homes as part of this deal
  • Berkeley says ok and applies to the Homes and Communities Agency (part of the government) for a grant to fund the building of the affordable homes
  • Berkeley offers the affordable homes on the open market to housing associations, but hasn't yet had a taker (or the taker is the City of London Corporation which invests in social housing itself anyway)

***GRENFELL FIRE HAPPENS****

  • K&C Council and central govt look around thinking where can we house these people 
  • City of London Corporation wants to help too
  • Berkeley wants to help and demonstrate its social credentials
  • City of London Corporation stumps up the cash to buy the affordable housing from Berkeley, saving K&C Council and the govt money
  • It's better that K&C Council manages the housing so the management is transferred to them, but City of London Corporation retains ownership
  • The Govt makes the announcement because the Homes and Communities Agency is the regulator of social housing providers
  • Also, the govt says it will chip in extra (remember Berkeley has a grant from the HCA to fund the building) to hurry up the building to get the flats ready by end of July

That's my take. I admit it is half-informed speculation, hopefully someone better informed can clarify? 

 

 

 

Entirely plausible. I bet not a single one will still be social housing in 3.5 years time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19
HOLA4420
1 hour ago, TheCountOfNowhere said:

You can see exactly why the trouble is going to come.

Can't wait to see the spin the BBC are going to put on it - will they be able to contain their joy?

Considering how xenophobic and racist England is supposed to be, isn't it strange that so many immigrants are drawn to London?  I imagine this will make it even more popular as the destination of choice, now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20
HOLA4421
1 hour ago, TheCountOfNowhere said:

Why bother working if you are young. white, British, single, male, you get nothing.

 

 

It's not about being white or male.British people of all colours/sexes who don't have kids are at the bottom of the housing lists.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21
HOLA4422
1 minute ago, Sancho Panza said:

It's not about being white or male.British people of all colours/sexes who don't have kids are at the bottom of the housing lists.

Agreed, but if we close the borders and stop all immigration (apart from that which is clearly required - high skill, high net-worth individuals etc etc) the list would be much, much shorter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22
HOLA4423
16 minutes ago, Sour Mash said:

Can't wait to see the spin the BBC are going to put on it - will they be able to contain their joy?

Considering how xenophobic and racist England is supposed to be, isn't it strange that so many immigrants are drawn to London?  I imagine this will make it even more popular as the destination of choice, now.

No comments being allowed on the story, which speaks volumes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23
HOLA4424
15 minutes ago, Sancho Panza said:

It's not about being white or male.British people of all colours/sexes who don't have kids are at the bottom of the housing lists.

I agree, but who's right at the bottom ?

Edited by TheCountOfNowhere
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24
HOLA4425
39 minutes ago, Sour Mash said:

Not entirely without precedent - a 'luxury executive' block of apartments in Belfast at the former Curzon Cinema site was bought out by a local  housing association to be used for social housing (after the developer was having trouble shifting them all, hmmmmmm):

http://www.kevinwatsongroup.com/portfolio/curzon/

 

http://www.communityni.org/news/clanmil-housing-rewarded-rics

http://www.clanmil.org/curzon.php

Not just the curzon. Victoria Square was also sold to a housing association. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information