Gap houses

[jacko555]

Bristol to build ‘gap homes’ on garage sites to tackle housing crisis
Council hopes micro dwellings built on spaces between houses and gardens will revive neighbourhoods.
...
Bristol has an estimated 2,000 garages on 300 sites, so BDP says the concept has huge potential in terms of helping to tackle the city’s housing crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...omes-on-garage-sites-to-tackle-housing-crisis

https://www.bristolhousingfestival.org.uk/projects/2019/8/2/the-gap-house-by-bdp

Thoughts? Everyone looks happy in the pictures.

A new tiny slum (micro house) or a revolution. Hard to judge scale, and, no mention of volumes or costs. They remind me of the shipping container housing block under Brighton viaduct.

 

[JohnD]

I can't understand it. The government has promised lots of new homes. What's the trouble?

"The Tories' 2015 manifesto committed the party to building 200,000 'Starter Homes', to be sold at a 20% discount and exclusively available to first-time buyers under the age of 40.


David Cameron, the Prime Minister at the time, said it would give young people shut out of the housing market the chance to to access "decent, well-built, homes with gardens - places to start and raise a family".


More than £2bn was allocated to the programme in the November 2015 spending review.

But a report by the National Audit Office found no evidence that any homes had been built under the programme - with the legislation needed to enforce the scheme yet to make it into law"

https://www.politicshome.com/news/a...gship-2015-tory-housing-pledge-watchdog-finds

 

[SirGalahad]

I can't understand it. The government has promised lots of new homes. What's the trouble?

"The Tories' 2015 manifesto committed the party to building 200,000 'Starter Homes', to be sold at a 20% discount and exclusively available to first-time buyers under the age of 40.


David Cameron, the Prime Minister at the time, said it would give young people shut out of the housing market the chance to to access "decent, well-built, homes with gardens - places to start and raise a family".


More than £2bn was allocated to the programme in the November 2015 spending review.

But a report by the National Audit Office found no evidence that any homes had been built under the programme - with the legislation needed to enforce the scheme yet to make it into law"

https://www.politicshome.com/news/a...gship-2015-tory-housing-pledge-watchdog-finds

£50k donation via Jenrick is needed.

 

[SirGalahad]

View attachment 236542



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...omes-on-garage-sites-to-tackle-housing-crisis

https://www.bristolhousingfestival.org.uk/projects/2019/8/2/the-gap-house-by-bdp

Thoughts? Everyone looks happy in the pictures.

A new tiny slum (micro house) or a revolution. Hard to judge scale, and, no mention of volumes or costs. They remind me of the shipping container housing block under Brighton viaduct.

These soon enough will become the norm and the be the new norma. Actual homes made from brick will be mythical entities out of the reach of young people whilst the older generation will chastise them for not working hard enough.

 

[mattylad]

These will likely be made in a factory and simply assembled on site. like flat pack.

Good places to get the homeless back into a home.

 

[fillyboy]

These soon enough will become the norm and the be the new norma. Actual homes made from brick will be mythical entities out of the reach of young people whilst the older generation will chastise them for not working hard enough.

I think we've all got to accept that we're never going to see the social building programmes that we saw in the 50's and 60's, it's not going to happen, it's unaffordable. What's wrong with cheaper alternatives if it goes some way to helping with the problem?

 

[SirGalahad]

I think we've all got to accept that we're never going to see the social building programmes that we saw in the 50's and 60's, it's not going to happen, it's unaffordable. What's wrong with cheaper alternatives if it goes some way to helping with the problem?

LVT. Whilst builders can bank land they will restrict supply, the moment there is a holding cost they will build or sell the land.

The current system is built on ever higher house prices - its a broken system and reduces GDP.

 

[jacko555]

What's wrong with cheaper alternatives if it goes some way to helping with the problem?

Nothing in principle.

On one side it sounds nice

contemporary, cost effective eco-home designed to fit on to urban garage plots and super-insulated”, adding: “They are designed with large windows and low energy lighting and fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps...

On the other

“Gap houses” – so-called because they will be constructed in small spaces between houses and gardens.....designed to fit on to urban garage plots

Their "intention" is to deliver "affordable homes" that fit on an unban garage plot.

Doesn't sound like it'll be for housing the homeless.

How affordable compared to what? A new build detached house? Is this the rise of barely legal sized houses to fit on a garage plot?

features areas of shared green space, community gardens and outdoor seating to encourage neighbourly connections and interactions.

Maybe awesome. Maybe a new hell

 

[fillyboy]

LVT. Whilst builders can bank land they will restrict supply, the moment there is a holding cost they will build or sell the land.

The current system is built on ever higher house prices - its a broken system and reduces GDP.

You know as well as I do that if the will was there plenty of brownfield land could be released for building by, if not Councils (most wouldn't have the capability to manage such projects), then housing associations.

 

[SirGalahad]

You know as well as I do that if the will was there plenty of brownfield land could be released for building by, if not Councils (most wouldn't have the capability to manage such projects), then housing associations.

There is plenty of land - we only live on about 5-7% I think. If there was LVT land would be recycled and put into its most efficient use.

 

[fillyboy]

Their "intention" is to deliver "affordable homes" that fit on an unban garage plot.

Doesn't sound like it'll be for housing the homeless.

How affordable compared to what? A new build detached house? Is this the rise of barely legal sized houses to fit on a garage.

A lot of the older council estates have quite substantial garage blocks, many unused (too small for today's SUV's) and have fallen into dis-repair, also because they are set away from the surrounding homes they become centres for anti social behaviour and drug taking etc.

At the very least many of them should be knocked down and made into recreational areas, housing would be better but obviously they would need to be small.

I believe Slough council has done this in a few places but I've not seen the end result.

 

[JohnD]

it's unaffordable.

there is something very wrong with a society where a working couple on average earnings can't afford to pay to buy a house for themselves. But they can pay to buy a house for somebody else.

 

[fillyboy]

there is something very wrong with a society where a working couple on average earnings can't afford to pay to buy a house for themselves. But they can pay to buy a house for somebody else.

How many working couples buy their own homes in Germany or switzerland?, how does UK home ownership compare with European home ownership in numbers?

 

[jacko555]

how does UK home ownership compare with European home ownership in numbers?

% of owner occupied

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_home_ownership_rate

France/ Germany may have higher and lower home ownership respectively, compared to the UK.

However, renters have rights there not present in the UK . They include the right not to be kicked out with only four week notice, the right to decorate their home as they wish, and the right to contest and reject abusive rent increases while still get to keep their homes.

 

[Notch7]

it's unaffordable

untrue.

social housing is the only way out of the housing crisis

it wont happen under a Tory govt because the big housebuilders, who control the market are Tory donors