£1 houses: Britain's Cheapest Street
Discussion
227bhp said:
Saleen836 said:
dom9 said:
Mrs9 tells me that her mate who owns one parks her leased (so I assume new) Audi on the street there...
I can't see that being a good idea from what we saw in the first episode so I can only imagine things are already somewhat 'better' there already.
If that's the result of the 'regeneration'; surely that can only be a good thing?
She is a teacher at what sounds like a hell-ish school, so also a 'key worker', supporting and hopefully helping the community.
Obviously we have some bias but if the council makes some tax off them (as opposed to spending money demolishing and regenerating the area themselves) and the area 'gentrifies' (to use a word I dislike) then great.
It's not like they removed people, who are now elsewhere - the place was empty with no real means (without the council spending every local's tax money) to sort it.
I thought they did relocate the residents? the whole area was due to be razed to the ground and rebuilt but government funding was cancelled so the houses were just left to rot for 10 odd years.I can't see that being a good idea from what we saw in the first episode so I can only imagine things are already somewhat 'better' there already.
If that's the result of the 'regeneration'; surely that can only be a good thing?
She is a teacher at what sounds like a hell-ish school, so also a 'key worker', supporting and hopefully helping the community.
Obviously we have some bias but if the council makes some tax off them (as opposed to spending money demolishing and regenerating the area themselves) and the area 'gentrifies' (to use a word I dislike) then great.
It's not like they removed people, who are now elsewhere - the place was empty with no real means (without the council spending every local's tax money) to sort it.
fiatpower said:
This program doesn't reflect well on Liverpool council, so poorly managed. I can't believe there is no form of insurance whilst the building work goes on. The girl who moved in without it being hers and therefore no insurance is mental!
agree they appear inept. other than the idea itself which seems to be a good concept, the execution isnt good. Yipper said:
Giving away free, taxpayer-subsidized houses to people with ~£60k cash in their bank account is:
a) a serious and wasteful abuse of scarce public money;
b) not a longterm solution to local economic decline.
It is just window-dressing and pretending everything is okay because somewhere has a flower box outside the front door.
Ah and it pipes up again, no-one thinks you're anything other than a poorly executed troll a) a serious and wasteful abuse of scarce public money;
b) not a longterm solution to local economic decline.
It is just window-dressing and pretending everything is okay because somewhere has a flower box outside the front door.
A good idea but seemingly poorly executed, no surprise that legal wrangling wasted years of time as lawyers are only interested in their own fees. Council bloke Tony was completely inept and had no people skills. The safest approach would have been to issue ten house at a time all located together to build up community spirit and the council provide security guards whilst those houses were done, instead the allocation seemed haphazard and the "owners" were thrown to the wolves, they deserve to succeed but I fear they will not.
greygoose said:
A good idea but seemingly poorly executed, no surprise that legal wrangling wasted years of time as lawyers are only interested in their own fees. Council bloke Tony was completely inept and had no people skills. The safest approach would have been to issue ten house at a time all located together to build up community spirit and the council provide security guards whilst those houses were done, instead the allocation seemed haphazard and the "owners" were thrown to the wolves, they deserve to succeed but I fear they will not.
im unsure what the councils logic was with regard to scattering the owners, your idea makes sense. i dont agree with the security guard piece however. these people have plenty cash to put down a large deposit for a similar house in a safe/fully occupied street. they have to put up with some hassle and risk short term but long term they could be quids in. other council tax payers shouldnt be subsidising their punt. I thought that the basic notion of bringing essentially derelict housing back into the property sector was pretty good. OK, it's a bit of a gamble, but an attractive idea if you have a lump of money and maybe potentially better than using it as a deposit. The council did come across as less than helpful, and I also thought it showed how central government's control is sometimes at odds with local needs. The lack of provision re. insurance was dreadful and I felt really sorry for the man whose house was robbed and damaged. I remember visiting Liverpool a few years back and seeing some of these streets, thinking what a waste that potentially decent sized Victorian terraced houses were going to waste so that people could live in expensive shoe boxes elsewhere.
greygoose said:
A good idea but seemingly poorly executed, no surprise that legal wrangling wasted years of time as lawyers are only interested in their own fees. Council bloke Tony was completely inept and had no people skills. The safest approach would have been to issue ten house at a time all located together to build up community spirit and the council provide security guards whilst those houses were done, instead the allocation seemed haphazard and the "owners" were thrown to the wolves, they deserve to succeed but I fear they will not.
Pretty much this.I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Pretty much this.
I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
nice idea but half decent tradesmen probably have the means to avoid living somewhere like that!I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
Jag_NE said:
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Pretty much this.
I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
nice idea but half decent tradesmen probably have the means to avoid living somewhere like that!I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
That was also discussed, IE they'd earn well. This said, if I had a child who wanted to get on the property ladder, and I had such a trade I'd buy in to it.
i dont think this scenario is for kids who are struggling to get on the ladder per se, they have plenty money to do that, they are speculating to accumulate. a trade would help but the state of the houses mean they need all trades going!Mcphisto said:
MitchT said:
One of them spent £60k of savings doing theirs up. £60k of savings. Surely they should have restricted the sale of these to people who genuinely needed a cheap house?
I believe they are Muslims and it's against their religion to get a mortgage, something about paying interest?? ........ So they have put their life savings into it? A fair amount of cash to have at hand though right enough.
ks! Look up Islamic Finance - there are ways to "mortgage" a house without breaking their rules.fiatpower said:
This program doesn't reflect well on Liverpool council, so poorly managed. I can't believe there is no form of insurance whilst the building work goes on. The girl who moved in without it being hers and therefore no insurance is mental!
I only watched the first episode but the management of the process was crap. If you want to regenerate an area, you need everyone moving in at the same time, not sparce occupancy leaving people on their own. If you can't get enough people together, let a developer at them and cap their profit.AyBee said:
Mcphisto said:
MitchT said:
One of them spent £60k of savings doing theirs up. £60k of savings. Surely they should have restricted the sale of these to people who genuinely needed a cheap house?
I believe they are Muslims and it's against their religion to get a mortgage, something about paying interest?? ........ So they have put their life savings into it? A fair amount of cash to have at hand though right enough.ks! Look up Islamic Finance - there are ways to "mortgage" a house without breaking their rules.Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
Pretty much this.
I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
I vaguely remember a series years ago where they threw together a bunch of similar people to those in this series, and they all helped on each others' houses (the one that turned out best at plumbing did the plumbing in everyone's house etc, while someone that was good at bricklaying did that for everyone's house). Although that was building a street of new houses, not refurbing formerly perfectly good homes that the hapless council had turfed everyone out of without a properly financed plan and then left to rot for a decade. I think it ended with everyone falling out and unfinished houses because some of them wouldn't pull their weight.I had an idea when watching it, chatting with Sarah. Could there be mileage that a condition of buying is that you have a valuable trade/skill? EG you're a plumber, a plasterer, a spark, a floor fitter? The idea being that all residents club together skills, each using their skill set on every house until completion? Surely better than a 19 year old with her cab driving dad, who has no idea if the job he undertakes shall bring the roof in!
Surprised that Liverpool City Council agreed to this program being made, they are not coming out of it well, at all. Absolute mismanagement of what should be a simple project.
A friend of mine has lived at the Smithdown Road/Earle Road end of that area for about 20 years, and it has changed so much in the years I've been visiting him.
It was always a bit scabby around there in the 90's but over the years it became more and more derelict, before a huge block was levelled to make way for a new school.
I still don't understand why more of the area wasn't leveled - I'm pretty sure it's not financially viable for people to sink £60k or more into them, unless they are planning to stay there for many years. The refurbed house must be nigh-on unsellable due to the area and being surrounded by more derelict houses.
It was always a bit scabby around there in the 90's but over the years it became more and more derelict, before a huge block was levelled to make way for a new school.
I still don't understand why more of the area wasn't leveled - I'm pretty sure it's not financially viable for people to sink £60k or more into them, unless they are planning to stay there for many years. The refurbed house must be nigh-on unsellable due to the area and being surrounded by more derelict houses.
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