Oxford at risk due to high house prices

CLAPTON

Nimbys don't have any direct power to stop new building.


They do, in a democracy, have the power to influence their councillors and MPs.


Oxford county councillors are mainly Tory although the city is Labour.


Probably unlikely to vote for major council housing in the shires.


The current 'affordable' housing requirement is an impediment to new house building

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

lisyloo wrote: »

So how come it's Oxford? Is it because of the green garrotte?

Oxford is just one of many towns being throttled by the Green Noose.

kabayiri

Trailer parks...with lots of trailers on them. There's a solution.
They must have plenty of parks and fields down in Oxford and surrounding.

These properties will only appeal to the essential workers who just want reasonable accommodation at a reasonable price. Aspirationalists, or even property snobs, will look elsewhere.

...or they could keep on moaning about driving workers away I guess.

Meanwhile, up in Northern Hell Hole Manchester, Diy SOS renovate a whole street for injured army personnel. No shortage of housing up here.

Perhaps the town planners in Oxford just aren't very good....

Conrad

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The will to build is there. The only thing stopping it is those who have already built on these wonderful views.

Once it's gone it's gone forever, and where does it end? If you take Cambridge as an example they've build massive developments in the last 2 years around the perimeter, but this seems to increase demand still further like a self fulfilling vortex.



2 bed flats in Cambridge are £500k
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/new-homes-for-sale/property-54601397.html

In the end the real issue, the only issue, is over-population.
The more you build, the more will come, is this all there is to the Human experience, unending development, consumption, congestion, pollution, intensive agriculture, more reliance on food imports (very insecure position)?

kabayiri

Conrad wrote: »

Once it's gone it's gone forever, and where does it end? If you take Cambridge as an example they've build massive developments in the last 2 years around the perimeter, but this seems to increase demand still further like a self fulfilling vortex.
...

http://www.growyourownhome.org/

What's wrong with a bit of diversification in where we live? We seem to be obsessed with building brick houses in a style which hasn't changed much in decades.

Mud huts and houses made out of twigs and clay won't appeal to the property-developers/others who seek to turn homes into financial assets.

purch

kabayiri wrote: »

Trailer parks...with lots of trailers on them. There's a solution.
They must have plenty of parks and fields down in Oxford and surrounding.

I take it you havn't been to Kennington, just outside Oxford.

Plenty of "Mobile" Home Parks in that area.

kabayiri

purch wrote: »

I take it you havn't been to Kennington, just outside Oxford.

Plenty of "Mobile" Home Parks in that area.

I'll add it to my bucketlist of places to visit

Does "plenty" mean "enough already" or "plenty good enough to encourage more"?

edit : the Kennington website looks nice, but makes no mention of mobile homes.

Mistermeaner

Gosh it's all so simple:

No need for buses in Oxford. They are the transport of the poor - no buses = no poor = house price not an issue

No teachers = no schools. Less demand for family homes.

No nurses = higher mortality and less attractive to the elderly, again reduced demand for housing.

Just let market forces do what they do.

Or build more houses

[Deleted User]

Hmm, it's not much worse than my neck of the woods in 'very outer london' / 'south hertfordshire'

Popular places in the south east are expensive. You're looking at £300-400k minimum for 3 bed homes.

lostinrates

Mistermeaner wrote: »

Gosh it's all so simple:

No need for buses in Oxford. They are the transport of the poor - no buses = no poor = house price not an issue

No teachers = no schools. Less demand for family homes.

No nurses = higher mortality and less attractive to the elderly, again reduced demand for housing.

Just let market forces do what they do.

Or build more houses

Oxford survives with buses and I don't think anyone would argue otherwise. Its one of the only places ever I consider using the park and ride system too.

I was in Oxford very recently for an event with foundinrates and a member of his family who doesn't drive. They asked how long it would take us to get there ...my reply confounded them, that getting there was not the issue, it would be quick usually, but getting into the city could take ages. Even then found in rates drove down a road that was buses only ( because he was used to be able to being able to cycle down it as a student) .

Oxford is extremely congested, and getting through it or past it using the road network it also nightmarish. Crossing past it, for example, was the only logical route to go a couple of years ago to collect my puppy, yet I considered a route taking me deeper into the southeast commuter belt.
Aswell as being a huge draw in its own right for tourism, unis, businesses, the research hospitals and ' normal' life and business its commuter traffic for London is not inconsiderable, whether that's front he city itself or surrounding villages and small towns that the city services, think for example of didcot parkway, a considerable commuter station.


Something that did surprise me was that we went at weekend when term was back in, at a weekend. The streets were not as full as 'usual' ( its been a few years apart from a trip we make sometimes where we do not stop anywhere else) and we could get lunch without waiting anywhere. Maybe it was just a quiet day, but we all commented on it. We saw no signs of immense depression.


Kabayiri, there are also park homes in Abingdon I believe. i don't think the city is under served for low cost housing, Oxford sprawls, and the road network struggles. Congestion around the train station ( which remains on the edge of the old city, because its a city, like London where many do not drive, and DO use buses, coach or train and public transport is certainly not seen as poor mans transport....in fact, maybe even the inverse thinking about it, the poor might in many cases have more access to transport because lots of students do not and many who linger on and lecture or loaf about never bother either.......there isn't the need and a car can even be a bit of a burden if you life is Oxford/London centric.