Southwark Council is right to put paid to a plan to convert railway arches into housing – is there nowhere in the capital that isn’t fair game for property development?
In fairness, the local authority hasn’t said no, but rather it has amended planning legislation that would allow conversion of arches into property without seeking planning permission. Far better that a close eye is kept on more than 800 arches around the borough, which currently house businesses and workshops.
The capital’s housing crisis is THE issue the new mayor must try to tackle, before London loses its soul entirely. You can’t blame individual property owners for trying to make a profit out of the situation, but it’s an indication of the increasing desperation of many in London to find affordable accommodation that a plan to create homes under a railway track can even be considered.