The Public Housing Shortage...Why not bring back "Prefabs"?

[Bago 10]

Will those 3 out of the housing association pay less for their flat than those who bought it privately? If so... imagine the outcry, and complaints. lol.

[Cyclone 10]

It's a good idea because they were decent homes back then and they have 'em in other countries - but it's the lack of land. It just gets sold to the highest bidder if it's private.

 

Maybe big private developments should be required to allocate a certain percentage of the stock to social housing in order to get planning permission? So if say they want to build a block of 100 flats they must allocate 3 to a housing association? They could easily accommodate that in their profits surely? Plus, it gets rid of this whole thing of 'sink estates', where everyone renting is dumped in one area together.

 

This is already the case isn't it?

[Greybeard 10]

- more social housing is desperately needed of course - but the new ones shouldn't carry the same right to buy - or we'll just go round in circles!

 

Have to agree with that. The 'right to buy' council rented property is what has really blighted the property market. And the 'social housing' label needs to be abolished. There seems these days to be a stigma of economic inadequacy attached to those who live in rented property.

 

When I was young most working class, and a good number of middle-class people were happy to live in rented property and a significant proportion of it was privately rather than council owned. It gave people much greater flexibility about changing jobs and living close to their place of work than being locked in to a mortgage does.

 

Read in the paper today that the base line for first time buyers has now become seven times annual pay and will be ten time annual pay within five years. Our first mortgage was limited to 2.5 times my salary and just half my wife's earnings...with a maximum advance of 90% of the valuation.

 

If those criteria were applied today the property market would collapse !

[Agent Orange 11]

OK, many of the nation's people and its youngsters are finding private housing virtually impossible to afford.

 

After WW2 the returning troops needed homes to rent in which to raise their families.

 

Pre-fabricated homes were a rapid answer to the housing shortage. In due course their occupants were able to move into more traditional housing provided at public expense for rental, or buy their own houses from a growing stock of private, traditional-build homes as family finances improved.

 

The Governments of the day started a massive post-war building programme in traditional materials and the prefabs were ultimately demolished.

 

Factory-built prefabricated housing and its design using modern materials has moved forward tremendously in the last 60 years. The concept is used in quite a few countries. Why not here in Britain?

 

We need to learn the lessons of history and provide housing for all. Prefabs are low cost options for medium term occupation and could provide reasonable habitation for younger people completely unable to contemplate purchasing a new home, and many more are likely to be forced to rent from private landlords.

 

What's your view?

 

There are still some prefabricated bungalows standing in Wath upon Dearne, which were erected just after the war as a temporary housing solution. The council recently renovated them and they are used to home the elderly. It's strange cos they seemed to have outlived some of the houses built at the same period.

[mikey10 10]

is owner occupation all its cracked up to be? say if you bought a house for 100 grand and sold it in 10 years for 200 grand would that mean a 100 grand profit? thats how its often quoted. but what about the maintenance, 50 quid a week over 10 years 25 grand? insurance 10 quid a week over 10 years, 5 grand. interest on the loan? you'd be lucky to make anything. always better than enting though. even though i dont own a property.

[Cyclone 10]

even if you discount the hidden costs you mention (which don't include ground rent, buildings insurance, mortgage insurance, etc) it's still only profit if you sell and then live under a bridge in a cardboard box.

 

The UK has an obsession with buying houses though, most of the rest of europe have far higher numbers of people renting and they see that as perfectly normal.

[Agent Orange 11]

even if you discount the hidden costs you mention (which don't include ground rent, buildings insurance, mortgage insurance, etc) it's still only profit if you sell and then live under a bridge in a cardboard box.

 

The UK has an obsession with buying houses though, most of the rest of europe have far higher numbers of people renting and they see that as perfectly normal.

 

An Englishman's home is his castle, so to speak. I personally prefer to buy as I see rent as dead money. A home is a good investment in my opinion.

[shoeshine 10]

The UK has an obsession with buying houses though, most of the rest of europe have far higher numbers of people renting and they see that as perfectly normal.

 

Yep, but they're barmy n'est pas!

[Jabberwocky 46]

I think prefabs are brilliant. They built temporary prefabs in Ecclesfield just after the war and the last I heared of them, back in 2000 they were selling for hundreds of thousands!

There are brownfield sites in the citys, but the countryside is out of bounds Im afraid.

Let `em try to build houses near to me... just let `em dare try ....

 

Im all for prefabs, just not in my back yard, ok?

[Sheffalways 10]

They should build eco-villages instead of building the sky scraper building that no one really wants. They knock down old building and build new ones and we loose our best structures. What gets me is Sheffield are building more office space, the fact is we have too much office space but its not updated and also it cost to much to rent or buy.

[Darbees 10]

There are millions of unused shipping containers around the world that could be made into homes and in fact are already being used around the world in imaginative ways. They are currently wasted and would use up less resources to convert into homes, they are easily transportable and are standard sizes and so they can be linked together and fitted out in factories and trucked to the site ready to use.

 

Apparently the disparity in the amount of goods which are shipped from places like China in relation to the amount shipped back means that it costs more to return the empty containers than they are worth and so they are just piled up here unused.

[Darbees 10]

Here's a little 5 minute film about it