On 4 Jul 2011 at 9:06am SHS wrote:
At 05.00 this morning a heavy police presence as the St Anne-s School 'What will Lewes do with this Green Space?' aka Climate Camp community was evicted. Stand by for the felling of all trees in the neighbourhood 'for security reasons'.
On 4 Jul 2011 at 9:26am sfb wrote:
Yay! About time too!
On 4 Jul 2011 at 10:15am Ant e rabble wrote:
The layabouts will find some other 'cause' to waste taxpayers money on.
They should ship them all out to some remote volcanic island and let them do their 'friends of the earth' protests there.
Alternatively, make them work to repay society all the benefits they have claimed over their miserable lifetime.
On 4 Jul 2011 at 10:17am WilliamDyer wrote:
First heard about this on twitter at about 9am - link to article below.
I have mixed feelings about this, but have to confess that I think it's high time that the law is changed regarding squatting rights in England. Scotland has it bang on (as with most legal matters) For those that don't know, it is a criminal offence there. Property owners have the right to evict squatters without notice (although cannot use unlawful means such as violence)
Check it out here »
On 4 Jul 2011 at 11:31am 'ere be monsters wrote:
It was on the news this morning that Cameron is going to change the law to that of Scotland and make it a criminal offence to squat. Interesting to know what will happen to "travelers" if they can't just turn up and stay on someone's land, make a mess and just wait until the procedures are carried out before they can be evicted. Also how much of a strain would this put on the police?
On 4 Jul 2011 at 1:49pm Ticket wrote:
I would have thought that squatting in a house in the Lewes area is a little risky, imangine if it were owned by Nicholas Van H ? ouch.
On 4 Jul 2011 at 2:50pm Ed Can Do wrote:
A law change like that is gonig to upset all the people who've moved into property owned by Colonel Gadaffi in the last couple of months.
On 4 Jul 2011 at 4:10pm bastian wrote:
Is that to go with the news that this government has disguised the fact that it's benefit rules will make up to 20,000 people homeless.So now they can't squat either.Also,how is it not a waste of tax payers money to keep this old building sitting empty all those years.
On 5 Jul 2011 at 12:48am not from around here wrote:
Regardless of if it's a waste of taxpayers money or not to keep a building empty - the owners of that building have a right to do so if they wish. Squatters do not have the moral right to occupy a building just because they think it's ok.
On 5 Jul 2011 at 8:27am 'ere be monsters wrote:
I see what you're saying nfrh, but I'm sure the owners of these private, empty properties have not been homeless. Perhaps they would have a different point of view if they had. Perhaps.
On 5 Jul 2011 at 8:46am Vesbod wrote:
Hear hear ebm. The trouble with these empty buildings is that the owners either can't sell them for a profit (that suits them), and/or, can't get planning permisiion for a specific project. What annoys me is that the owners just leave the buildings to rot and eventually the council has to give them planning permission to do something with the property. I think there should be a rule that empty properties must be utilised/redeveloped within 12 months else squatters should be allowed to live in them. Sounds fair to me ?
On 5 Jul 2011 at 12:45pm Mr Forks wrote:
Second homes should be banned or very highly taxed as well. No one needs a second home, just get a hotel room instead?!
On 5 Jul 2011 at 1:21pm Property Owner wrote:
Here's a revolutionary idea, maybe the squatters could pay some money to the property owners in exchange for letting them live there. That way the squatters would have a perfectly legal home, and the property owners would have an income with which to maintain the property. Everybody benefits. Oh, hang on, silly me. That won't happen because squatters are just another element of society who think that they have a divine right to get something for nothing that the rest of us have to pay for.
On 5 Jul 2011 at 2:25pm old HAG wrote:
Squatting has generally been to use otherwise unused property. Certainly a few squatter are just chancers, but remember (if you're old enough) how late 70's squatting in Lewes produced the Housing Action Group and led to ESCC rehabbing squated properties it had kept empty since the old road scheme times - many in Market St, North St, Malling St and Western Road.
On 5 Jul 2011 at 6:47pm Clifford wrote:
Property Owner - property owners don't do as you ask because by taking rent they'll have given the squatters a tenancy, something most squatters in my experience would like. How many properties do you own?
Great post old HAG.
On 6 Jul 2011 at 5:41pm Property Owner wrote:
Clifford - how many properties I own is really not relevant, however I have rented out property on an unfurnished basis in the past. Between tenants, the property did at times stand empty for short periods. Are you/Old Hag suggesting that because it was empty, it was fair game for squatters to move in rent free whilst I carried on paying the mortgage?
The point is, if squatters were so desperate for a tenancy, then they could get rented accomodation just as easily as anyone else (and by definition would not then be squatters). In reality they would rather just take over someone elses property for nothing, and with the law the way it is at the moment, it seems there is very little to stop them.