Lewes Forum thread

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Phoenix Rising petition report

On 3 Dec 2015 at 4:08pm Just for the record wrote:

LDC'S Officers' response to the Phoenix Rising petition is now available online (full council meeting on 9 Dec.)
The officers recommendation is 'to continue working towards the delivery of the existing joint LDC/Santon North LTD scheme for the North St. Quarter.'
It makes interesting reading: e.g. (219) 'The Lewes Phoenix Rising proposal promises set rental levels but there is no evidence those rents have been tested with registered providers or could be viably delivered. Furthermore their master plan includes affordable live/work units for existing workers on the site but there is also no evidence of housing need for that group and no justification for them bypassing the existing housing waiting list.'

On 3 Dec 2015 at 4:39pm HeathClifford wrote:

Precisely, well said LDC. The anti-Santon thing is a weird alliance of socialists who hate private companies and Tories who hate anything new. They make out that Phoenix is going to be some sort Elysian community-workers paradise when it's really just a ridiculously dense plan for 35 square metre boxes stacked up 6 storeys high, surrounded by crappy wannabe businesses that aren't viable enough to pay commercial rates. As for Starfish etc, yes, lovely charities, lovely people and I'm sure they will find somewhere, but they're not worth holding up this development for any longer.

On 3 Dec 2015 at 5:22pm Lewes Chap wrote:

I would appreciate a link to the whole report if someone can post that, as I would like to know the full facts before commenting on what sounds initially like a verdict of "self-serving, self-centred, wishful thinking" on LPR's hopes.

On 3 Dec 2015 at 10:55pm Lewes man wrote:

I will probably buy one of the properties on the new development as a buy to let when they are ready.
I will probably make quite a bit out of it in terms of rent and equity.
I still would rather the Phoenix are was left as a creative incubation centre though.
I don't like the idea of Lewes being normalised into a version of Uckfield or Burgess Hill or becoming part of Greater Brighton either

On 4 Dec 2015 at 11:22am Redballs wrote:

Lewes man what do you think was on that site before the army of buses and vans turned up, before the 'creative incubation centre'.
You are obviously on a wind up or an Idiot.

On 4 Dec 2015 at 1:24pm Belladonna wrote:

What are the criteria for buying 'affordable' housing ? Do you have to be in low paid or key worker jobs ? (In which case how do you afford 400k?)

On 4 Dec 2015 at 6:08pm scruffy the janitor wrote:

Affordable is the actual problem, when people spout about "peppercorn rents" and "afforable", it is because they are driven by by rampent capitalism, they are profiteers, they cannot see that it is the "high" rents that are the problem (as seen all over London). The problem is not afforability;that would be fine if there was no greed in the world, but when the well off set the rents then a kind of normality sets in, this is how clone towns are made, only the big guys can afford to use the spaces, so rent capping is the future for the masses.

On 4 Dec 2015 at 10:37pm Xo wrote:

Sorry, rent caps create shortage. It has been proven. High interest rates would help by creating a buyers market.
You could instigate a "renters strike" where no renter will pay rent for the month of January. That would cause the buy to let market to tumble without much affect on the renter. You would have to have a high percentage of participants.
But I think 1 month =5% reduction, 2 months is 20%...
I am just saying, if you got the balls - roll with it!