Chartered Engineer • Founder • Civil Engineering I solve problems most people don’t understand. London & Nottingham 🏳️🌈
London, England
Joined January 2013
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My 89 year old grandparents win the award for most adorable email ever 🥰🥰🥰
Feeling blessed
Thank you @claerb and the @FT for shining a light on this issue. I’m glad to have contributed to such an important piece.
“In what other area of financial services could an institution fail to provide an accurate redemption figure, ignore repeated correspondence and still give customers incorrect information? People should be able to make informed decisions.”
Choosing to clear an income-contingent loan is a risky move, says Claer Barrett. Yet deciding to repay is not the end of the story: ft.trib.al/oMEFEOK
Normal homebuyers are credit checked to the Nth degree, but the developers’ & their finances seem to go unchecked during the conveyancing process. It’s alright considering where the money comes from but how about where it goes?
I understand this is the same site the @H_S_E shut down during construction due to grave concerns and failings in H&S.
A narrow strip of unused land beside one of London's busiest roads has been transformed into 97 homes.
Designed by Peter Barber Architects, Edgewood Mews in North London features two rows of distinctive brick buildings arranged around a car-free pedestrian street.
The buildings facing the North Circular Road help shield the residential area from traffic noise, creating a quieter space between the two rows.
Half of the homes are designated as affordable housing, and the development also includes a café, a corner shop, and underground parking.
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
Alternative headline: Business struggles to sell low-demand product forced to rethink market strategy.
In what other sector would there be any sympathy? Consumers rightfully fear inadvertently buying, for lack of a better phrase “new-build shite”, spending years and hundreds of thousands of pounds litigating and remediating.
Bloomberg (£) British Land has reportedly “put the brakes on further work” on its multi-billion regeneration project at Canada Water in Southwark in the face of “soaring costs and lacklustre sales” according to sources. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
The "quality" of new build developments in London and across the country is a huge problem affecting our generation seeking to buy their first homes. Defect-ridden flats appear to be everywhere. The housing crisis needs an honest debate on what we build, not how many we build.
Problem is, then you become part of the cover up. The value is only the value once all the issues are declared, otherwise it’s misrep. And unlike a developer who will fold their SPV, as a resident you have the lifetime risk of being sued. There is little point pretending the value is not impacted if people stay quiet.
Delighted to share I'm now a Chartered Engineer (CEng) 🎉
A lengthy process, but great to have my work in flood risk, drainage and flood protection recognised. Thank you to everyone who supported me, and to both @theIET and @CIWEM
#CharteredEngineer #CEng #FloodRisk
Whilst I am sure the architecture by
@PpeterPeter is great, I'd suggest doing some due diligence on those involved in the construction. I understand the project was developed by Kuropatwa Ltd - later renamed London South Build Ltd and now in liquidation believed to owe creditors, including HMRC, circa £3.5m.
A narrow strip of unused land beside one of London's busiest roads has been transformed into 97 homes.
Designed by Peter Barber Architects, Edgewood Mews in North London features two rows of distinctive brick buildings arranged around a car-free pedestrian street.
The buildings facing the North Circular Road help shield the residential area from traffic noise, creating a quieter space between the two rows.
Half of the homes are designated as affordable housing, and the development also includes a café, a corner shop, and underground parking.
The problem isn’t necessarily leasehold, it’s building standards. Handling over the freehold to residents does not fix building standards, arguably it makes it worse. I am all for “freeing leaseholders” but that has to focus on all the issues, not just the legal definition.
.@AndyBurnham says he’ll free leaseholders.
But in a secret consultation, the government says it won’t set enfranchisement rates to cut freehold buy-out and lease extension costs.
Summer’s over. Give freeholders the 99!
Respond to the consultation or let vested interests win.
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
Flat out. “Many banks won’t lend money on a property if the service charge is more than 1 per cent of the purchase price, which has made some flats unsellable. @Hamptons1869 estimated this month that 37 per cent of flats in England and Wales — almost 2 million — have a service charge that could stop buyers getting a mortgage.” The government are focused on building more, not the welfare of those who went before and are now paying the price. @JSimpsonjourno @thetimes
thetimes.com/article/e3f28f0…
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
“I know the importance of having a safe place to live.”
Then please come to 53 Agar Grove.
We’ve spent six years and around £500,000 fighting serious defects in our homes. Zack Polanski has asked to visit.
@Sagal_AW, will you come too?
I know the importance of having a safe place to live.
When I came here as a child refugee, that’s what Camden gave me.
That’s why I’m committed to tackling homelessness and delivering secure, affordable housing.
camdennewjournal.co.uk/artic…
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
Someone needs to speak to @JamesCleverly.
Build, baby, build.
But buyers HATE the product.
Why sign up to a leasehold flat with unlimited service-charge liability and fees from a monopolist — leaving your home potentially unmortgageable and unsellable? thisismoney.co.uk/money/mort…
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
It was only once Riverside House finally caught fire that homeowners realised the sprinklers didn't work. In fact, they never had. At first, the company managing the block insisted they didn't even exist, and the story only gets stranger from there... sheffieldtribune.co.uk/they-…
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
“We built a load of unsafe homes and it’s not fair we have to fix them”
Home building is becoming increasingly unviable across many parts of England and Wales.
Rising policy, taxation, and regulatory pressures mean build costs have risen by on average around £76,000 per home since 2020.
At the same time, demand-side constraints and ongoing barriers - including planning delays - are compounding the challenge.
The risks associated with building today have seen SME numbers dwindle, planning applications plummet, and housing delivery nose-dive, with just 208,000 new homes completed in 2024/25 - down 16% from the 2020 peak.
Policymakers must give serious consideration to the real-world cumulative impact of layered regulation on housing delivery.
For too long, the industry has been treated as an easy target for additional taxation and policy burdens - but there is a limit to how much private businesses can absorb.
That’s why we are calling for a moratorium on any new policy costs, taxes, and levies affecting home building, while a full review of cumulative regulatory impacts is undertaken.
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
Government considering a ban on builders/developers being able to choose their own building control inspectors...
This would be a big and necessary change to a broken system
insidehousing.co.uk/news/gov…
Simon Crowther CEng retweeted
I've watched Dan's @dannybster woes over the years with his leasehold flat, where it's clearly been built by laborers with little to no skills.
How have we ended up a country where you cannot trust a new build property, especially flats?
