I agree that the amount of rubbish and fly-tipping on the streets and in the corners of Brentford is dreadful and very dispiriting. Athough it's still a big problem I see less evidence of dog poo now that our children have left home and they no longer bring it through the front door on their shoes. However the development at Baltic Avenue could never be described as social housing. According to Zoopla the average price of homes sold in Baltic Avenue over the past 5 years has been £467,781. The smallest flats start at about £310,000 with a rental value of about £1,200 per month with a ground rent of £450 per annum. There is a total of 147 homes within the development. Unlike many other sites in London, Baltic Avenue has a high proportion of owner-occupiers who were assisted by the Help To Buy scheme.On 1st February 2017 Bellway, the original developers, sold the freehold for all or part of the site to an outfit called Adriatic Land 6 (GR1) Limited whose beneficial ownership is hidden behind nominee directors of another group. This means that current leaseholders are exempted from the provisions of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 which gives individual leaseholders "first refusal" to buy the freehold for their home. This is a fine example of the extent to which major housebuilders view their social responsibilities.
Jim Storrar ● 3070d