Forum Topic

Norwich Council Estate wins Stirling Prize!

8.10.19For Jenniferhttps://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/norwich-council-estate-named-uks-best-new-building-2019-riba-stirling-prize-winnerhttps://www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards/riba-regional-awards/riba-east-award-winners/2019/goldsmith-street

Philippa Bond ● 2139d20 Comments

And the first two lines of that article are:"Innovative council housing schemes such as the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Goldsmith Street could be stymied by a hike in the interest rate for local government borrowing, critics have warned"

Philippa Bond ● 2132d

https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/10044802.article?

Philippa Bond ● 2133d

I agree Jennifer. Poor housing just brings stress with it which is bad for those living there and others in the community.  An example of that is houses divided badly into flats without proper floor strengthening and sound proofing and fire protection between the flats - and little or no bin space factored in outside or inside.  Some leases state that floors must be carpeted but tenants may prefer laminate flooring which is horribly noisy when walked on for those living underneath.  This causes bad feeling.

Philippa Bond ● 2133d

Also it's important that the occupants themselves care and look after the place.  Philippa, regarding your comment, it's unfair only people who can afford a child should have one as a person in a good job might suddenly be out of work.  In that case, yes of course, they need help from the State.  To deliberately or carelessly, start having children when you have absolutely no money to support yourself, let alone a needy child and then expect the State to provide is not right imo.  People need to learn how to be responsible for themselves.  Fortunate indeed are the children with parents fit and able to provide a roof over their heads well into the mid 20ties,30ties.  The awful housing situation requires urgent and prompt attention.  Hopefully Norwich is just a beginning, needs to progress to provide for those childless folk too who do not want screaming kids shattering their weekends and evenings.

Jennifer Selig ● 2137d

Looks very much like an update of what Brentford has. Terraced Housing.But it is new and smart.Let's see what it looks like in 5 or 10 years. When wear and tear and weathering permeates.Some bold innovative and cracking good places look terrible in a very short time.And some improve with age. So will be nice to see some of these winners and past winners as they come of age.

Raymond Havelock ● 2137d

Jobs come and go.  Ferry companies, ports authorities and customs offices also may have gone taking with them jobs and the jobs providing services for those workers.  Much work is also seasonal in the hotel industry. If you move too far you have no family back up if things go wrong - no grandparent childcare and no elderly care for grandparents.  Travel is expensive and limited.  There may be no hospital transport for appointments.  Closure of any large company may change finances overnight.  I don't think it is right or fair to say that only people who can afford it should have more children because the situation can suddenly change.

Philippa Bond ● 2137d

Hear hear Adam - of course you are right.  Don't have a child until you can afford to feed and house yourself and then a child.  Why should the State have to subsidise you and all your off-spring?

Jennifer Selig ● 2138d

The problem with coastal communities is the nature of the work which must surely be mostly seasonal. The older industries like fishing have all but gone, you have to have some sympathy with the locals, less wages but high property prices pushed up by second home owners. What big firms are willing to move to and invest in these places?

Vanessa Smith ● 2138d

A lot of people from London were relocated to the east coast when the Millenium Dome was being built.  There are a lot with no qualifications.  There are very few jobs on the coast.

Philippa Bond ● 2138d

It was 4 children and 12 grandchildren.  Still quite a lot ie more than the average which I remember as being 2.4.  However it is less than that now.  It was 1.9 in 2017 in this country.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-46118103

Philippa Bond ● 2138d

Having been subjected to the news at lunchtime I saw the BBC report about the study relating to how people living on the coast typically earn less than those living inland (hardly rocket science).But in the report they featured a family from Penzance, and although I didn't quite hear it the report described this family as comprising something like 12 grandchildren and 7 children.  They were moaning about how they hadn't got any money, an 18 year old member thought nothing of moaning about how she might not be able to afford a place of her own whilst happily smoking away...And yet we're supposed to feel sympathy for these people ?.  If you have 7 kids, and in turn they have 12 grandchildren, then pay your own way, you decided to have the kids, you've already forced the world to provide for those kids in terms of infrastructure, resources and so forth, don't look to the Government to throw more cash at you.  But no, apparently that family are a good justification as to why the Government should throw extra money at coastal towns.It really does beggar belief.

Adam Beamish ● 2138d

"Unfortunately we are not inspiring and giving many of our children the education and support necessary to wise up to the fact that they will have a better life if they find a job and career to give them satisfaction and fulfil their potential while not living on the breadline in dreadful uninsulated housing with children.  The number of teenage pregnancies has reduced.  "Self-contradictory surely. If the number of teenage pregnancies is dropping then surely the message about personal and social responsibility is getting through.

N V Brooks ● 2138d

I would limit RTB to those who have a 10 year unblemished social housing record.  Too many are 'flipping' social housing for profit.

N V Brooks ● 2138d

Right to buy should be stopped, no ifs no butts.

Christopher Hugh Dakers ● 2138d

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-49964986Unfortunately we are not inspiring and giving many of our children the education and support necessary to wise up to the fact that they will have a better life if they find a job and career to give them satisfaction and fulfil their potential while not living on the breadline in dreadful uninsulated housing with children.  The number of teenage pregnancies has reduced.  https://www.fpa.org.uk/news/fpa-welcomes-record-low-teenage-pregnancy-rates-warns-progress-threatened-sexual-health-service

Philippa Bond ● 2138d

Yes, you're probably right, it's just a bee in my bonnet I have, particularly at the moment when the headlines are full of talk about Extinction Rebellion and such like - we are bombarded with this notion that if we all do our bit we can save the planet, yet 'doing our bit' is focused on minimising use of plastics and such like, which, whilst of course we should be doing so, is the metaphorical drop in the ocean compared to the simple fact that over-population is what has already started to and will continue to destroy this planet.I just find it so hypocritical, if I get on a plane to the States then I'm destroying the planet, but if I have 5 kids then "aww, aren't they lovely ?!".

Adam Beamish ● 2138d

A trifle harsh there Adam. I suspect the houses are meant for families not couples, I gather there are low rise flats at either end of the estate. They also factored in a larger space for community get togethers, which I thought was a good idea. Do agree the fly in the ointment is the fact they could be sold off and have every sympathy for the plight of people who cannot afford to buy and find it almost impossible to rent who do not have children. My two sons are both stuck with us in exactly that position, there are no options for them and many others. You cannot escape the fact that this small estate is a glimmer of hope - looking around at what is going up in this borough it looked like some sort of Utopia.

Vanessa Smith ● 2138d

I saw this on the news too and clearly I'm a miserable sod but I thought it was awful.  Waxing lyrical about saving heat by not having a letterbox...does that mean to get any post you've got to open the door, go outside, collect the post and then re-open the door - wouldn't that incur more heat loss than a letterbox ?.But for me what I hated was the communal play space directly between the rows of houses.  Basically if you hadn't got kids and weren't exactly delighted at having kids creating merry hell outside you'd be a prisoner in your own home.Oh, and the residents are going to be able to buy them soon too.  Great, so any increase in the public housing stock isn't going to last for long as they're sold off.Where's the housing for those of us who earn too much to be able to apply for such homes, but not enough to buy privately, and don't particularly want to have 50 kids congregating at the back of our 5 metre deep patch of grass that is supposedly a 'garden' ?.The only good thing about the development from my perspective was that it means that Dazza and Shazza and their brood of 5 kids from 3 different relationships are going to live on the same street as 50 other Dazza and Shazza-esque familes, so they'll all be happy together, well away from me.

Adam Beamish ● 2138d

Brilliant! Saw these lovely homes on the news yesterday - surprising what you can do with some political will......

Vanessa Smith ● 2138d

That's what happens when a local authority has the 'balls' to build affordable family homes. They are small but adequate, are rented on secure fixed-rent tenancies. each with their own open space and meet the Passivhaus standard which means they will cost, on average, £3.00 per week to heat.Note to Hounslow and Ealing councils: This is what a Labour authority can do if it really tries rather than roll-over to developers building expensive shoe boxes.

N V Brooks ● 2138d