ARCHITECTS COME TOGETHER TO TACKLE LONDON HOUSING CRISIS

Architects in Southport will no doubt be interested to read some of the ideas that their peers have come up with to help address the housing crisis in London, with the aim in mind being to find innovative ways of increase the housing density without affecting quality of life.

Think-tank New London Architecture (NLA) collected 100 ideas from architects around the UK, as part of the group’s plans to find a way to construct 440,000 new properties in the capital. In all, ten of the ideas will be shown to mayor of London Boris Johnson and later considered by town planners working on changing London in the future.

Ideas include constructing entire neighbourhoods – including cafes, offices and schools – on current docks and rivers, putting houses on top of public buildings like libraries, schools and hospitals, and new properties constructed in the back gardens of town houses that have more space than they need.

However, some believe that the best solution would be to build on the outskirts of the capital to create a mega city alongside the M25 so more people can share in the prosperity of this part of the UK.

NLA’s core mission is to bring Londoners and others together to help create a better city, serving as an independent forum for debate, discussion and information about planning, development, architecture and construction in London.

Those interested can visit the NLA galleries that depict the story of the development of the capital through permanent and changing exhibitions. They’re open six days a week and are free to enter.