Saturday 25 August 2007

Housing When's a home not a home? When it's a live/work space

Owners of properties designed for home-based workers face eviction, as Lucy Barnard reports in The Guardian.

They're called live/work apartments, and have sprouted in urban centres across the UK. They are targeted at the pioneers of home-based working, and usually feature cutting-edge architectural design.

But now hundreds of purchasers who use them entirely as a residential space, face eviction following a clampdown by council planning departments.

The London Borough of Hackney has already issued 600 "planning contravention" notices, and other councils across the country are watching the situation closely.

Two weeks ago, the 75 homeowners of Union Wharf, a trendy-looking block a stone's throw from Hoxton, N1, woke up to open an innocuous-looking letter from Hackney council.

It was from an official, telling them they were all in breach of planning regulations and had to either leave their homes or apply for residential planning consent within 28 days.


more »

 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Residents of Ability Plaza on Kingsland Road have all received letters from Hackney Council's Planning Enforcement Officer, informing them of investigations of "an alleged breach of planning control" in the 101 apartments in the development. It seems they're on the warpath and determined to annoy a lot of loyal borough residents!