10/01/2024
Just another load of 'Same Old, Same Old': Thoughts as we enter our first full working week of 2024
Plough Monday, the first Monday following the twelfth day, led us into our first full working week of the year. Not that there’s likely to be much ploughing going on in many parts of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Agricultural Land and Ancient Woodlands are being devastated to make way for railways that such a small proportion of the population will ever use, along with Eco-Friendly habitats!
Acres of warehousing abound.
It's strange to see big storage buildings popping up where farms used to be. And houses planted in areas where wildlife could once run free. Changing how rainwater flows whilst quizzically wondering why we keep having new flooded areas.
There’s an interesting contradiction. At the same time, loads of money is going into big train projects like HS2 and the Oxford-Cambridge line, yet there's not enough available to keep our roads in good shape and flood-free.
It’s not as though any locals will be able to catch a train from London to Birmingham either to take any traffic away from the locally burdened roads. Insufficient funds even to keep the drains clear too, it would appear.
So here we are, stepping further into 2024, the business landscape awakens from its holiday slumber, bracing for the predictable post-holiday splurge. We're navigating the familiar hustle of catching up, a routine yet energetic start to the New Year.
Recent data seems to follow us rather than inform us. Oft-times reinforcing what is so evident. A notable deviation is observed in the very reduced number of house completions compared to previous years. By that, I mean build completions and not sales completions. This warrants attention for potential market shifts.
It's good to see a conveyancing sector, though, being buoyed by the vigorous efforts of independent contributors, standing out as a beacon of activity and potential.
Then comes the 'same old, same old' rhetoric from government officials and the so-called "leveller-uppers." Their repeated declarations about increasing housing stock starkly contrast with the on-ground reality.
The continued narrative often overlooks the significant gap in actual housing construction, unjustly placing the burden on local councils for the absence. Forgetting the developers who have planning permission yet fail to build.
This discrepancy begs the question: what genuine steps are being taken to improve housing availability? It's imperative that pressure be placed on developers to facilitate effective social housing projects.
Numerous organisations are ready and willing to undertake affordable housing construction, provided they receive the necessary support and incentives.
Seriously, addressing the housing shortage is not an overnight task. The ongoing cycle of blame offers little in terms of practical solutions. In areas where the consequences of large infrastructure projects are evident, developments appear to be impacting local communities more than benefiting them.
The irony of large warehouses replacing agricultural land is not lost, contributing to strained water tables, while enormous investments in projects like HS2, serving only a minority, overshadow the need for fundamental road maintenance.
As we forge ahead in 2024, the persistent challenges in the housing and infrastructure sectors call for a balanced and environmentally conscious approach to development.
The hope for this year lies in moving beyond the 'same old, same old' rhetoric to actionable strategies that address these pressing issues. We need to make sure we're building in a way that's good for both people and nature.
Here's hoping this year we see some real action being taken rather than just being talked about.
Photo by Rich Howard: https://www.pexels.com/photo/drone-shot-of-warehouses-8100812/
