Squatting & other BBC housing stories

[Tony Gosling]

A wealth of information here even if the BBC haven't quite the courage to
analyse the housing crisis in depth.

As part of a series on housing and ways of life in the UK, anarchist Jan
Maat talks about living in a London squat.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/in_pictures_life_in
_a_squat/html/1.stm
Jan, 33, does not have a permanent base, but chooses to squat in empty
premises. Up to 12 people can live in the squat, which is made up of
several derelict council flats.
"They are people who do things that don’t make the money that enables them
to pay the rent, or who are living a life that is pretty international."

Life on a croft
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/in_pictures_life_on
_a_croft_/html/1.stm
"This is not an 'alternative lifestyle', it's the traditional lifestyle,
and it's not dead yet," says Peter Dodge.
Peter, 51, his wife Alex, 39, and their children live in Shetland, Northern
Isles.

When Alex took on the croft tenancy, they became the 10th generation of her
family to occupy the smallholding, which clings to the edge of the island’s
rugged coast.

Life in a Park Home
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/in_pictures_life_in
_a_park_home/html/1.stm
Morris, 78, and Myra, 82, gave up the urban life in 1995 and moved from
their bricks-and-mortar home in Essex to a mobile home park in East Sussex.
The 400-home estate mainly attracts "active" retired people.
The couple have a passion for travel, and spend a few months each year in
warmer climes.

Life in an Eco Roundhouse
http://tinyurl.com/yh5t2z


BBC's Housing UK index
http://tinyurl.com/yayksc

Shaping the UK urban renaissance
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6150578.stm	
A regeneration expert warns of challenges remaining as Britain's city
centres rapidly re-develop.
			
Rural housing: Only for the wealthy?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6154186.stm
Rural housing campaigner on what villages must do to maintain character.

Why is it so expensive to buy a house?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6065330.stm
Why the UK is obsessed with the housing market and how it's unlikely to
change.

Home Owners turn to Self-build
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm