Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

Just had a look at that, its not meant for people like me, I dont think.

Cant understand the questions let alone come up with an answer.

 

Nope. But I wish the sink had been pyrex!!

I can't even do a repair. Gonna be expensive.

 

Just heard noises in the loft above. Has put my wife very much on edge.

 

I've got a device called a Boa Constrictor, which is basically an adjustable length rubber strap and a plastic handle that it feeds through and which gives you leverage. Works very well.

This year I bought a nut cracker which has the added function of a bottle opener. It allows you to grip those tops of plastic drink bottles very easily, and turn them to break the seal. It does an excellent job of cracking walnuts too.

 

I haven't had time to start it yet, but it looks as though there are lots of white spaces to put comments in. Plenty of time as it goes on till April.

 

@Escarpment, your boa constrictor sounds like the gadget I have. Mine is bright yellow. Easy to find in the drawer.

 

Yes mine is day-glo orange!

 

Clearly boas don’t do subtle!

 

Maybe we'll all be given a UPRN and they will tax us on the land we own or confiscate it from us. It's all very controlling and the individual is unimportant.

Our Birmingham council has already got a 2031 plan in place for housing and infrastructure and is just starting on it. There's no land left here.

I need to jot down what I want to say and then find the best box to put it in.
I presume we have to give our name, but it's not made public.

 

I am not sure councils actually building new homes would result in cheaper housing. I was talking the other day to a property developer, he was telling me about all these extra's that have to be added before new builds are signed off. One example was the entrance to a new small development of 8 new homes, the pavement, which is on the highway had to be widened so it blended in with the width of the pavement of the new development, plus 4 street lights had to be added near to the entrance. The developer not only had to pay for these street lights but for the electric to be installed to these street lights which are on the highway, they also had to pay for power these additional street lights would use in the first 7 years, which had to be paid up front.This alone added £38k to the development, another £4,750 to each home, which didn't include the widening of the pavement on the highway. The planted area to the new development had to be in peat free compost, hence why he came to see me and for some suitable shrubs.

 

I guess the 7 year power thing is in case the houses don't sell quickly enough, so there's no residents covering the cost with their council tax. Unless developers have to pay council tax too?

The peat free compost thing seems like complete micro-management though.

 

The properties are already sold, failing to pay for the electric upfront would of resulted in the new development not being signed off.

To build more affordable homes, you would also need a cap on the cost of land. The value of the land where it has planning permission can contribute to over 50% of the cost of a new build.

Building land valuation: how much is building land worth? | RealAdvisor

 

I think its only right that developers have to pay towards the infrastructure when they build houses, I dont think many developers are actually struggling.

They are obviously going to add that cost to the new houses they build, personally I'd make them take it out of their profits but that would never happen and would be difficult to sort out.
They build in stupid places, like up narrow country lanes, they cause chaos while they are doing it, put in plans for the highest density they possibly can on the tiniest piece of land.

Lots of drainage issues and shoddy workmanship and building practices.

I think they are doing OK.

The price of land is often down to developers sitting on it, for years, until the price is right.