Nah, kids never listen to their parents; what do those old farts know about anything?

Keeps them in a job.

What the hell is it with Studio Spicer? They seem to want to turn Stratford into some nasty looking set from a Science Fiction B-movie: http://www.stratford-herald.com/79891-former-stratford-pub-demolished-apartments.html

I took on Coventry council about a similar proposal and won. It was toned down quite a lot.

Affordable housing has been an issue for the last 20 years: http://www.stratford-herald.com/80205-affordable-homes-crisis-looming.html

A very silly, but short sighted, move in chasing immediate better profits. First time buyers drive the housing market. No first time buyers and the market collapses. Of course this won't be allowed as the UK economy is based on ever increasing house prices (look up fractional reserve banking and see how money is 'made'). If this practice becomes common, I think we can expect central government to pass legislation to counter it.

A potential solution to the housing problem, and a case for building houses for the sake of building them?

https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/almost-600-homes-are-empty-across-warwick-district-1-8317857

https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/plans-for-more-than-200-homes-in-warwick-return-for-third-time-1-8309108

If there 600 homes empty, how can they possibly justify building 200 more?

I've said it before. The UK economy depends on house building so the government will continue to allow/encourage it. Had the economy still been based on the gold standard things would be very different.

The building industry will come to a shuddering halt once Brexit comes into force - along with agriculture and hospitality, construction has been dependant on central European labour for years.

A case of a nod to consulting locals, going ahead with the development and dropping the affordable housing half way through building the developmend: https://www.leamingtoncourier.co.uk/news/developer-wants-public-s-feedback-on-690-home-plan-to-land-east-of-kenilworth-1-8358487

The grant basically means the developer & Centrica will have to pay less towards infrastructure, meaning that they get an extra £13.4 million in their back pockets: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-42922377

Money seems to be being thrown at infrastructure left, right & centre at the minute: https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/millions-pounds-invested-provide-new-14252882

Money is being thrown at it without any real thought. Easy to do with other people's money though isn't it? The A45 is still a pinch point and this is hardly going to help.

Thankfully, I don't have reason to go anywhere near Coventry nowadays (Leamington is as close as I get, and that's only at the weekend). Since I moved away from Stratford, I find it a lot easier to drive past Redditch and head for the M1/M6 via the M42 if I'm going up north.

The bottom line is that we're overpopulated and packed in to densely. But I guess that makes me a bad person saying it, daring to voice what our yellow-bellied politicians wont.

Proof, as if we needed any, that the Green Belt doesn't matter any more: https://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/news/ryton-organic-gardens-up-for-sale-due-to-high-running-costs-1-8370777