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Investigative journalism into the town planning and development industries

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  • January 26, 2021
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RICS and regulatory failure

April 6, 2017 By George Turner 9 Comments

RICS and regulatory failure

When I started this site I had two goals. Firstly to uncover the kinds of practices that allow a small group of people to make vast amounts of money off the financial misery of the majority of Londoners. Second I wanted to do something about it.  I was perhaps driven by a slightly naive belief […]

Filed Under: Facilitators Tagged With: development professionals, Mayor of London, Planning, RICS, Viability

A year in ourcity.london

December 29, 2016 By George Turner Leave a Comment

A year in ourcity.london

A year ago, I started this website. After having grown up in London, I was becoming increasingly concerned about the way in which our city was being exploited.  One particular frustration was the way in which property developers were undermining the rules designed to protect our communities and our built environment (and making absurd profits in the process), […]

Filed Under: Ourcity.London updates Tagged With: Development, development professionals, King's College, LFEPA, Sadiq Khan, Spinwatch

Pie in the sky – Vauxhall Sky Gardens

July 14, 2016 By George Turner 1 Comment

Pie in the sky – Vauxhall Sky Gardens

OurCity.London reveals more evidence of how leading surveyors cook the books in order to remove affordable housing from a luxury housing development.  I first wrote about this case three years ago. Frasers property had been granted planning permission to build a quite specularly ugly tower in Vauxhall in 2008. The original planning permission came with […]

Filed Under: Viability, VNEB Tagged With: BNP Paribas, development professionals, GLA Planning Committee, RICS, Savills, surveyors, Viability

Marking the homework – How developers pay for ‘independent’ checks on their affordable housing deals

February 13, 2016 By George Turner 3 Comments

Marking the homework – How developers pay for ‘independent’ checks on their affordable housing deals

After writing my last article on how surveyors appear to be deliberately manipulating valuations in order to reduce the affordable housing obligations on their clients, a number of people commented that those figures are supposed to be checked by financial viability consultants employed by the council. Surely, if the developer is trying to game the system, it […]

Filed Under: Viability Tagged With: BNP Paribas, consultants, development professionals, greenwich, Heygate, Lambeth, Shell, Viability

What we are writing about

Investigative journalism telling the real story of contemporary London. In particular we are interested in:

Planning, development and affordable housing

Estate Regeneration and compulsory purchase

Bad practice and fraud in the property and development industry

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George TurnerGeorge Turner - an investigative journalist digging the dirt on London's property and development industry Read More

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Recent Comments

  • John on Lockdown Landlords Acquitted
  • Concerned Citizens (@dequacivis) on The Battersea Power Station affordable housing scandal: How Wandsworth Gave away over 1000 affordable homes to a failing developer
  • HCLG Report Highlights ‘Lockdown’ as a significant problem – Hanworth.org on Lockdown landlord convicted for breaches in Planning Act
  • Hussain on The Housing Crisis
  • Ben Jamin' on The Housing Crisis

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Recent Comments

  • John on Lockdown Landlords Acquitted
  • Concerned Citizens (@dequacivis) on The Battersea Power Station affordable housing scandal: How Wandsworth Gave away over 1000 affordable homes to a failing developer
  • HCLG Report Highlights ‘Lockdown’ as a significant problem – Hanworth.org on Lockdown landlord convicted for breaches in Planning Act
  • Hussain on The Housing Crisis
  • Ben Jamin' on The Housing Crisis

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