Cramming ten tenants into a Clapton terraced house
Plus: the mayor's hamper from Qatar, a major ULEZ report, and a massive rucksack getting stuck in Tube doors
Morning — London renters are used to feeling squeezed, but a landlord’s plan on a sleepy Clapton street takes it to another level. If they’d got their way, ten tenants would have been packed into a single terraced house, with rooms barely scraping past the legal minimum. It’s part of a growing trend: shared rental homes, known as HMOs, have exploded across the capital as landlords chase higher rents, while councils scramble to keep overcrowding in check. More on the Clapton case, and why London’s HMO boom is facing fresh pushback, leads your round-up below.
Plus: the mayor’s hamper from Qatar, a major ULEZ report, and a massive rucksack getting stuck in Tube doors.
What we’ve spied
🏚️ The latest excess from London's rental market: a landlord has attempted to stuff ten tenants into a single terraced house in Hackney. Last week the borough council's planning committee rejected an application to turn 12 Blurton Road, a house near Chatsworth Road in Clapton, into a ten-bedroom HMO, or House in Multiple Occupation. Under the plans, the house, previously the home of two families living in two separate flats, would have been chopped up into ten separate units across its three floors and basement, and then managed by the lettings agent Maple Group. The tenant drawing the short straw would have been squeezed into a bedroom of 8.64 square metres, only just above the legal minimum of 8.5, while together the ten would have all cooked each evening in one kitchen and dining area sized 16.8 square metres. The plans had attracted controversy, with 16 neighbours and local heritage group the Hackney Society writing in to object, the latter saying: "The average terraced house is not suited to such a dense/cramped occupation." But at the start of Wednesday's planning meeting, a council officer actually recommended the application be approved, given it wasn't technically breaking any law. The landlord's agent, a representative from Excel Planning, chipped in too to sway councillors, arguing that cheap small rooms are good for students or new arrivals to the city. But Hackney councillors were unconvinced and torpedoed the plans, deciding the ten-bed was "overcrowded" and unjustified, given it was replacing a potential family home. It's a costly failure for the landlord, who had already made a start on HMO conversion work at the property before bothering to get planning permission.
This story isn't a blip — HMOs have ballooned across London in the past decade, as landlords rinse their properties for all the rent they can. The most recent annual housing report by the Greater London Authority found that there were 22,770 HMOs registered in the capital in 2023, up from a mere 6,000 in 2015 and by far the highest of any English region. As a guide article in the Telegraph's money section pointed out last year: "HMO's are a 'goldmine': how to get the highest yields for the least work". But there is now a growing backlash — on top of Hackney council's rejection of the ten-bed, several other councils have begun tightening rules, over concerns of overcrowding and dire living conditions. Enfield council, which introduced extra regulations on HMOs a few years back, recently inspected more than 1,000 of the HMOs in the borough, and found 65% had "at least one serious hazard", which could include severe dampness, faulty electrics, structural instability or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. The council is set to beef up its licensing regime this coming year. Meanwhile, Ealing is introducing rules that'll require smaller HMOs to get planning permission, and Harrow has introduced a fine of £2,500 for any landlord who refuses access to their property for an inspection. Much of this action is being done in the name of improving conditions for tenants, but it's worth pointing out there's a NIMBY dimension to the anti-HMO push too. In the case of Ealing, and specifically HMOs around Perivale, campaigning locals claim they've led to rises in anti-social behaviour.
But perhaps don't put too much faith in the boroughs to crack down on overcrowding. To paraphrase one Hackney councillor at last week's meeting: 'Ten tenants is too much. I could support eight.'
👩⚖️ One more thing on HMO landlords: a couple have been fined almost £100,000 after an e-bike fire killed a man at their overcrowded flat in Shadwell. A judge found wife and husband Sofina Begum and Aminur Rahman showed "blatant disregard for the law and for the occupants" of the two-bed property, which they had licensed as a HMO for three people but up to 23 were found to be living there.
💨 The ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) and its expansions have significantly reduced air pollution across London, a new City Hall report has found. Last Friday the Greater London Authority published a study that compared levels of nitrogen oxides (NOX), particle emissions (PM 2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in London with their estimated level if ULEZ had never been introduced. The study, which City Hall says was "extensively reviewed by an independent advisory group of experts", offers so many comparison numbers it's hard to pick, but we think the key figures are:
Across all of London over all phases of ULEZ, between its introduction in 2019 and 2024, NOx emissions are estimated to be 24% lower, PM2.5 emissions 29% lower and CO2 2% lower compared to a scenario without ULEZ
In outer London in just 2024, NOx emissions are 14% lower, PM2.5 emissions 31% lower and CO2 1% lower than they would have been without the London-wide ULEZ expansion
The Standard has produced a map showing which boroughs have seen the biggest falls in air pollution from ULEZ expansion. The City Hall report also found that the number of ULEZ-compliant vehicles was increasing in London. Announcing the report, mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Today’s report shows that ULEZ works, driving down levels of pollution, taking old polluting cars off our roads and bringing cleaner air to millions more Londoners. The decision to expand the ULEZ was not something I took lightly, but this report shows it was the right one for the health of all Londoners." As for the anti-ULEZ crowd, they've latched on to one line in the report: "Overall improvement in air quality have been observed across London. These trends are not attributable to ULEZ, however schemes and policies such as ULEZ contribute towards accelerating these improvements."
💰 Meanwhile, the mayor has been in Cannes this week, armed with 20 investment opportunities in London to woo a global investor conference. Big transport projects like the extension of the DLR to Thamesmead, commercial developments like the creation of a film and TV quarter in Camden, and residential sites like Barking Riverside are among the opportunities Khan is showing off at MIPIM, a property conference that self-styles as the “global urban festival”. Most of the projects are listed on a website Khan launched ahead of his attendance called Opportunity London, which features the mayor’s logo alongside London Councils and HM Treasury. The site states: “Opportunity London brings together every tier of London’s government, backed by industry, to provide a one-stop-shop that eases the path for capital investment across our great city”. It’s the first time Khan has gone to the conference, having previously sent deputies in his place, but his attendance this year coincides with the national Labour government pushing its pro-growth agenda. Indeed, the Cannes trip comes after Khan unveiled a growth plan for the capital at the end of last month that he claims will “turbocharge” the capital’s economy, featuring plans for industrial hubs in outer London plus rent-controlled homes for key workers.
🎁 In a further sign of the mayor’s willingness to court foreign investment, Khan recently had dinner with and accepted a hamper from the Qatari government. Khan and the Qataris haven’t always been on the best terms — in 2019, the mayor called for TfL to review how it treats advertisement slots from countries with poor human rights records, and in 2022 TfL did exactly that, banning Qatar ads on the Tube and buses. The Qatari government responded by threatening to pull its investments in London, with a source telling the FT it saw the ban as a signal that Qatari business was “not welcome” in the city. But recently published entries in Khan’s gifts and hospitality register suggest tensions may have cooled. On December 4, Khan attended a dinner "in honour of His Highness The Amir of the State of Qatar", hosted by the City of London Corporation. Then, on December 18, Khan accepted a hamper worth £70 from the Qatari ambassador to the UK. We put this all to the mayor’s office for comment, asking if Khan was still committed to drawing attention to countries with poor human rights records. A spokesperson for the mayor told us: “The mayor makes no apologies for banging the drum for London, seeking the investment required to deliver affordable homes, key regeneration schemes and transport infrastructure.”
🏳️🌈 A community campaign to save the queer venue Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (BGWMC) has hit its initial fundraising target. Last issue we reported that a crowdfunding campaign, set up by the Friends of BGWMC to stop the club from permanently closing and being redeveloped, was just below its £12,000 target. It’s now passed that and then some — £14,800 as of writing — putting the organisers one step closer to making a community purchase of the club. Organisers are now eyeing a stretch goal of £18,000, which they say will allow them “to develop a robust business plan with financial projections and cover all consultancy and accountancy costs”. Elsewhere on queer venues: on Tuesday Southwark council selected an operator, Chroma, for a new “LGBTQ+ cultural space” near the South Bank. The venue is getting £1.5m in funding from the council and will be at the site of the former gay men’s club XXL in the Bankside Yards development.
🏗️ And speaking of Southwark: the council has escalated its efforts to evict residents of the Ledbury Estate, after approving the use of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to buy up properties. At a meeting on Tuesday, Southwark’s cabinet resolved to call in the extraordinary legal power as a method of last resort against leaseholders refusing to leave the Peckham council estate, which is slated for redevelopment, partly due to fire safety issues. The CPOs might never be used, though, because Southwark says it is trying to reach settlements with residents first — and, moreover, the UK’s housing secretary, Angela Rayner, might not give final sign-off on the use of CPOs. The council has promised to rehouse all residents who want to live in the rebuilt Ledbury Estate, but some say they’d rather not leave, and have been protesting against what they see as the council’s long-running mishandling of the situation.
📚 Libraries across Lambeth are facing severe funding cuts, as the town hall looks to plug its whopping budget hole. In total about £1m would be slashed from the borough’s public library budget this year, equivalent to a 20% cut to to their total funding last year, under plans currently being discussed by the council. The cash will be taken out of Lambeth’s book fund, while 14 staff vacancies will go unfilled. Opposition is already mounting, with Lib Dem councillors arguing the Labour-controlled council is pushing the library cuts through at the last minute without proper scrutiny. Meanwhile, the Friends of Lambeth Libraries umbrella group have urged the council to reconsider, arguing that the cuts will impact support for vulnerable residents and increase pressure on social and education services. Lambeth is among many of London’s borough councils that have issued budget warnings over the past year, and last month the council requested a £40m bailout from the national government.
🔥 More book news: TfL has begun removing free book exchanges from the Underground, under a crackdown by the London Fire Brigade (LFB). Book swap shelves have already been removed at stations including Clapton North and Oval, having been deemed “combustible material posing a fire safety risk” by the LFB. In a statement to the Times, the LFB said it had ordered TfL to remove “all book libraries” from stations below ground, while surface-level stations have been told to remove them “until they have the correct fire safety plans in place”. TfL said: “We’d like to apologise to any of our customers that this impacts and we are reviewing our processes for these internally and will work with the fire service to see if book swaps can be reintroduced at some stations across the network in the future. We will also work with local communities to redistribute books to alternative local locations in the meantime.”
🎨 Fresh from getting a shoutout at the Oscars, a Dalston street is once again in the news — this time because artists are being chucked out by the council. As the Guardian reports, Hackney council has told dozens of artists at V22 Ashwin Street they need to leave their studio by the end of the month because the building isn’t safe for those inside. The studio is next door to Cafe Oto, a coffee shop and performance space that was name-checked by composer Daniel Blumberg when won the Academy Award for best score last week. The artists tell the Guardian that the studio’s current arrangements on Ashwin Street are “affordable”, but that Hackney council’s investment into their building may end up pricing them and other Dalston creatives out.
🔍 And finally, we leave you with:
A massive rucksack getting stuck in the doors of the Tube (TikTok)
A clean-up operation for Borough Market’s famous bollard (TikTok)
Hackney’s first estate parklet (TikTok)
Rent campaigners blocking bailiffs from evicting a man in east London (X)
Training for summer coffee rides to Broadway Market (TikTok)
An interactive map showing London’s broadband ‘not-spots’ (City Hall)
Kings Road in the 1970s (TikTok)
A video of when the London Eye was first lifted into place (BBC)
A Prius being winched out of Clapton Pond (Hackney Post)
Proof that London's weather was especially miserable the last two years (www)
How to pick up someone up in Soho (TikTok)
The Barbican lake terrace when the sun came out this weekend (Reddit)
Exploring the history of pirate radio stations in east London (www)
A post-war tower slated to be demolished on Fenchurch Street (Londonist)
Free vintage London bus rides this month (Time Out)
A bleak new policy for staff at the Pret in Vauxhall (Reddit)
A row of derelict railway arches set to re-open in Walthamstow (IanVisits)