Food banks set to face winter surge www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/News_events/...

Today's wander in the late afternoon sunshine got me wondering - where (and when) is the best Poplar equivalent of Manhattan Henge?

Another interesting geographical point (in both senses) is “the three norths”^, which has just left the English shores It would have been nice if it had actually intersected with the Greenwich meridian at some point, but we can’t have everything! ^see below for explanation 1/2

The planning application has now been approved (despite my objection!). 535 homes to be demolished, 1,928 new homes built, works to take ~15 years 74% of the new estate will be private. Social rent numbers are not clear - could be as low as 14 units

Is London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) being singled out? This is about housing, not the council overall as the opening paragraph implies And of the 35 local authorities that have so far received a 2025 grading, most are C3 (like LBTH) or worse 1/2 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

How did the UK housing crisis get so bad? All governments since 1979 have fed the housing crisis: RTB, under-building, reliance on private sector, financialisation, and weak tenant protections www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0J...

I feel the need to mention the acoustic screens for those unaquainted with the area. They are effective at blanketing the traffic noise from the Eastway

OK, definitely final batch. On the way back from ... Trinity Buoy Wharf through the Aberfeldy Estate. The 'town centre' road actually showing some signs of life

And finally (mabye...) Trinity Buoy Wharf itself 1/2

We're nearly there - these of the Millennium Dome were taken from just down the road from Trinity Buoy Wharf

Still on my way to Trinity Buoy Wharf today... here's some of City Island, the new home of the English National Ballet

Some of Balfron Tower on my way to Trinity Buoy Wharf today 1/2

It was nice to be able to walk down the middle of the traffic-free A13 on my way to Trinity Buoy Wharf today thanks to the gas company digging up the road

From today's Trinity Buoy Wharf wander - the Docklands Central Travelodge (East India Dock Estate)

Poplar rainbow just now

Today's housing cartoon, by @mrlovenstein.bsky.social www.instagram.com/p/DRuhAcGDU4...

Merry Christmas!

Leven Road bus depot development and some plastic pollution at the bottom of Andrew Street

RIP Billy Bonds www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

The Banksy Corner building work finally starting about 13 years after "The Sir John Franklin" was demolished The lifestyle you ordered might be made available for a short time at the right price... Also, a sad day for Bill Posters (the middle two pics are not mine, obv...)

What colours should I use for the sky and ground? It doesn't help that I'm colour blind 🙁

Still haven't finished corridor windows and vents, but looking at background colours...

RIP Jimmy Cliff - was lucky to be reminded of some of his great songs last month

South-east London private HMO tenants left with no loo for 58 days win rent back www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

And finally the miscellaneous batch 🔹St Ives Place passage to the (Lea) riverside walk 🔹The DPD warehouse from that walk 🔹New building on William Murdoch Road 🔹2 Trafalgar Way development from William Murdoch Road 1/4

Next batch, Balfron Tower and Carradale House 🔹Carradale House 🔹Some graffiti I can only half claim to obey 🔹Balfron Tower from near Leven Road 🔹Canary Wharf towers lurking behind Balfron Tower

Took the "big camera" out today to take advantage of the clear sunny (and cold) day Mostly to get some photos of the current state of play of the Leven Road development, but first here are some of today's selfies Maybe we could start calling ourselves 'riverside apartments?'

Mayor pressured to build more London homes GLA data - 1,239 affordable homes starts from Apr to Sep this year (3,991 in last fin. yr) There are over 336,000 people on London council hsg waiting lists Around 3,600 are lost to RTB and transfers each year www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

All you need to know about the how the railways standardised timekeeping, and the "Fancy New Clock at London Bridge" by @jagohazzard.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP6V...

I welcome every bike journey that prevents a motor vehicle journey Councils and e-bike companies need to find a way of resolving this Council seizes 1,000 'dangerously parked' e-bikes www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Homelessness higher than official figures, research shows Around 189,000 families and individuals who faced the worst forms of homelessness such as rough sleeping, sofa surfing and living in tents were not included in official statistics www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

V&A East Museum is set to open on Saturday 18 April 2026 www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/whats-on/va-...

London 1980s housing crisis film, Hotel London, about a British Bangladeshi family made homeless in the mid 1980s, shown at the London Film Festival Writer-director Ahmed Alauddin Jamal said "It's sad that nearly 40 years later it even more relevant" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New £10m bridge over the River Lea planned to connect east London boroughs Tower Hamlets and Newham archive.ph/S16BH

Autumn alliteration 🔹Bus depot development 🔹decoy diversion 🔹 Poplar poppies

Renters' Rights Bill becomes law - here's what it means for you www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Labour slashes affordable housing from 35% to 20% and withdraws single aspect and cycle parking guidance Developers are making £ multi-billion profits, but it's housing affordability, quality & the living environment that are attacked, not profits Why? www.bdonline.co.uk/news/governm...

What kind of society have we become where our public services "crack down on rough sleepers"? "TfL spends £113k to crack down on rough sleepers" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Big noisy turnout for the TOWER HAMLETS UNITY DEMO - a peaceful, community protest against racism, Islamophobia and the far-right (originally arranged as a counter demo against a UKIP demo, but thankfully that was cancelled) ¡No pasarán! East London is Anti-Fascist!

Breaking news from Poplar: It's 6 pm and it's dark already. Next week it's going to be even worse. Much worse. Word is coming through from other parts of the country that the situation there is much the same. Ends.

Shame on them "The government and the mayor of London have agreed to change the quota for the amount of affordable housing for new developments in London from 35% to 20%" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"Water companies told to refund £260m to customers for poor performance" "Thames Water – the UK's largest water company - has been penalised the most at £75.2m for its performance in the 2024/25 year" And guess where they'll get the money from - us! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Frozen housing benefits and rising rents feel like 'quicksand' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Glenkerry House from Chrisp Street Market

Could Zurich’s housing cooperatives be the solution to the rest of Europe’s housing crisis? One in every five citizens in the city has bought a share in the company that built and owns their apartment block @peteapps.bsky.social for the Guardian archive.ph/IYw0T

Met bans UKIP from protesting in Tower Hamlets www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Rainbow 🌈 over Carradale House (and the bus depot development 😠) just now

According to Historic England, we are the "coolest example of #Brutalist architecture" 😎 youtube.com/shorts/XmC1y...

No trip to the Yabsley St. recycling centre is complete without a photo across the Thames of the Millennium Dome (now with a partially-cleaned canopy)

The last time I could see The Shard from my balcony was in 2012 before The Panoramic occluded it