April 15th 2024.
Can you take a guess at which borough in London has the highest number of empty properties? It may come as a surprise, but out of the 3 million households in the city, there is one borough where a significant amount of properties are unoccupied. This is quite absurd considering the fact that London has a homelessness crisis, with 1 in 51 people being homeless according to Shelter England statistics.
Southwark, comprised of Borough, Bermondsey, Rotherhithe, Walworth, Peckham, Camberwell, Peckham Rye, Nunhead, and Dulwich, has been described as "bleak" by a dissatisfied Reddit user and is the area with the most empty properties in London. Currently, there are a staggering 5,143 properties sitting uninhabited, with research showing that these empty homes could have a combined value of £50 billion.
Living in Southwark certainly comes at a cost. According to data from Rightmove, the average price of a property in the area over the last year was £648,816, with semi-detached homes fetching a whopping £1,215,788. And for those who can't afford to buy, the average rent in Southwark is a staggering £3,488 per calendar month, which is over £2,000 more expensive than the area with the cheapest average rent, Bexley at £1,150 pcm.
But Southwark is not the only borough with a high number of empty homes. Barnet, Camden, Croydon, and Newham also have a significant amount of unoccupied properties, making up over 25% of the city's empty homes. Even on one of the wealthiest streets in the world, Bishop's Avenue in N2, also known as "Billionaires' Row," many of the mansions lie empty. This exclusive street is home to 66 of Britain's most expensive properties, with previous residents including the Sultan of Brunei, Justin Bieber, and Heather Mills, as reported by the Daily Mail.
One particular mansion on Bishop's Avenue, known as "The Towers," has been left to decay since the 1980s. The once-grand mansion is now covered in graffiti, with smashed windows and mold spreading across its walls. It's a sad sight to see such a beautiful property go to waste.
Moving on from Southwark, let's take a look at another area in London that has been making headlines for a different reason. Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, neighboured by Peckham, Dulwich, and Herne Hill, was recently ranked the loneliest constituency in the capital, with 41% of residents reporting regularly feeling alone. This may come as a surprise to some, as this South London hub is known for its lively Sunday market, art deco cinemas, and diverse range of eateries. However, it seems that these attractions are not enough to combat the loneliness felt by its residents.
Following closely behind is Bermondsey and Old Southwark, where 39% of people often feel lonely. Hackney South and Shoreditch, Islington South and Finsbury, and Lewisham North are other areas in London that also reflect similar feelings of isolation. It's a concerning trend that Londoners, in general, are lonelier than people in the rest of the UK. According to a study, 35% of Londoners reported feeling lonely either often or some of the time, compared to just 28% of people across the country.
Do you have a story to share about your experience living in London? We would love to hear from you. Get in touch by emailing us at email and share your thoughts. As always, stay updated with the latest news from the capital by visiting our London news hub at The Agency. And who knows, maybe we can all work together to combat the issue of loneliness in our beloved city.
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