Boxing Clever

1st September 2006

T. Wyn Jones

A recent prediction by the National Housing Federation claims property prices in the UK will double over the next six years leading to the average price of a home jumping from £195,000 to around £300,000.

I understand that this prediction is based on models assuming interest rates will stay at approximately 4.5%. Comments from the National Association of Estate Agents indicate that it is of course very difficult to predict the future but if lenders money is available, interest rates remain historically low and unemployment does not rise significantly then there could very well be a steady growth to the extent indicated. This, coupled with the restriction on the amount of land available for building and a population set to grow over the next 10 years will as they say probably lead to continuing growth in house prices.

This leads me to an article I recently read regarding a German company who have come up with the answer to the problem of expensive and non-environmentally friendly housing. Their solution? A cube, which costs in the region of £50,000 including internal fittings and delivery, which uses photovoltaic panels to create energy and offers roughly 7 sqm of living space including a fitted kitchen, Hi-Tec gadgets (i.e. plasma screens) and furnished living and sleeping spaces.

Whilst offering very limited floor area (mind you if you compare this to some of the Studio Apartments in London this is not the case) the micro-compact home offers, it is said, a beautiful stylish solution to accommodation at an affordable price.

Sometimes it does us good to just stop for a moment, take a step back and appreciate the homes and beautiful surroundings in which we live. Let’s hope that the future will have more to offer the younger generation than unattainably priced houses or the equivalent of a square rabbit hutch.