00:00Hello, yes, big housing news in London. Two areas in the capital have been shortlisted for the construction of new towns under the Housing Secretary's plan to get Britain building again.
00:15Cruise Hill in Enfield in North London and Thamesmead in Greenwich, South East London, have been put forward for development and construction of the Enfield town could begin before the next general election.
00:30Enfield council leader Ergin Erbil said that 21,000 home development would include infrastructure such as GP surgeries, schools, leisure facilities as well.
00:44So with potential housing projects to take place in the capital, how do Londoners feel about these village-like areas being turned into massive towns?
00:54I think it's important to provide housing for people that need it, particularly affordable rent, social housing.
01:03It's more important than big private developments. I know they come hand in hand. You are private and then they'll develop affordable as well.
01:13We've got a huge housing shortage and particularly in London in the South East and we also need to build our economy and building houses is a good way to do that.
01:35Yes, there's always going to be people that don't want it in their backyard, but unfortunately people have to live somewhere and we need an expanding number of people for a number of reasons at the moment.
01:52We need young people.
01:53I'm sure they will lose it, but you know, you have to adapt, I guess, and I don't know how the government will cope with protests about it, but maybe if I was living in one of those small villages, I would be protesting, I don't know.
02:12But I know that we need, we're desperate for housing wherever it can be put up.
02:16I think most importantly is to protect the culture of the area, be that an inner city one, be that somewhere out in the country.
02:27I think councils and developers need to do more to foster the culture that exists from being lost completely.
02:40Except that the culture will change with new people coming in, same issue with gentrification as well, housing goes up in places where there's cheaper, that's going to happen, but what needs to be done is protecting what is already there, I think so.
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