Penthouses.com: The Weblog

Just a stone’s throw away from Sandbanks, Britain’s glamorous coastal playground for the rich and famous, lies a luxury new build apartment block built to the highest standards with breathtaking sea views.

The Harbour Reach development, by Bryant Homes, comprises 12 five-storey blocks of flats and ten rows of townhouses. A third of the 340 properties are for social or affordable housing.

Dozens of selected tenants pay a mere £75 in rent, most of which will probably be paid from state benefits while private flats on the same development sell for up to £525,000!

This intriguing set up is due to government legislation demanding a percentage of social housing on newbuild developments.

An article published on the Daily Mail website has caused much controversy amongst commenters. It poses uncomfortable questions such as; is it fair that an unemployed person may pay peanuts out of their social benefits for the same flat another, employed, more well off person pays far more for? Conversely, why is there an unwritten rule that social housing should be basic not luxurious?  It’s atough one, I don’t want to fall on the side of snobbery, however, there is something unjust about the situation…why not join the debate!

image: courtesy dailymail