Should kids live in tower blocks?

I was offered a job a while back, in what sounded like a similar set up to suedonim's councils place.
It meant that the tenants could have the same homehelp/carers going in to them each day, and the carer would have a set 'round' all within the building.
Shame it was too far away for me to accept.

?? Oh ye cannae fling pieces frae a twenty storey flat ??

Scottish grans will get that ? (and I'll be accused of cliqueism).

Is that a word?

That sounds an ideal situation, suedonim. What a sensible idea. As well as not necessarily wanting a large house, sometimes people find the upkeep of gardens a problem too. We live in a block of flats occupied by mostly older people and we love it. Our neighbours are friendly and sociable and the landings outside the flats are personalised with tables, pictures and plants etc. The garden is beautiful and pleasure to sit in or work in if people like gardening. It's an owner occupied block but has evolved into an old people's building exactly like that one described.

Living in tower blocks works in places e.g. like Hong Kong ... I ponder on why that is.

We downsized from our large four bed family house sitting in a half acre garden to a small house (couldn’t find a suitable bungalow) with a manageable garden within easy walk of shops and services. Really pleased we did and had hoped it would free up our old house for a family. But a young couple moved in and sadly they still have no family, but it did free up their three bed home for someone with children who only had a small back yard.

If it were easier for people to move more might do it and the little old person living in two rooms in an overly large house might be more inclined to move. Whether it’s a council property or private is largely irrelevant. If downsizing were more fashionable, quicker and easier, there’d be fewer families in tower blocks.

Jane, your set up sounds perfect!

Baggs, I no longer live in Glasgow but I get it! Brought back a lot of memories!
Children might dream of having a large garden to play in but do their parents want a large garden to look after, weed, keep tidy etc? We lived in a first floor Glasgow flat but never missed having a garden because we had Kelvingrove Park a 15 minute walk away and that gave us access to tennis courts, swings, a foot ball pitch, ducks to feed and trees to climb. That is what kids need, more safe parks.

The government needs to invest in houses - even if it means more borrowing. The resulting effect on the economy would be positive - builders and other tradespeople in work and earning money which they will spend to boost manufacturing; and a housing stock that suits our new demographic profile (more elderly). But no - let's have austerity and screw the have-nots into the ground while propping up the bankers. Sigh.

When DS was very small we lived in a twelfth floor apartment which was our Army quarter. It was very nice and spacious (large enough for him to whizz around in his pedal car), but he constantly wanted to be outside in the communal garden area and when I brought him back in he was very unhappy. And when the lifts broke down, as they sometimes did, it was a nightmare getting him, his pushchair, the shopping, up and down the stairway!
When we lived in Holland, an elderly Dutch couple who lived next door to us moved into sheltered accommodation and their house was rented by a couple with a young child. I gathered from her that they had lived in a tower block and her experience had been the same as mine. He loved their garden and was out in it in all weathers! So no, tower blocks are not ideal for children, but they have to be better for families than living in hostels or B&B accommodation.

You are talking of choice, i am speaking of forcing people out of their homes. Big difference, I can’t have anyone spend a night with me. I love my garden, i love my dogs.

Gilly, when I said ‘second class citizens’ this was my choice of words not yours x

My grumpy point is in reply to the O/P which questions ‘why’ , I just tried to explain why.

If it’s choice yes, but to be forced to move perhaps miles from your home of many years is cruel. I doubt the majority of 4 bedroomed council houses are rented by one person, if they have help with their rent as the majority of elderly in council houses do they have to pay for the three empty bedrooms.

Tower blocks are not right for children, but being forced from your home isn’t right for the elderly.

We have threads where someone wants to sell their house , advice is given, - make sure you are near shops, is there a good bus service if you have to give up driving, even - why not rent in the area for a while to see if it suits you.

A council tenant- move to wherever the council puts you, a family needs your house, not your home!

Merlotgran The difference is choice.As Annie says if you have the money to choose where you go thats great but if you dont you can end up in a place you dont want to be.Why should a teneant who has paid their rent for 20 or 40 years have to move out JUST because theres someone else who is considered more in need? Surely they must be allowed to live their lives in the home they've cared for and decorated and brought up their families .
The onus is on government to build .
A wee aside,during the last Labour administration in Scotland there were 6 ...thats SIX houses built,since the SNP came to power we've had over 70 000 of which over 50 000 are social rent and the rest housing association .It can be done ,it just needs someone who WANTS to do it!

Since one of my children moved out myn house is too big for three of us. They will have to drag me out of it in a box.

Why are GN's getting so nasty? In an ideal world everybody should have a home with a garden. I'm sick of people telling me that I am lucky to own my own home. I'm 73, divorced, still working part-time, so 'luck' has nothing to do with it. In my view council houses should be for those who REALLY need them, not those who have not helped themselves in earlier years.

Some families don’t have a choice. There are always open spaces/parks around for them to enjoy and which are free to visit.

Sorry but I did my share of living in very grotty flats years ago and although I am very socially aware and vote labour I’m fed up of hearing how lucky we have been. I never had anything easy or the bank of mum and dad. I will not downsize as it toook so long and so much hard work to get here. So I have more bedrooms than I need but they are used for other purposes. Its the government who should be taking full responsibility for this! There was no outrage when I had to live in flats not fit for purpose and v v expensive. That was the a Thatcher era when I wasn’t able to get a job as a newly qualified teacher because of cut backs. I didn’t get a full tine job or contract for 5 yrs even though I was the first year of graduate teachers! And I was 25 when I left college so I was nearly 30 before I had a full time permanent job and no luxury of a 2-4% mortgage. ! I didn’t have it easy like the papers say about our generation!

I’m not sure if the so called bedroom tax freed housing for needier families but can you imagine any politician proposing a garden tax for tenants without children living with them?

Instead we have a public housing system that encourages well-off tenants to stay-put and bid for larger more desirable properties instead of encouraging them to go buy or rent a home like the rest of us.

Labour’s 1959 manifesto promise to allow tenants to buy their council home didn’t help either; especially as Maggie stole their policy idea 20 years later.

No child should n in high rise apartments but unfortunately, successive governments have failed in their house building policies particularly REALLY AFFORDABLE housing. We should all be marching on parliament to put this wrong right.

I don’t think bedroom tax applies if your over a certain age Grampie ( pensioner ??) I know my dad doesn’t pay it on his 2 bedroom adapted bungalow . Happy to be corrected though .

I have to pay a taxes on the size of my flat, if I don't have enough income to cover the cost I will have to down size even though it is the family home which I have updated. I will not be subsidized by the council for the upkeep. It will be a very very sad day when I have to move but I am the owner of my flat. I do get annoyed when people in HLMs (French council housing) think because they have done the same as me think but they have the right to stay.

Aepgirl, lucky you. I had no chance to buy a house, widow with two small children, then carer for years for my parents, took part time jobs to fit in.

Grampie, tenants cannot move into larger properties, I am not allowed a two bedroom property .

I would pay a garden tax if it means I can keep my dogs.

It is so easy to dismiss council tenants isn’t it?

oh dear no 'but'

but they are renting a home "like the rest of us" they're renting from their LA ,in the main most older people have maintained their homes and looked after their gardens they pay council tax and they have been good tenants.Why should they have to move given that they have fufilled the terms of their tenancy?
Aren't we all up in arms about private tenants not having secure tenancies? So whats different here ? The bedroom tax has been mitigated by the Scottish government so people dont have to pay it...it costs Scottish taxpayers £400 million a year ,I have never heard anyone complain about paying towards keeping their elderly parents or friends in a slightly bigger home than they "need" and dont needs change frequently?
Its about being secure in later life and not having the worry of eviction hanging over their heads ,being moved away from family and friends .That causes multiple problems for the evictee and their families.
An awful lot of older people have council houses because they didn't have the income or the opportunity to buy .

Here in the isle of man when allocated a council house you just have a five year tenancy,after five years if your circumstances have changed i.e..your family have left home you will be offered a smaller property,also we don't have the right to buy.

Can I add that in Scotland people who live in council houses have never been looked down on the way I see on here from my friends in the south .