Sometimes it feels like property developers aren't even trying to hide the fact they're flogging off new homes overseas. Today, designs for a new public square at Battersea Power Station were unveiled — in Malaysia, in the presence of the Malaysian Prime Minister. Oh, and the new space will be called Malaysia Square.
The developers behind Battersea are Malaysian, and the project has been widely criticised for flogging the first tranche of luxury pads to overseas investors. Mind you, given some of the prices of these things (the top market properties are ludicrous. Studios start at £800,000, which rather begs the question: if you have £800,000, why are you buying a studio flat?) it's obvious they were never meant for the likes of us. Indeed, one flat has already been sold for a profit of half a million quid, despite it not actually existing yet.
Boris Johnson is in Malaysia as part of his tour of Southeast Asia, and was questioned about the lack of affordable housing in the Battersea development (just 16% of the 3,500 homes planned are deemed 'affordable', though you might want to read our opinions about what's known as 'affordable' housing these days). The Mayor said that around 60% of the homes would go to UK passport holders, telling critics to "put that in their pipe and smoke it", further referring to them as "gloomadon poppers". (Anyone playing their mayoral repetitious phrase buzzword bingo card, down a shot for each of these.)
Malaysia Square will link the southern entrance of the restored power station to Electric Boulevard, plans for which were released by Foster and Partners, and Gehry Partners in April. The square looks like a pair of nostrils with a monocle to us, but maybe we're a bit sleep-deprived. Also: there must be a better name for these public spaces. Flying Pig Court, perhaps? Got any better ideas? Stick 'em in the comments.
