Pete Apps

My new book, which tracks the impact the housing crisis has had on London since the 1980s and where the city is going in the future, is out on September 25. You can get 25% off if you pre-order with Waterstones here:

www.waterstones.com/book/homesic...

And yes, for almost two years

Should be free to read I think?

A traffic jam at the end of the world Musing on the view from my car window as I crawl through a slow junction in east London produces a dispiriting conclusion

It's nearly the end of term, and I'm taking a more creative approach to this week's Substack - reflecting on why looking at the new housing in Stratford while stuck in a traffic jam makes me worry about the end of the world:

peteapps.substack.com/p/a-traffic-...

A final reckoning: the future of LPS buildings under the Building Safety Act Get the latest in-depth insight and analysis for UK social housing professionals, including a diverse range of topics and a strong campaign voice.

England has an estimated 740 high rises built using the Large Panel System method - which we now know leaves the building at risk of collapse. @peteapps.bsky.social has done a deep dive on the future for these buildings, and visited one that may have to be demolished:

Also, what's the best app for posting to Bluesky and Twitter with just one click? By which I mean something I don't need to "code" or whatever it is the kids do. Currently copy and pasting from one to the other and feeling very much like a non-digital generation parent

Peter Apps on X: "To those who have recently watched the Netflix documentary on Grenfell, here's a quick run down of issues which still haven't changed since the fire:" / X To those who have recently watched the Netflix documentary on Grenfell, here's a quick run down of issues which still haven't changed since the fire:

To those who have recently watched the Netflix documentary on Grenfell, here's a quick run down of issues which still haven't changed since the fire. Thread on the bad site:

x.com/PeteApps/sta...

Peter Apps on X: "If anyone has watched the Netflix documentary on Grenfell and is looking for further reading, I've made all my posts on summarising the inquiry report free to read. Links in the thread below:" / X If anyone has watched the Netflix documentary on Grenfell and is looking for further reading, I've made all my posts on summarising the inquiry report free to read. Links in the thread below:

If anyone has watched the Netflix documentary on Grenfell and is looking for further reading, I've made all my posts summarising the inquiry report free to read.

Links in the thread below (on the bad site)

x.com/PeteApps/sta...

Around the country - and London in particular - developers are reducing their affordable housing contributions. Do we need a new model for building out large sites? Bit by me for
The Developer

thedeveloper.live/opinion/a-br...

The Arconic (US) files A cache of documents, unsealed following a request by the team working on a new Netflix documentary, shed new light on what senior figures in the US knew before the Grenfell fire

The Arconic (US) files:

peteapps.substack.com/p/the-arconi...

The public inquiry, which looked at the actions of the company's French arm, said Arconic “sought to exploit what it perceived to be a weak regulatory regime in the UK” while “withholding” information about the true fire performance of its cladding

Reynobond PE has a core of pure polyethylene - a plastic with a combustibility similar to petrol. It has been found to be the "primary cause" of the rapid fire spread at Grenfell Tower

... and day-to-day running of the AAP SAS business. The manufacture and sale of Reynobond [the composite material used on Grenfell] was controlled by AAP SAS.”

In response, Arconic says “As president of the Alcoa Building and Construction Systems … Diana Perreiah supported the management of AAP SAS (the French arm) in relation to financial matters and strategic oversight only. She was not responsible for the performance...

Perreiah is a senior figure: she served on an infrastructure security council set up President Obama and has made $13.2m from her role at Arconic (in pay, pensions, shares and benefits) since the fire.

Lawyers said in their statement that Arconic US received a monthly ledger from France that contained the sale and production of PE for the Grenfell project, and every purchase order. But nothing was asked about why this material was being sold for use on a high rise

Perreiah also accepted that she later viewed a Powerpoint presentation which went into detail about the fire risks of ACM cladding, and included the line “the higher the building, the stronger the fire resistance must be”

Asked about this under oath, Perreiah accepted receiving the email, but says she didn't read this bit of it - which lawyers for the families later call “one of the most canned and rehearsed lines in deposition history” and “self-serving (though not remotely credible) testimony”

Then - just six weeks later - she and other senior directors got a business update from the French arm of the business, boasting about a big sale of 3,000 sqm of PE to "Grenfell Towers". Not one of them asked about safety

First, they show that senior US president Diana Perreiah *did* receive information telling her that the company's ACM PE cladding was flammable, and shouldn't be used on buildings taller than 12m in height (the inquiry knew she'd asked for it, not that she received it)

Arconic say they were among the docs provided to the Met police and inquiry - but they have never previously been in the public domain. Until now.

A cache of emails, which supported an attempt by bereaved and survivors to sue Arconic in the US, have been unsealed following a request by the team researching a Grenfell documentary, due to be released on Netflix this week

New: US bosses at cladding firm which sold material for use on Grenfell knew it was unsafe and knew it was being sold for use on the tower, newly released emails reveal

www.thetimes.com/uk/london/ar...

Not yet. I think there will be an internal fight over that. Some in govt will push for highest volume, which will mean less social rent.

Some thoughts on Reeves' big affordable housing announcements. Tl;dr - yes it is good news (and a pleasent surprise), but let's not get carried away:

peteapps.substack.com/p/yes-it-act...

Why is London’s rental housing so bad? In cash-strapped councils, there's nobody left to enforce any standards, reports Peter Apps

London boroughs have one officer for every 7,500 rental homes - leaving enforcement deserts “nothing will happen” if tenants complain about poor quality housing.

Research by me for The Londoner:

www.the-londoner.co.uk/why-is-londo...

I'm fortunate to have read an early copy and, as you would expect from Pete, this is a great book telling an important story. Strong recommend.

... the very difficult question of how we make this mad, beautiful and infruriating city work for human beings again as well as those who simply want to extract wealth from it

Was also a real privelege to speak to everyone I've spoken to for it, especially those who were willing to sit down for a few hours/days and share their stories of London life over 40 years. I've learned a lot about my city from writing it. Hopefully it can help us figure out...

Thanks very much to everyone who has helped work on it, especially the team at
@oneworldbooks.bsky.social
. Getting the chance to write one book was a surprise. Still not quite sure I believe I have a second coming out.