Poolsneighbour said:

"Ok - lets just not invest anything and allow a takeover by charity shops, vacant premises, pound shops and fried chicken takeaways shall we.. and obviously we don't want to promote young professionals and first time buyers like me and Dartmouth into the area either..long live grot."

The problem is that gentrification to the degree desired by some here (ie East Dulwich style) means that first time buyers are effectively excluded from the local property market. And if the first time buyers can't move in, the stagnation will be felt more widely - as we've already been seeing.

So it's all very well people wanting to make a killing on their property but it's all relative: if they make more on theirs, they'll probably have to spend a lot more trading up to something better. Unless they move out to Lincolnshire.

I'm not getting at you Poolsneighbour, I don't think you're a snob anymore than I am. But if property prices go up to Dulwich or Clapham levels the impact isn't necessarily going to be wonderful.