I think we probably need the FH soc to launch a commission to fully answer all of Tim's excellent questions. I'm not sure if the Forest Hill Society needs to take a position on all those issues, such as our preference for house prices, after all we don't set house prices. But house prices in Forest Hill are lower than the London average, so I see no reason why we should expect them to fall faster than the similar properties in the rest of London. If house prices are too high in Forest Hill, then the prices in East Dulwich, Hendon, Ealing, Putney, etc are completely ridiculous. But people pay what they can afford, or what the banks allow them to afford.

Building in real brown field sites is the best way to significantly increase housing provision in the capital, Bell Green and Catford Greyhound track are two nearby examples where this can be achieved. In comparison to these sites the Catford Tavern can provide little extra housing. In Forest Hill we have already seen a number of large developments close to the railway providing lots of extra homes, some 'affordable' and others market rate.

Most people add extra storeys to increase their family living space (and house value) with loft conversions, but there are plenty of houses that have been divided into flats around Forest Hill. That was my first step on the housing ladder and I'm sure it is for many other young people, or would be if they could afford the deposits on houses. I have no problem with dividing houses in this way, and the council have sensible policies to prevent to loss of family housing as this takes place in more properties.

I also think that it is often a shame when well built houses to be knocked down and turned into modern flats which do not fit with the character of the street, but it happens and my street is quite a good example of this happening. I can stand at the end of my street and say 'I remember when these were all houses'. It can be done well or it can be done very badly.

In one notorious site locally it is pleasing that the developer wants to build flats that better reflect the streetscape rather than the modern block they previously proposed, and I have been working with them on behalf of the Forest Hill Society to achieve this better solution. Hopefully a planning application will soon be submitted so that others can judge for themselves. In another site on Sunderland Road the developer did manage to change a modern block into something more in keeping with the character, but there were still major flaws in the internal layout and it was refused. Many other cases exist along similar lines showing that the Forest Hill Society is not opposed to increased density levels, but want to ensure the quality of both the character and the internal space for new residents.

But London's housing shortage will not be solved by small conversions or even demolitions, or at least not without a detrimental impact on the quality of life for London's residents (compared to suburbs in most other world cities). We still have vast amounts of under-utilised land, not in Forest Hill but in the Thames Gateway, Docklands, and in the land surrounding London. There is no reason why there should be underground stations in the middle of farm land, but that seems to be the case on the M11 corridor.

The Community Infrastructure Levy may be useful but I would not expect large amounts to come from this, particularly in London where new developments have to pay additional crossrail levies to the GLA. But it would not apply to small scale developments, it needs an area that can see massive redevelopment, and that would not really be appropriate in virtually all of SE23, in my opinion.

Apologies to everybody for the long response, but this reflects a discussion that Tim and I have been having off and on for a couple of years now, without much success in understanding each others point of view.

I would of course be interested in other peoples' opinions, as the Forest Hill Society tries to reflect all local concerns, not just my personal preferences, and since the title of the thread invites the views of the Forest Hill Society I hope others will contribute, whether you are members or not.