[alva]

I do not think successive UK governments have had enough of a long term strategy to do this consciously (though I would love to find out it was a deliberate), but I think the Battersea / Nine Elms development is a fantastic way to exploit the surging demand into Western real estate.

Tens of thousands of flats have been built almost entirely funded by foreign investment. If/once the market collapses on whatever time frame, London now has significantly increased housing stock almost entirely on the back of foreign money (whilst providing income for local builders and suppliers). Already foreign owners are taking huge losses on their investment and I expect this to drop even further. If price drop to a reasonable level for your average Londoner, this will be a great win.

On a side note, that entire development is an architectural disgrace and as you note, for the time being a ghost town, parking dodgy money from abroad.

[strogonoff]

While using foreign money flowing into Western property to build public housing is a cool strategy, in reality it did result in some controversy: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/feb/02/penthou...

[DrBazza]

Nine Elms is horrific, isn't it? Designed by supposedly some of the world's best architects. Where the votes were presumably cast by other architects and not the general public.

Also, that development, and others have "poor doors" around the side or back for the non-penthouse owning riff raff to use. Another thing that's completely wrong with these kinds of developments in London.