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Letter: Dig deep

Published 3 August 2002

From Anthony Judge

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott calls for radical thinking about housing in Britain, especially in the Southeast.

Green belt land is to be progressively sacrificed. At what point will consideration be given to the possibility that far more people can live in central London – beneath existing housing?

The question is, why are no feasibility studies being undertaken on the proportion of people such as students and nurses who would be prepared to live underground, if commutes could be reduced to a few minutes? Who owns the huge volumes of space open to such development under central London? What are the costs of converting tunnel-drilling machines to work vertically? What are the construction, maintenance (air conditioning, lifts, and so on), and possible rental costs? What are the security risks?

Brussels, Belgium

Issue no. 2354 published 3 August 2002

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