Our dog Coco

A survey by Crufts reveals an interesting statistic and a social consequence that our new PM would do well to remedy.  Crufts report British dogs are getting smaller; not literally but Britons are choosing smaller dogs as pets and Crufts conclude this is because of smaller house sizes and more frenetic life styles.  It seems that Britain has the smallest new housing in Europe.  Having seen the houses developers are building here in Oxfordshire, I am not surprised but I think it is a shocking indictment of government policy or a lack of it. Apparently, there are now no size standards for private housing so developers are squeezing families into ever-smaller homes.

I referred in an earlier blog to new houses in Bodicote. Viewers commented that there was insufficient room in the main bedroom for a bed and a wardrobe and the agents explained the third bedroom was often used as a wardrobe. I think this speaks volumes for the inadequacy of our house building programme.

Milton Road
Bloxham

As a nation, people are growing their physical possessions exponentially; many adults work from home for some days, subject to good Broadband and need working space; children need their own space for their hobbies and their friends. We hear that conversation and family meals are in decline and no wonder when there is no room for a dining table and chairs. Garages are often too small for the large sports vehicles people favour these days and, in any case, the garage often contains the freezer, bicycles, tool boxes, holiday cases, skis, discarded toys, ladders and much else for which there is no storage space in the tiny house. In the rush to build houses, we are in danger of building the rabbit hutches of tomorrow and the toll on social history is inevitable.