Articles

Nimby Watch

The Nimbys have conquered Peckham

This week, Nimby Watch is in south-east London, just for a change… Alright then, where have you brought me this week? We’re in rapidly-gentrifying Peckham, in south-east London. Specifically, we’re by the Aylesham Centre, a shopping centre that has clearly seen better days, and they definitely weren’t recent. Hang on a second, haven’t we been […]

Policy

Nimby Watch: Won’t somebody think of the retirees?

This week, Nimby Watch is in Bushey, a town near Watford that’s been around since the Domesday Book… I see we’re in Watford. What brings us here, then? Hang on for a second, we’re in Bushey – it’s been its own town for 1,000 years, which is long enough that we shouldn’t just smush it […]

Housing

Nimby Watch: Chelsea fights a cancer unit

In this special edition of Nimby Watch, we’re visiting the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Hang on, are we in the posh bit of London? You never bring me anywhere nice. We are indeed in Chelsea! Right in the heart of zone one, still one of London’s most desirable postcodes, and, of course, with […]

UK Politics

Nimby Watch: Why ‘Vote for Nature’ means fewer homes

This week, Nimby Watch is… everywhere. Or at least, it’s in ‘nature, parks and green spaces’ across the country. Right then, where are we going this time? Well, for once, it’s not so much about where we’re going as where the Nimbys are headed. That sounds ominous. It is! A coalition called Vote For Nature […]

Policy

Nimby Watch: What is The Point of Milton Keynes?

This week, Nimby Watch is off to Milton Keynes, a city – yes, it is an actual city – about 50-miles north-west of London. What a treat, right? Okay then, why have you brought me to Milton Keynes. Am I being punished in some way? Hey, that doesn’t seem very nice. What’s wrong with Milton […]

Politics

Nimby Watch: Are horses Nimbys?

This week’s edition of Nimby Watch comes from the one-time spa town of Epsom – famous for its salts and for its clocktower. So… where are we off to this week? We’re headed to the outskirts of Epsom, a town 14 miles to the south-west of London, not too far from Croydon. Building more houses […]

Politics

Nimby Watch: How to make Liverpool Street even worse

This week’s edition of Nimby Watch comes to you from the busiest railway station in the country. Want to have a guess where we are before you dive in? Okay then, where are you taking us this week – anywhere nice? We, my friend, are going to Liverpool Street Station, in the City of London. […]

Nimby Watch

The Green Party is ruining Islington

This week’s edition of Nimby Watch comes to you from the under-reported and frankly underrated borough of Islington, North London… I see we’re really pushing out the boat on the Nimby Watch travel budget this week, then? Yes, we are in what is indisputably London’s greatest borough – Islington. And yes, that does happen to […]

Nimby Watch

Nimby Watch: The parish councils lobbying for Nimbyism

It’s another crisp January Nimby Watch, and we are once again going to spend it together a few miles outside the M25, this time in the village of Meppershall. Alright then, so it’s Meppershall this week. What’s there to see here? Honestly, there’s not a great deal going on, and that’s pretty much the point. […]

Nimby Watch

Nimby Watch: Britain’s war on change

New year, new Nimbys – it’s the first Nimby Watch of 2026, and we’re kicking off the year in the picturesque surroundings of West Yorkshire. It’s a new year! The world is alive with possibilities; we can create everything anew and afresh – so where shall we start? How about the open market in Huddersfield, […]

Policy

Nimby Watch: The grinches of Hertsmere Borough Council

It’s the last Nimby Watch of 2025. The taste of snow is in the air (probably). Santa is coming soon. How will we mark the occasion? It’s Christmas! Have we found something suitably festive? A planning dispute over a reindeer enclosure, perhaps? There’s more than a week until Christmas and we’ve both still got work […]

Nimby Watch

Nimby Watch: Nimbys hate your children

In this edition of Nimby Watch, we take a trip to the quiet – very quiet – village of Chapel-en-le-Frith, in Derbyshire… Okay, what brings us to the Peak District, then? Well, it’s a small town in an idyllic part of the country. For most people, that would be reason enough. For our purposes, it’s […]

Technology

Nimby Watch: Welcome to the age of the robonimby

In this edition of Nimby Watch, we’re going everywhere and nowhere – we’re on the information superhighway, in cyberspace! Hang on, I was about to ask you where we were going this week, but I’ve read the intro and it sounds like we’re on a 1990s episode of Tomorrow’s World. In a way we are! […]

Nimby Watch

Nimby Watch: Meet the comedians blocking your housing

In this edition of Nimby Watch, we’re off to the People’s Republic of Peckham, handily situated in zone two of London. Right then, where are we looking for Nimbys this week? As ever, we are spoiled for choice – but we’ve headed down to Peckham, where last week a planning inspectorate inquiry kicked off to […]

Housing

Nimby Watch: The battle of Brighton Gasworks

In this edition of Nimby Watch, we’re off to some industrial wasteland near Brighton, where some homes have been planned, for quite some time… Anywhere nice this week? Not really! We’re in Brighton, which has many lovely attractions – the pier, a pebble beach, chic shops on the Lanes, but we’re not going to any […]

Nimby Watch

Nimby Watch: The planners coming for your local pub

In this week’s Nimby Watch, we’re off to the unspoilt green expanse of… London Fields, a park and neighbourhood in Hackney, East London. Okay, where are we this week, then? We’re in London Fields, an area of East London named for the 30-ish acre park at its core. It’s an area that gentrified so long […]