East London Tower Evacuations, Police Search and Housing Updates Across the Capital

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from towers in east London after a crack described as "disastrous" was discovered, the London Evening Standard reported. The evacuation of the east London towers comes alongside separate policing, court and defence developments in the capital. According to a report by The Guardian, Met police are searching for a suspect after a man was shot near the Royal Artillery barracks. In a separate legal matter reported by the BBC, a pair have denied carrying out an arson attack on the East London Synagogue. Elsewhere in the city, GOV.UK announced that the Chief of Defence hosted the tenth Dragon Group meeting in London.

Across London's housing sector, recent reports have highlighted both affordability pressures for residents and organisational changes among housing providers. The i Paper reported on conditions inside the part of London referred to as "nappy valley", where millennials are trapped in homes that they cannot afford. In the council housing sector, Haringey Council announced that an award-winning council housing development has scooped a national architecture honour. Meanwhile, Inside Housing reported that a London landlord has appointed a director of IT and transformation.

Questions have also been raised within the capital's architecture profession over whether public procurement systems support smaller studios, alongside news from the private residential market. The Architects’ Journal asked whether London's architecture framework is failing small practices, highlighting the statement: "We’ve earned £0." Meanwhile, in the private property sector, Wallpaper* reported that during her lifetime Zaha Hadid built just two private houses, and that one of those private houses is now for sale.