April 2019. The government is reviewing its policy of allowing the conversion of offices into homes without planning permission. Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said he would be looking “at where the burden lies” with regards to the pressures and costs involved when re-housing families from London. It comes after Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, described the practice as “social cleansing”. A report revealed homeless families were re-housed in Harlow office blocks. Mr Halfon told Parliament: “This policy has not worked. It has allowed landlords to build ghettos and allowed London councillors to socially cleanse their most vulnerable families to places like Harlow.” He added the town had not been given additional resources to “deal with this extra burden” to provide more doctors, schools, social services, and policing. What kind of people thought this one up? Homeless and therefore Vulnerable people getting shuved into derelect office space. How do the planners sleep at night?