Fluid populations

I am currently living in a pleasant little flat for which I pay rent. My husband may well be doing the same thing in either Plymouth or Swansea in a few weeks’ time.
My flat is a Grade II listed building – a former hospital. The hospital is replaced by a huge modern teaching hospital about five miles away.
There are two things I particularly like about this building: I can walk to work. There is a secure, gated car park. In fact, the whole building is very secure.
At first glimpse, you might think that the building was only half occupied. In fact, it probably is only half full at any on time. There’s a parade of suitcases going backwards and forwards most days. There are few people my age living here – though there is a near-retirement age couple in a flat near to mine. Most of the occupants are quite young. Some are young professionals who are not yet on the property ladder themselves. There are some postgraduate students, some mature but still young students. I know of at least one other university worker who has a proper family home elsewhere, just as I do.
Every city in the UK is building masses of one and two bedroom units near to the centres. (I can walk to the middle of Manchester form mine in fifteen minutes. I am in the middle of Salford.) This is to fall in line with government predictions for housing. They seem to remain mysteriously empty for long periods of time. Yet this is deceptive. When I first started looking in this area, there seemed to be lots for rent. But in fact they were renting very quickly. If you hesitated, the flats were gone. They do empty again just as quickly. People have portfolio careers, particularly those under forty. Those over forty often work away from home, but the homemaker, the child rearer will stay in one place.
In summary, we do need these small units because:
• People have portfolio careers these days
• Highly skilled specialized people have to go to where the work is
• Families are smaller and many young people are opting not to have children
• Divorce is easier
• We are becoming more insular
• Young people cannot get on the property ladder.
On the whole, these new places are well designed, look good and are comfortable.