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The case for squatting
Is squatting legal?
Yes. Barring any criminal damage on entry squatters are fully within the law and have specific rights. These rights include being allowed to live in the building until the owner has gone through the courts to get a 'possession order'. The legal question of squatting is a purely civil one and has nothing to do with the police, something they often forget.
How long have people been squatting?
Although squatting has happened for centuries (a famous early case is when the 'Diggers' took over waste common land in Surrey in 1649), modern squatting can be seen as starting following the end of the second world war. The country was in a severe housing crisis which led many people to squat ex-service camps. There is obviously a huge connection between the severity of the current housing crisis (there almost always seems to be one) and the number of squatters.
Is it mainly homeless people that squat?
Yes. Squatting is primarily a way to get somewhere to live but because of its difficulty and precariousness it is really only thought of as an option for people who are homeless in the broad sense of the word. But by no means does everyone who squats do so out of necessity. It has long been seen as a political act and is often associated with radical politics. Political squatting is often more a case of trying to carve out an 'autonomous' space rather than just a 'living' space. Renting a home means that as a dweller you have very little control over the building itself and are often subjected to harassment by the landlord who is keen to remind you that it is his/her house. In a squatted building you are able to carry out repairs, improvements and decorate as you see fit and have complete control over the space that you live in.
How many homeless people are there in Britain?
The state of homelessness in Britain, as in any country, is a very difficult to ascertain as it encompasses a lot more than just the number of rough sleepers. Crisis (a homelessness charity) estimated in 2004 that Britain had 380,000 'hidden homeless', this includes people in temporary accommodation, crowded accommodation and people under imminent threat of eviction. Ten thousand of those 380,000 were squatters, a housing position that has been made more and more unstable by a gradual erosion of rights.
Are there many empty houses in Britain?
Yes, there are many hundreds of thousands! In the East Midlands alone there are 59,222 empty homes, 16,503 of which are in Nottinghamshire and 5,653 of those are in the City of Nottingham. The vast majority of these are owned by private landlords who might be waiting for more money to develop the property or for property prices to increase or even for the property to decay to such an extent that they can knock it down and easily get planning permission for a new development. These figures do not even include all the empty commercial buildings, that can be (and have been) turned into social spaces for community use.
Is the situation here the same as other European countries?
Yes and no. There has been a general Europe-wide crack down on squatting over the last few years with only a few places boasting a significant number of squats i.e. Barcelona and parts of the Netherlands. The most significant legal difference in some other countries (like the Netherlands) is that in order to regain possession of the building the owner has to show that (s)he has plans for the building and that it is not enough to solely show that they own it. (The government in the Netherlands is currently trying to change the law on squatting, for more info see below.)
Is there any connection between squatting and the green movement?
Yes quite a large one. In terms of climate change it is imperative that we use what facilities already exist as opposed to constructing new ones. The construction industry is hugely energy intensive; the production of building materials accounts for 10% of Britain's total CO2 emissions. It is also exceptionally wasteful as 20% of the materials produced are never used but rather just sent straight to landfill. Altogether it generates one third of Britain's waste! This means that a landlord who is not making use of a property is committing both a moral wrong and a crime against the environment.
What is the history of the J. B. Spray factory?
It was built in 1870 as a lace factory designed to accommodate heavy lace machinery that was too big for the smaller buildings in the lace market. It is a grade II listed building which is on a city council 'buildings at risk' list which states that the owner is 'unwilling to sell' and 'prefers community use'. Despite this preference the building has been standing empty for many years and has fallen into a state of disrepair. There are no signs of intended development/use.