In London's Nine Elms district, a new luxury development has sparked controversy over inequality. The Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool suspended 10 storeys high between two buildings, has been unveiled as a world first. However, residents in shared-ownership flats within the same complex are denied access, highlighting a growing class divide.
Nadeem Iqbal, a resident of Embassy Gardens, describes his daily walk past grand entrances and supercars to a small door near a bin store, facing a railway line. He calls this a 'poor door', reminiscent of segregation he experienced growing up in South Africa. His two-bed flat is valued at £800,000, but he owns only a quarter and pays rent on the rest.
The Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea (VNEB) opportunity area, touted as Europe's biggest regeneration project, has seen around 5,000 homes completed in five years, with 15,000 more planned. Critics argue it is creating an exclusive enclave for international investors, pushing regular Londoners to the margins. Penthouses with private chapels and running tracks loom over crumbling council estates, while many flats remain empty, owned by offshore shell companies.
Despite the luxury amenities, property prices in Nine Elms are reportedly tumbling, and investors are melting away. The promises of a transformative urban regeneration appear to be turning to dust for many local residents.
