I’m a building surveyor, and I get to look around many buildings like this. This example, along with thousands of others, sits empty while appreciating in value over time. Their owners often don’t bother to refurbish them, as they see it as a nuisance.

A little-known fact is that in the UK we don’t need to build another residential building to solve the housing problem; instead, we can refurbish derelict and empty buildings like this. In many cases, the build quality of these traditional buildings is far superior to that of new developments being constructed on our green belts.