Uk Population

[Georgiesmum]

According to the Daily Express, the UK population is set to rocket to 70 million. What are you thoughts on this please?

[goodgoalie]

The village where I live has just had 50 houses completed on the north side, 50 on the south side, and they've just started the groundworks for another 90 on the west side. Add to this assorted houses here there and everywhere (the assumption seems to be that approval will be given for every application), including two in the car park of the garden centre! Similar building in other nearby villages, and, oh yes, 2,500 houses soon to be built as one of the so-called 'garden villages' on an airfield 2 miles away. It will no doubt get worse as we approach 70 million and beyond - unsustainable

[jno]

I think it was last year the population of London finally passed the level it was after WW2.

I suppose old people could stop living to 100 and putting a strain on the NHS, but that's one of the big reasons that numbers are rising.

As for the new homes being built - in the old days they would have housed whole families with half a dozen kids or more and maybe some elderly parents. Now they're just as likely to hold only one or two people. And everyone wants to own their own. A lot of this is brought about by social change.

[MallyJ]

People will insist on reproducing and then living so much longer ... what else can be expected except a rapid rise in the number of people?

[EDDIE51]

It's not just the UK. The world's population is rapidly approaching the limit of how many the Earth can sustain.
2/3 rds of the world's surface is ocean, a large % of the rest is too hot, too cold or too dry, too mountainous to sustain life. What remains has to provide space for housing and space to grow crops for food.
Ever extra house and person takes up space that could be used to grow crops , so it cuts both ways. The increasing population needs more space to live in but also needs more space to grow food.

[goodgoalie]

Mally, something that can be expected is that the UK doesn't have net migration of well over a quarter of a million every year. There are over 3 million EU citizens living in the UK now, 800,000 of whom are from Poland, all needing somewhere to live. No wonder there's building everywhere.

[Zacs-Master]

Is this the same Express as predicts weather bombs and blizzards? I think it is.

[EDDIE51]

http://www.livescience.com/16493-people-planet-earth-support.html
It is generally agreed that the maximum number of people the Earth can support is 10 Billion. We are already past the 7 Billion mark and many estimate that we will be over the 10 Billion mark within 30 years!

[Quizproquo]

goodgoalie, how many brits are in Spain, France or any other EU country?
I'm pretty sure EU working migration balances out

[goodgoalie]

There are about 1 million UK citizens living in EU countries

[Samjenko]

Jno's right. The nerve of some of these old people, living longer and owning houses.
Imagine how many more immigrants we could take if old people weren't so selfish.

[Old_Geezer]

I think the lack of control is regrettable.

[EDDIE51]

This question is far wider than just the UK. As I said the problem is the world's population which is rapidly nearing the maximum level it is possible to sustain. The UK would be in a sorry state if we could not import food, we can not possibly grow enough here on our own soil to feed our population. The rest of the world will soon be going the same way, there will come a time when other nations refuse to export food because they need it to feed their own people!

[gulliver1]

I take that as you are a pensioner Sam?

[Samjenko]

Aaaand,,,,,you're wrong again.