Penthouses and poor doors: how Europe's 'biggest regeneration project' fell flat
“Andrea Franzel lives in an apartment in the Chancery building of Embassy Gardens, a shared ownership block managed by the Peabody housing association.<p>After months of navigating dense bureaucracy, as chair of the residents’ association, he secured some funding to buy a painting for the building’s bleak communal lobby, along with a mirror and a small console table.<p>But, after three years, Peabody’s neighbourhood manager ruled that the table was a fire hazard, and had it removed.<p>“It sounds like a small thing,” said Franzel, “but that little table was part of our community. We used to buy fresh flowers and leave things for each other. Now we have nothing.” “<p>The face palming stories of heartless bureaucracies using excuses like this to stick it to the little guy.<p>The interesting thing to me is that it happens in every society. Some humans love wielding power over others.