London. The city widely synonymous with royalty, cream teas, Sherlock Holmes, the houses of parliament and a rich plethora of other quintessentially British social, historical and architectural phenomena. However, following decades of continuous foreign investment and gentrification in the city, the face of Blighty's capital is irrefutably changing. So what are the causes, implications and results of such a shift? And most importantly, what sentiments arise as a consequence? Foreign buying and investment in the capital is no recent development. Many of London's once fully British-owned properties and landmarks have been purchased and altered by investors and expats since long before the turn of the 21st century. The investment tends to stem from the likes of Russia, China and the Quatari world. A recent demographic census revealed that a large portion of Baker Street is foreign owned, with the majority of owners stemming from the above mentioned origins. Additionally, many of these properties are not inhabited for extensive periods throughout the year; the spaces are vacant until the wealthy owners decide to move in during either holidays or short-term work trips. The arguments for the threats of this kind of buying habit revolve around two central points; the changing face of londons social fabric, and the socio-economic aspects of a housing crisis which has become the political anchor weighing the capital down. Let's begin with the first concern. The rise in feelings of alienation of lifelong inhabitants from the capital have peaked during recent years. Many are reporting Camus-esque sensations of an actor divorced from his or her setting. This feeling can be explained by walking through your local London neighbourhood and seeing residential suites replacing pre-victorian buildings which once epitomised the charming character of London. As a lifelong inhabitant of the area, one is bound to feel a sense of displacement upon the influx of corporate giants building high rise, modernist developments for luxury living whilst your own red-bricked terraced house becomes consumed in the shadow of a the glass panelled, double-glazed giant. Add to this the demographic of incredibly wealthy corporate heads from Russia, China and the Arab world coming to inhabit these pieces of real estate, and the social tissue of a once quaint, edwardian-build street experiences a remarkable aesthetic shift. The feelings are particularly rife amongst the elderly generation, who find it hard to recognise the street where 30 years ago, the only images of oligarchic wealth would be seen through their modest television sets and newspapers. The second layer to explore - relating to the first on an economic level - is that of the housing crisis that currently plagues London. With a surge of luxury developments and foreign buyers, increasing numbers of UK-born citizens are being pushed out towards the outer regions of London due to rising prices and competition within the rental market. The resulting effect is that young people and new families from the middle and lower income bracket are struggling against a London property tide whose waves are drastically exacerbated by wealthy foreign expats and short-stay businessmen. A key issue with this capitalist property framework is that many of the properties purchased are left vacant for substantial periods by the owners, as mentioned previously. Add to this the fact that these London-based properties are seldom rented out to those in need, and we begin to see a self-pejorating housing crisis that is rapidly worsening. Young familes and recent graduates are hit the hardest. With an understandable desire to find property where they will be working, it is no worder that 20-26 year olds are becoming increasingly frustrated by the insurmountability of the rental and mortgage barriers that remain astonishingly high. Consequently, young workers are forced to reside at home or find property that is a very long distance from their workplace. The message London is giving to young people is thus "don't bother until your salary is at least 30k". With a large burden of student debt often in excess of £36,000, those who are lucky enough to find the needle in the haystack that is a London property face slim chances of living comfortably and prospering thanks to raised rental demands and tuition fees. The situation is paralleled in other major european cities, most noticeably within Paris. Many of the young French population struggle to meet the demands of a rental system that requires one's net salary to exceed the rental figure by 3 fold. Again, those who can afford to reside in central Paris - such as American, Chinese and Russian expats - are away from the properties for long periods of the year and many are not even interested in letting their 'homes' out. The consequence of all this is that the charming heart of London, once associated with traditional British traditions and demographics, is slowly shifting in to the grip of foreign hands.