Miss Waterhouse donated the land and created a charitable trust to build six houses for rent for local people.

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The project is being managed by Wireless Philadelphia, a city-sponsored nonprofit group which plans to contract with a private firm to build and maintain the network, and then will rent access to service providers.

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The mayor's spokesman said: "The mayor recognises the need to build more housing at all levels in London, whether to rent or buy".

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But developers have had little incentive to build since then, because rent growth has been weak and population growth flat.

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There was also a move, coming in several waves, to build government owned housing for rent, at well below market rates.

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Ms Kirkbride later said she would quit Parliament after facing criticism over claims she re-mortgaged her second home in her constituency, in which her brother lived rent free, to build an extra bedroom.

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While some people purchase land and build their own small homes through kits, like, Cusato Cottages, others just choose to buy or rent homes that are smaller in size.

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