Southwark residents demanded 50% affordable housing in new developments as part of a protest against the borough’s housing crisis.
Around 80 people joined the protest outside Southwark Council’s offices in Tooley Street on 30 November, which was organised by the Southwark Housing and Planning Emergency (SHAPE) coalition.
Established around two months ago, the group consists of different communities in Southwark who came together to raise concerns regarding the impact of private developers and call on the council to do more to address issues affecting residents.
Co-ordinator of SHAPE and chair of Southwark Defend Council Housing Tanya Murat, 57, said: “There is a housing emergency, there are not enough homes that people can afford to live in, there’s a rise in homelessness, there’s a rise in evictions.
“Developers are building homes far too dense, far too high, replacing council housing with private luxury flats.
“The housing crisis has gotten worse. If no emergency action is taken, more and more people will be forced into temporary accommodation.”
“The council can join with tenants and residents, trade unions and campaign groups to fight for the kind of funding that will solve the housing crisis.
“This is the emergency action needed. They have a choice, but the choice is getting harder, and the crisis is getting worse.”
Residents fear town centres will be blighted by over-development and locals and traders will be forced out of the community, leading to social cleansing and gentrification.
The Aylesham Community Action Campaign group (ACA) of Peckham attended the protest as, the redevelopment of the Aylesham Centre, which is being overseen by the Berkeley Group, sparked major concerns over fears of further gentrification.
Member of SHAPE and ACA, Siobhan McCarthy, 46, who was born and raised in Southwark, fears further changes will rid Peckham of the rich culture.
She said: “I love my neighbourhood, and I see it changing. I understand we need change, but some of it isn’t good.
“Especially in Peckham, the Aylesham development has the capacity to kind of tip us over the edge,
“It used to be nicknamed little Lagos and now you are lucky if it’s miniature Lagos, really. What we don’t want is no Lagos.”
Members of the community believe there is a huge issue with housing in Peckham and the redevelopment of the Aylesham Centre will only make this worse.
Residents claim rent is no longer affordable, and there is a growing sense of imbalance and that profit is dependent on the suffering of the locals.
McCarthy said: “So many young people I’ve spoken to have said, they are going to have a family, kids, a husband or wife and will be living with other families or other people and that’s the only way they are going to have some sort of place to call home.
“We are not against developments; we know the area needs to be developed but it’s all about the right plan and the right thinking.”
Southwark Council’s aim is to deliver new developments with a minimum of 35% affordable housing, but the ACA are challenging this and requesting for 50% to be the new minimum requirement.
SHAPE, meanwhile, are requesting 50% of council housing on private land and demanding a stop to council home demolitions, plus protection for local traders and community green spaces.
Southwark Council’s cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development Cllr Helen Dennis said: “The minimum expected level of affordable housing in a new housing development is 35%, and we always encourage developers to provide affordable housing above this level.
“Wherever possible, we proactively negotiate an increase in the affordable and social rent components of a scheme.
“This approach resulted in us securing 338 social rent homes now being delivered on the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey, the equivalent of a new council estate.
“On the Old Kent Road, over 50% of all the new homes built or currently being built, are genuinely affordable.
“Any planning application is assessed by Southwark Council’s planning committee against Southwark’s planning policies.
“This is a live planning application and we can’t comment further.”
The Berkeley Group were approached for comment.
Images credit: SHAPE
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