Campaigners occupy under-threat London estate for second time in less than one year
Campaigners are occupying an empty house on a Peabody-run south London estate for a second time in less than a year and are refusing to leave, in protest against the proposed demolition of the site.
Residents and members of the protest group Housing Rebellion took over a house on the Lesnes Estate, in Thamesmead, on Saturday. They are calling on Peabody executive John Lewis to meet them and listen to their demands.
“We’re intending to stay until somebody from Peabody engages with the residents,” a spokesperson for Housing Rebellion told Inside Housing. “We’ve got no intention of leaving at the moment.”
The campaigners want the G15 landlord to refurbish the 1960s estate instead of bulldozing it and said current empty homes should be opened up and occupied. The estate consists of 596 homes – 288 flats and 308 townhouses.
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On Saturday, a march took place to the Peabody sales office on the estate, before the occupation of the home. Campaigners took similar action last July.
However, Peabody said it believed redevelopment was the “very best option” for the estate.
The regeneration of estates in London continues to be a controversial subject, with some arguing that the demolition of homes amounts to social cleansing.
The Lesnes Estate is part of the regeneration of the wider Thamesmead area, which was originally conceived as a futuristic new town in the 1960s.
Peabody’s plans are part of this regeneration. The social landlord entered into an £8bn joint venture with developer Lendlease in 2019 to draw up a masterplan for the area.
In October 2022, Peabody gained planning permission for up to 1,950 homes for phases three to seven of the masterplan, which includes the Lesnes Estate. Peabody has pledged to make at least 35% of the homes “affordable”.
However, the campaigners claimed that long-standing residents of the Lesnes Estate were facing compulsory purchase of their homes at “a fraction” of the price of the planned new homes. Residents fear they will be displaced further out of London and away from a close-knit community, according to the campaigners.
A spokesperson for Peabody said: “Redevelopment is the very best option for the estate. It will provide high-quality, energy-efficient homes for local people, while helping to address the housing shortage.”
The landlord pointed out that it had held a tenant ballot about the plans in 2020 and the “majority” had voted in favour.
“We want to keep the community together,” the spokesperson added. “That’s why we’re offering all resident homeowners the opportunity to move to a brand-new Peabody home in south Thamesmead through our shared-equity offer.
“This means they can buy a home up to double the value of their current one, without having to take on an additional mortgage. All tenants who are paying social rent now will continue to pay social rent in their new home in south Thamesmead.”
It is understood that around 300 residents on the Lesnes Estate pay social rent.
The spokesperson said all homes were valued by an “independent chartered surveyor” and “many” homeowners had accepted its offer of market value for their homes plus a 10% compensation payment.
“We continue to carry out repairs and maintenance in people’s homes, and our environmental services team works on the estate daily,” the spokesperson said. “Our waste enforcement officers also frequently visit the area.”
Last October, Siân Berry, who represents the Green Party in the London Assembly, urged London mayor Sadiq Khan to take the application over and hold a public hearing on the Lesnes Estate plans.
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