A Green Party report shows Londoners in estates continue to face worsening conditions and displacement despite the Mayor of London’s ‘regeneration’ policies.
The report, published by Green Party London Assembly Member Zoë Garbett, argues that ‘regeneration’ of communities often involves leaving estates to decline before allowing developers to gentrify the land.
Her report attacks policies introduced under Sadiq Khan, such as the residential ballot, which requires residents’ approval for large redevelopments that would demolish over 150 homes.
She argues that estates are in a state of ‘managed decline’ to allow for developers to frame their proposals as a choice between complete demolition or redevelopment during balloting.
“Regeneration is often presented as the solution by councils, but we know it comes at a cost – land is sold to private developers, luxury flats replace social housing, and culturally significant spaces like markets are destroyed and communities are uprooted,” Garbett said.
More than 150,000 residents have been directly affected by 160 estate demolitions since 1997, with a further 136 estates slated for future demolition.
Some demolished estates remain unrebuilt, such as the Ferrier Estate in Kidbrooke, which was cleared in 2009 and is not expected to complete regeneration until 2031.
The Aylesbury Estate in Walworth is another example of regeneration faltering in south-east London, after Southwark Council recently parted ways with the developer leaving the remaining 2,200 planned homes without a builder.
The slow pace of redevelopment left parts of the Aylesbury Estate vulnerable to squatting and antisocial behaviour, and with no developer now in place, there is no clear timeline for its completion.
Garbett’s report makes a number of policy recommendations such as implementing recommendations including Sian Berry’s 2022 recommendations on improving residential ballots and funding retrofitting rather than demolishing social housing.
However, in the case of the Aylesbury Estate, Southwark Council recently announced that new fire safety and building regulations made retrofitting unviable.
With the next London Plan due in May, the debate over whether regeneration serves residents or developers is likely to intensify.
The Mayor of London’s team were contacted for comment.
Featured image credit: Adrian Raudaschl via Unsplash
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