YFR welcomes Southwark Council's reversal on Rooftop Developments (Statement - 22/07/22)
We are delighted to hear that the council has called a halt to the foolish policy of rooftop development. We are proud of the part we have played in bringing estate residents together, learning from each other and building a borough-wide campaign.
Ultimately this victory can be put down to the strength of residents' activism, their organisation, and their relentless pursuit of the facts in the face of the council's bare-faced lies.
The lies continue, of course. For example, the lie that their rooftop development would be safe. They continue to maintain this falsehood despite the ample evidence provided by the Arup report and the disaster of Roderick House and Antony House where residents have suffered unbearable noise, flooding and damage to their homes - for more than two years. The developer in this case is Apex Airspace, the company so beloved of our former disgraced cabinet member for housing. He even spoke on two booster videos for their thoroughly disreputable business.
The truth about this U turn is that the council made a cold, hard calculation. We think they asked themselves:
*Should they continue with the rooftop policy, creating more and more opposition on our estates, risking unsafe building and years of misery for council tenants and residents?
*Could they afford building on rooftops given the rising costs in the building trade?
*Could they carry on and let their whole misconceived infill programme be put at risk by the very worst element within it?
So in the first sensible policy move since this whole ludicrous caper got started, they decided to ditch their rooftop plans in the hope of salvaging the wider infill policy.
There's only one group of people who should be given credit for this change, and that's not the council. It's the residents who fought back, giving so much of their time, energy and imagination in a successful effort to ultimately save the council from itself.
But the infill plans are not dead. Some very damaging schemes remain, including the demolition of people's homes at the Dodson and Amigo and the destruction of a play area at the Elim. Residents are fighting these proposals and they deserve everyone's support. Some schemes, such as the Vauban and Brenchley Gardens have been indefinitely suspended, showing that if you fight, you can win.
We all need to get behind the campaigns to put residents at the heart of housing policy, where democracy matters and that includes our right to have a say over what happens on our estates, our green spaces and our community facilities.
This was always going to be a war of attrition, to be fought estate by estate, but with our borough-wide campaign bringing greater solidarity, organisation, and sharing of lessons in the struggle.
We have shown we are a force to be reckoned with and we don't intend to give up. Join us!
Media Release – 22/07/22
Yes to Fair Redevelopment welcomes Southwark Council’s U-Turn on rooftop development
YFR expressed support for the Council’s decision to pause rooftop development after long campaigns against the policy by residents of several estates.
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The group has pledged to continue the fight to stop unfair infill proposals which threaten to make residents’ lives a misery for years to come, removing tenant halls, play space and green space from estates, replacing it with housing.
After the worst heatwave on record, with temperatures above 40 Degrees, residents point out the vital role played by green space and trees in keeping their homes cool. A BBC heat map shows that the hottest areas in Southwark are Peckham, North Southwark and Bermondsey, whereas leafy Dulwich stays cooler than average.
Yes to Fair Redevelopment says the Council should take over empty homes and repair existing council homes rather than demolish them. The group is dismayed by the Council’s stance which seems to link major works and repairs to infill development, making residents believe they can’t have one without the other. Now that the rooftop development is cancelled, the repairs must still go ahead.
Some damaging schemes remain, including the demolition of people's homes and the removal of green space and trees at the Dodson and Amigo Estate and the destruction of a play area at the Elim Estate. Residents are fighting these proposals and they deserve everyone's support. Some schemes, such as the Vauban and Brenchley Gardens have been indefinitely suspended, showing that if you fight, you can win.
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Tanya Murat from Yes to Fair Redevelopment said
We are in favour of council housing, and we’ve been fighting to defend it from Southwark’s demolitions and sell-offs for the past 20 years. The infill policy is a sign of the failure of Southwark’s housing policy, not a sign of success. We all need to get behind the campaigns to put residents at the heart of housing policy, where democracy matters and that includes our right to have a say over what happens on our estates, our green spaces and our community facilities.
A Nunhead Estate campaigner said
Residents have fought hard to raise awareness of the safety and wellbeing impact of rooftop builds and are hugely relieved the council has made the right decision. It has been exhausting to live with this hanging over our heads. A weight has been lifted.
George Anthony, Southampton Way Estate said
Southampton Way Estate was targeted as part of the rooftop development scheme, something that was completely designed and funded before residents were made aware of such plans or even considered. It felt like this was a project that would happen no matter what the residents opinions were! We fought hard and even made contact with the media. The whole idea was ludicrous from the beginning! As a community we came together to express this by means of visible banners that went up around our estate. They may have infill plans ahead for Southampton Way, like when they proposed to build on our green. This is just frightening and although this battle may be won the war is still on and I for one will not be giving up the fight!
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