Campaigners occupy empty flat in protest at estate demolition plans

The three-day occupation by the RHN, a national network of activists, in a three-bedroom home on the estate was not just in protest at the estate’s demolition, but also “the shocking crime of leaving empty homes boarded up when so many people are desperate for a home”.

The group left on Tuesday after using the house as an organising space to gather support for a campaign to save the estate. 

It was one of several tactics that form part of a campaign by Housing Rebellion, a group of housing and climate campaigners determined to link “the UK’s broken housing system to the deepening climate crisis”. 

Grace Lally, a member of RHN, said: “It was about working with residents on an alternative plan to the demolition, but this occupation is just a first shot across the bow, really. We want to show that residents can’t just be easily pushed around and moved on. None of the residents here had occupied a boarded-up property before.

“We need a radical new approach to housing in relation to the climate crisis we have. The built environment is responsible for a huge amount of climate emissions, and we’ve seen years and years of poor housing policy that has seen communities broken up.”

Ms Lally said the group was also concerned about how regeneration ballots were being conducted, as they would often use the language of regeneration and did not make it clear that the entire estate would be demolished in the process.

She added: “This focus on new build, or demolish and rebuild, comes at a huge environmental and social cost. It is time to put people and the planet before profits.”

Nathalie Coste, a resident on the estate, told Inside Housing the occupation had energised the campaign to save the estate.

She said: “The last few days felt amazing, because every resident came together as one. We have had plenty of people turning up every day, and I’m getting more and more messages from residents who want to help out and join us.”

A Peabody spokesperson said: “The regeneration of South Thamesmead is already seeing us deliver brand-new social homes for hundreds of local people, with the average rent for a two-bed home being £101 a week.

“The redevelopment of the Lesnes Estate (phases three to seven of our masterplan) has received widespread support from the local community, with more than 70% of residents voting in favour of it.

“As with previous phases, we will be building high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable homes for local people, alongside much-needed additional homes to help address the housing shortage in the borough.

“We want to ensure the community can stay together and have offered all Peabody tenants and resident homeowners on the estate a new home in the neighbouring new development. Homeowners will be able to move at no additional cost, as part of our shared-equity offer. By living in new, more energy-efficient homes, residents should also benefit from reduced energy bills.”