STOP THE SOCIAL CLEANSING OF CATFORD

The Issue

Please read the following statement below & show support by signing & sharing this petition. This petition will be handed to Lewisham Council.

“Catford Against Social Cleansing” is a group of local people who have a number of concerns about the regeneration of Catford Town Centre in The London Borough of Lewisham. The purpose of our campaign is to highlight the proposed development of Catford Town Centre and to insist that the council promise to commit to a minimum of 50% of socially rented housing in this development.

Regeneration is a way of gentrifying, or as we say, socially cleansing, an area. This is when you see master plans and planning applications coming forward to socially cleanse these areas by decanting people from their homes on existing estates which for many people, has been their home & community environment for many years.

The Catford Town Centre Regeneration is likely to see mass demolition of buildings & homes including Milford Towers (This houses over 200 people), Catford Broadway shops including Tesco, Iceland, and Black Cat pub with the only building seemingly protected being the Broadway Theatre. 

There is also a massive shortage of council and social rental housing across London as well as in Lewisham. Councils are losing council and social rental homes through Right to Buy. The planned demolitions will reduce our council housing stock. We need to add more homes, not reduce the number of them.

We believe that the council should be building more social rental housing but not at the expense of the environment as some of the proposals for Catford Plassey Island which includes proposed 20 story buildings.

So in short, we are campaigning for four basic principles:

  • That a minimum of 50% of any units built are designated for Social Rental homes.
  • Positive action of Public land being used for public benefit. Example Place Ladywell 50% social rental housing should be available at this site.
  • That there will be ballots & every effort will be made to make them accessible, fair & transparent with procedures in place to monitor this
  • That the building will be environmentally friendly by building blocks not higher than 10 stories.
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Shaka AndersonPetition Starter
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164

The Issue

Please read the following statement below & show support by signing & sharing this petition. This petition will be handed to Lewisham Council.

“Catford Against Social Cleansing” is a group of local people who have a number of concerns about the regeneration of Catford Town Centre in The London Borough of Lewisham. The purpose of our campaign is to highlight the proposed development of Catford Town Centre and to insist that the council promise to commit to a minimum of 50% of socially rented housing in this development.

Regeneration is a way of gentrifying, or as we say, socially cleansing, an area. This is when you see master plans and planning applications coming forward to socially cleanse these areas by decanting people from their homes on existing estates which for many people, has been their home & community environment for many years.

The Catford Town Centre Regeneration is likely to see mass demolition of buildings & homes including Milford Towers (This houses over 200 people), Catford Broadway shops including Tesco, Iceland, and Black Cat pub with the only building seemingly protected being the Broadway Theatre. 

There is also a massive shortage of council and social rental housing across London as well as in Lewisham. Councils are losing council and social rental homes through Right to Buy. The planned demolitions will reduce our council housing stock. We need to add more homes, not reduce the number of them.

We believe that the council should be building more social rental housing but not at the expense of the environment as some of the proposals for Catford Plassey Island which includes proposed 20 story buildings.

So in short, we are campaigning for four basic principles:

  • That a minimum of 50% of any units built are designated for Social Rental homes.
  • Positive action of Public land being used for public benefit. Example Place Ladywell 50% social rental housing should be available at this site.
  • That there will be ballots & every effort will be made to make them accessible, fair & transparent with procedures in place to monitor this
  • That the building will be environmentally friendly by building blocks not higher than 10 stories.
avatar of the starter
Shaka AndersonPetition Starter
Media enquiries

The Decision Makers

Lewisham Council
Lewisham Council
Responded
“Community engagement has been at the heart of our vision for Catford. The Catford Town Centre Framework has been shaped by over 3,000 comments from local residents and reflects their desire for a greener town centre, more affordable housing, new opportunities for local businesses and improved routes for walking and cycling. Like the rest of London, Lewisham is facing a housing crisis and there is a desperate need for more homes. The Catford Town Centre Framework sets out plans to deliver 2,700 homes over the coming decades, including almost 1,000 new social homes. This will lead to an increase in the number of social homes available for families on our housing waiting list, not a reduction. In order to meet the need for new homes, some taller buildings will be necessary, given the limited land available in Catford and the importance of protecting green space. With our ambition for Catford to be the greenest town centre in London, sustainability will be at the heart of all new buildings, in terms of both construction and maintenance. Previous consultation carried out with Milford Towers residents found clear support for plans to provide new housing on this site. It is anticipated that this will provide a net increase of around 800 homes on site, providing new social homes for families on our housing waiting list and more family-sized accommodation. The vast majority of Council tenants living in Milford Towers have already chosen to move into new Council properties and we will continue working with the small number of Council tenants still living on the estate to find alternative accommodation. Lewisham Council does not own all of the sites in Catford Town Centre, with some owned by private developers. The Catford Town Centre Framework enables us to shape these developments in a way which will benefit local residents, pushing developers to deliver more social homes, green space and affordable workspace for local businesses. Like all private developments in the borough, we will be pushing for a minimum of 50% affordable housing in new developments in Catford, including new social homes for families on our housing waiting list. The redevelopment of the shopping centre will help create new opportunities for local businesses, while continuing to provide a strong retail offer and a diverse range of shops for residents. We will work with all businesses currently based in the shopping centre to help find suitable alternatives during construction. No shops or businesses on Catford Broadway will be demolished as part of our plans for Catford. This historic shopping street will remain untouched throughout the redevelopment and we will continue to work with the traders to help support their businesses.”
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Petition created on 6 December 2021