Sadiq: Say NO to the displacement of BAME communities from Elephant & Castle

Last week Southwark Council’s planning committee approved a proposal from offshore developer Delancey to demolish the Elephant & Castle shopping centre with no real commitment to the people it will displace.

After a gruelling 5 hour meeting the destructive plans scraped through 4 votes to 3 despite 900+ objections submitted and a public objection from the affected communities, traders and ward councillors.

It was acknowledged in the meeting that Delancey’s plans will:

• Displace the local community of Latin American and other BAME traders: The 130 small independent traders who currently occupy 4,000 sqm inside and around the shopping centre are being turfed out with the Developer offering a mere 471 sqm for immediate relocation and vague promises with no planning consent.
• Not offer enough social housing: Out of almost 1,000 homes, only 74 to 116 (subject to funding) will be genuinely affordable to the local community at social rents. Delancey got out of its commitment to offering a policy compliant level of social housing by claiming Southwark's existing policy of 17.5% didn't apply to their new rental scheme.
• Waste £11.24 million of public funds to prop up their profit: An ‘in-principle agreement’ for a grant from the GLA has been used to prop up the developers projected £147 million profits. Delancey claimed without it providing social housing just wasn’t viable. 

However, these unacceptable consequences for the local community can still be reversed. There is a long way before the plans go ahead for this controversial scheme. Now, the application will be analysed by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for a final approval by GLA.

Campaigners, local groups and charities, residents, LCC students and staff, local Councillors and the Elephant community will continue to fight for a fair and inclusive deal for all Latin American and other BAME traders who make Elephant and Castle our home.

So we need your help to let Sadiq know that the decision will have a detrimental impact on this well established and thriving multicultural quarter of London.

Sadiq Khan has wide planning powers and can direct refusal of a strategic planning application, or take over the decision-making himself. He has 14 days to make a decision from the date of the committee meeting.

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