Author: Simon Elmer

Alternatives to Demolition

If Councils want to demolish people's homes and issue Compulsory Purchase Orders it should be their responsibility as a local authority on behalf of their residents to show that they have exhausted all other avenues in the creation of new houses. Infill Five new homes on each of Lambeth's 200 estates, or 15 on the 75 estates … Continue reading Alternatives to Demolition

Consultation Process – co-operative council

Lambeth is a co-operative council (link) , so is 'obliged' to consult with its residents. As well as consulting them on the nature of the demolition and regeneration, should they not consult them on the initial decisions leading up to that? (from Lambeth's October 2014 Draft Principles for Estate Regeneration Lambeth Council is committed to … Continue reading Consultation Process – co-operative council

Guinness Trust: The Loughborough Estate Occupation

‘We’re winning the fight – the Guinness Trust has rehoused almost all of the Assured Shorthold Tenancies – but there are plenty of reasons to continue occupying this space. We protest the needless destruction of these solid flats to make way for papier-mâché and glass. We protest the abuse of the term “affordable”, and the … Continue reading Guinness Trust: The Loughborough Estate Occupation

Knights Walk: Background to Demoltion

Knight’s Walk is a small part of the larger Cotton Gardens Estate in Kennington, and was designed by George Finch in the 1960s. Finch was an in-house architect at Lambeth whose other buildings include the Brixton recreation centre and Lambeth Towers. Not having any issues with costly refurbishment or any fundamental structural problems to begin … Continue reading Knights Walk: Background to Demoltion

Cressingham Gardens Estate: Background to Demolition

Cressingham Gardens is a Lambeth council estate in the south of Brixton, bordering Brockwell Park. Among other things its design - built in 1968 by Lambeth architect Ted Hollamby - focused primarily on the estate’s relationship with the park, and on creating a set of spaces which encourage communal living. Together with 5 other estates … Continue reading Cressingham Gardens Estate: Background to Demolition

What’s the Point? Protest and the Housing Crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjxdjoxn-Oc&feature=youtu.be I recorded this footage at 7.00pm on the evening of Thursday, 19 February. It captures a moment in the march by Class War between One Commercial Street, Aldgate, and One Tower Bridge, Southwark. Class War have been demonstrating at the former building in protest at the so-called ‘poor doors’ through which the residents of … Continue reading What’s the Point? Protest and the Housing Crisis

The Aylesbury Wall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK-4217g2u8 1 The first, I suppose, was the Great Wall of China, Thirteen thousand miles along its northern border, Built to keep out the Mongolian hordes – But now we have the Aylesbury Wall. And the Emperor Hadrian’s famous wall, Seventy-three miles long and twenty feet tall, Built to keep out the Barbarian hordes – … Continue reading The Aylesbury Wall