Campaigners seeking to halt the redevelopment of Lewisham Shopping Centre are calling on the new Green council to stop a potential Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for Lewisham House. The group Save Lewisham Shopping Centre wants the council to block further progress on the CPO, which they see as pivotal to either advancing or stalling developer Landsec's £1.5 billion scheme.
Campaigners demand halt to CPO for Lewisham House
Lewisham House, formerly occupied by Citibank, has been vacant for several years. The campaign group argues that halting the CPO would allow them to negotiate for more affordable housing within the redevelopment. Landsec's masterplan, approved by the council in October last year, includes 1,744 new homes, but only 20% are affordable: 98 social rent homes and 231 discounted market rent homes for key workers. The remaining 1,415 homes are planned as private.
Christine Hannigan from Save Lewisham Shopping Centre said: "Another problem is the actual housing mix [on offer]. The council's own data reports that families on the housing waiting list need affordable three and four-bedroom homes and a lot of the people on the housing waiting list are families." She added: "The fact that most of the affordable housing is going to be one and two bedrooms, it's not going to reduce overcrowding and that's not serving the families who have kids growing up in poverty because of housing costs."
Redevelopment phases and affordable housing concerns
The project is split into six phases, with construction expected to take a decade. Landsec needs to own the entire site to begin phase one. The campaign group highlights that over 11,000 people are on Lewisham's housing waiting list, emphasizing the need for family-sized homes.
Aleya Marzuki, another campaigner, said: "A lot of the emphasis on the campaign right now is raising awareness about the CPO and showing that legally, this is something the council can do and blocking it is well within their power." The group gathered over 4,000 signatures on a petition and is pushing for a council debate on the CPO.
On Wednesday, July 15 at 6.30pm, the group will hold a demonstration outside Lewisham Town Hall ahead of full council to protest the redevelopment and CPO.
Green mayor's stance on social housing
Liam Shrivastava, elected as the first Green Mayor of Lewisham in May, said he would use his influence "to make the most of every opportunity to increase the amount of social housing provided" and ensure community benefits. He stated: "I have consistently said that I don’t think the level of family homes and homes for social rent is adequate to meet the needs of our residents." He added that the administration is exploring innovative strategies to increase housing delivery across the borough.
In January 2026, the previous Labour administration approved in principle the use of compulsory purchase powers for Lewisham House, allowing the council to seize the site from long-term leaseholder Lewisham House No 1 Ltd (LHN1). The council described using CPO powers as a "last resort" but warned that delaying could lose valuable time.
Landsec's plans and alternative proposals
Landsec owns the freehold of Lewisham House, but the lease is held by LHN1, a Guernsey-based developer. Landsec has been unable to acquire the building from LHN1. The scheme includes, beyond housing, a new shopping centre, up to 630 student rooms, 445 co-living homes, a music venue, new public spaces, and a rooftop meadow.
LHN1 objected to Landsec's proposals in October and asked the committee to defer its decision to reconsider its own scheme for Lewisham House. LHN1's plans involve 319 co-living studios, and they have permission under permitted development rights to convert the building into flats, none of which would be affordable.
Mayor Shrivastava called Lewisham House's vacancy "a scandal," noting it is owned by an offshore company that has had numerous applications approved but never followed through. He said: "Their current planning application proposes no affordable housing whatsoever."
Phase 1b and public benefits
Lewisham House is part of phase 1b of Landsec's scheme, which includes 450 one-bed, two-bed, and three-bed homes, with 20% affordable for key workers. This phase also includes improvements to Rennel Street and new shops. Landsec warns that none of this will come forward if Lewisham House is converted into flats or co-living homes.
A Landsec spokesperson said: "The approved masterplan would deliver 1,700 new homes, 20 per cent of which will be affordable, along with a number of public benefits which the redevelopment of Lewisham House alone could not deliver." They added: "Our proposals for Lewisham House sit within phase 1b of our scheme which would create 1, 2 and 3 bed homes including 90 homes ring-fenced for key workers." The masterplan was designed with input from over 3,000 local people and includes a new public park, a permanent home for Lewisham's Model Market, a 500-capacity culture venue, and a reimagined shopping centre with the same amount of retail space as today.
