A petition with more than 4,600 signatures opposing the redevelopment of Lewisham Shopping Centre was formally noted by Lewisham Council's full council on September 23, but supporters were told the move would not alter the already-approved £1.5 billion project.
The petition, which was presented by Faris Luke from Lewisham People's Assembly, was debated despite not following the council's official petition scheme rules, which require e-petitions to be hosted on the council's own platform rather than external sites like Change.org. Mayor of Lewisham Liam Shrivastava requested the debate despite the procedural breach.
Petition presented to full council
Mr Luke told councillors: "We urge Lewisham Council to reject Landsec's plans as part of our petition. There are two main ways the Green administration could increase affordable housing at this stage in Landsec's plans, but these are inherently flawed and will benefit an unjust status quo. The party will be playing a losing game in the long term by entertaining this."
He argued that pursuing viability reviews to boost affordable housing would be a "mistake" for the council, claiming it ties affordable housing provision to private sector profits. He also said seeking Greater London Authority (GLA) funding would be a "misstep," adding: "Public money should be going into council or community-owned housing projects exclusively."
Landsec's approved scheme details
Landsec's redevelopment, approved by the council in October 2024, will demolish the existing shopping centre and multi-storey car park, replacing them with tower blocks up to 35 storeys high. The project will be delivered in six phases over 10 years and will include 1,744 new homes, of which 98 will be social rent and 231 will be discounted market rate or key worker homes. The remaining homes will be private.
The scheme also includes accommodation for 661 students and a 23-storey co-living block with 445 homes, where residents share kitchens and lounges.
Council leaders respond to claims
Cllr Ese Erheriene, leader of the Lewisham Labour Group, addressed what she called "misinformation" online about the project. She said: "[The land] is owned by Landsec, a private developer who brought a legally compliant application before the Planning Committee under the previous Labour administration. That means planning is quasi-judicial, meaning that if an application is legally compliant... there are very few grounds for it to be refused that couldn't be challenged at a later date. So it came to committee and it was accepted - but it's not a council project."
Cllr Daniel Dream, Cabinet Member for Inclusive Regeneration, Planning and Housing Delivery, said the council "don't have the power to simply block or reject a scheme that's already been through planning approval." He added: "Some people might want that to be true, but it isn't, and we need to be talking facts for the sake of everybody watching. I can tell you directly that even if this proposal had 0 per cent affordable housing, and if Labour had refused the scheme last year, it's most likely it would have been subsequently approved by the GLA anyway - given what's seen as the wider benefits for the town centre and the financial mechanics underpinning the project."
At the end of the debate, Cllr Heather Farnworth proposed a motion on behalf of Lewisham Green Group, which included noting the petition and recognising the importance of affordable housing. The motion was seconded by Cllr Ed Sutton and passed following a formal vote called by Cllr James Rathbone.
