NORTH SOUTHWARK DEVELOPMENTS 1970 – 1980′s
The 1970′s and 1980′s saw a lot of vigorous campaigning by local people organised both in local groups and in coalition projects such as the North Southwark Community Development Group. Not only were people active in challenging planning applications from major developers, they were also active on working together to understand, teach and agitate around plans that they thought would be detrimental to the lives of local people.
Community Planning Centre of the North Southwark Community Development Group in 1977 at the old Fox and Hounds pub, 108 Great Guildford St / Click the text picture for short intro to the Community Development Group from Bob Colenutt’s essay ‘Community Action Over Local Planning Issues’ from the book ‘The Community Development Reader: History, Themes and Issues’ (2011) / Reports and Publications from NSCDG
Campaigning Against the LDDC / Corbetts Wharf Occupation / Hays Wharf Opposition early 1980′s (Apologies for poor quality of some of these scans of photocopies of photocopies!)
Campaigning Against the LDDC Surrey Docks and Hays Wharf, Bermondsey 1980′s
Hays Wharf & Butlers Wharf 1980′s
Cherry Gardens, Elephant Lane, Swan Rd in Bermondsey mid-80′s
Time Out March 1979
1990 – 2000′s
By the time we get to the 1990′s, locally organised housing groups and community planning movements have more or less died out or become to seem like something from another age even though the issues, threats and problems development brings to the different local communities is no different from the older struggles around Bermondsey and The Borough.
The early struggle over the regeneration of The Elephant and Heygate Estate were particularly dynamic although these had waned by the time the second attempt at a large developing of The Elephant restarts around 2004. One of the few national campaigns Defend Council Housing has worked hard on stopping sell-offs and stock transfer of council homes. Squatter movements and squatter / tenant coalition ‘Homes For All’ campaigns, much bigger in the 1980′s, have also become marginal. IGA, the popular Intergalactic Arts community space on Morecombe St was evicted for new build homes despite a big campaign to save it. More recenty, the strong local group Friends of Nursery Row Park have been one of the few local amenity groups to stave off developments being built on their park and nearby Rodney Row local shops. A small campaign by Pullens Estate residents failed to prevent the Oakmayne development on top of the old Newington Industrial Estate on Crampton St. The Elephant Amenity Network has been going for about three years now and is a good solidly local coalition of tenants groups, residents, amentiy groups and local traders. It has been good at following and replying to all the different Council consultations on major planning strategies and other key documents. It held a local Visioning Event on June 4th 2011, over 150 local people formulated a different version of regeneration for the local area.
THE ELEPHANT and HEYGATE ESTATE:
Heygate News 2004 promsing every decanted tenant a HA home in The Elephant / Council promises 16 new build sites of HA for Haygate Tenants.
Local organising on Heygate and Aylesbury 2000”s and the defeat of the Stock Transfer
WALWORTH:
IGA Walworth campaign and what IGA was replaced by/ Elephant Links / Nursery Row
Estate Agents letting seeking to buy council flats (Southwark Notes was getting about one a week in the period from 2000 – 2007) / The Guardian tips on buying a house in Walworth. Avoid the Estates, it says! / Duke of Clarence pub, SE17 one of many local pubs converted to ‘luxury’ flats
Crampton St campaign
Elephant Amenity Network ongoing…
Download Our Recent 2012 Map and Calendar Here!!
Southwark Notes in real life – our popular walking tours… ongoing!
Mapping Gentrification early 2000′s
Southwark Notes has been mapping the spread of the new developments and loss of local amenities and pubs in North Southwark since 1999. Our photos and notes and documents have now all been put into the 56a Gentrification Archive in 56a Infoshop (see above). Some of them have now been scanned and put up here.
Southwark Housing Tenure 1989 and 2001 – 2010: How many Council homes lost to Right-To-Buy and Sell-Offs? Average incomes by Housing Tenure – It’s still a very poor area!!
Brilliant Southwark Statistics from Shelter DataBank on Public Housing, Right To Buy, Private Housing and So on here!
