Plans to knock down Lewisham shopping centre and replace it with 1,700 homes and a new mall are set to take a small but vital step forward next week when plans for the council to compulsorily purchase the Citibank tower are discussed.
Lewisham councillors backed the plans, put forward by the shopping centre’s owner Landsec, in October, and the developer hopes to start on site next year.
But Landsec does not own all of the site, and will have to buy out other landowners before it can start work on the first phase, closer to the station. On Wednesday, Lewisham’s elected mayor Brenda Dacres and her cabinet will discuss plans for the council to use its powers to compulsorily purchase land so work can begin.
A report to the cabinet says that Landsec has already bought or is in discussions about buying most of the land it needs – all are shops fronting Lewisham High Street.
But two blocks have so far proved out of Landsec’s reach: a block on Lewisham High Street where the freehold is owned by the City of London; and Lewisham House, the former Citibank tower. There, Landsec owns the freehold but the lease is owned by a Guernsey-based developer, Lewisham House No 1 Ltd.
LHN1 objected to Landsec’s proposals and has its own plans for the tower. It has also had plans to turn the tower into flats approved.
A compulsory purchase would be a “last resort”, but the process should start now so valuable time is not wasted if negotiations break down, a report to Lewisham’s cabinet says. Landsec would pay for the council’s costs, it adds.
Lewisham Council has long supported the redevelopment of the shopping centre, which follows the completion of another complex council-backed scheme, the towers at Lewisham Gateway, next to the railway station. It says the mall, which opened in 1977, is an inefficient use of land and is nearing the end of its useful life.
Councillors resolved to give Landsec permission to knock down the shopping and its car park in stages, replacing it with 1,744 homes in towers of up to 35 storeys, a new shopping centre, up to 630 student rooms and 445 co-living homes, where residents share facilities like kitchens, a music venue, new public spaces and a rooftop meadow.
But campaigners from the Lewisham People’s Assembly argue that the high proportion of private rental homes in the development will push up other rents in the area and force residents out. Just 98 of the new homes would be for social rent, with 231 at discounted rents aimed at key workers, all counting as “affordable” housing. All the other homes would be for private rent.
The first sign of change is set to come later this year, when Boots moves to the old Wiko unit within the centre so its current store can be knocked down for the development.
Lewisham’s cabinet will discuss the issue at a meeting on Wednesday.
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