A resident of the Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead has begun legal action against Bexley Council in an attempt to save the 1960s blocks, which are due to be demolished for 1,950 new homes.
Councillors approved the plans from the Peabody housing association in 2022, and Bexley planning officers finally rubber-stamped the decision two days before Christmas.
Now Adam Turk, a social tenant who has lived on the estate since 2009, is challenging that decision and has instructed the Public Interest Law Centre to seek a judicial review of Bexley’s decision.
Many residents have already left the 600-home estate before it is demolished, but some have remained, saying they do not want to leave. Campaigners occupied an empty house in 2024, demanding to meet the head of Peabody, which took charge of Thamesmead in 2014.
Turk said: “It’s always the case that whenever we get these gentrification or regeneration schemes and programmes, it’s never for the benefit of the local people who are already there. We’re shoved out.”
He said he and the other remaining residents were “very hopeful and excited” about the chance of overturning the council’s decision.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re homeowners, leaseholders or social tenants. We’re all residents and we all just want to stay here,” he said.
The claim hinges on the environmental impact that demolition will have. Turk claims that plans submitted by Peabody to Bexley downplay the harmful effects of the greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that the council’s planners were misled.
A claim for judicial review was issued at the High Court on Friday. Turk is awaiting a decision from a judge on whether to accept the review.
Saskia O’Hara from the Public Interest Law Centre said: “Across London, approximately 137 housing estates are marked for demolition. These projects generate substantial greenhouse gas emissions, calling into question our stated commitment to achieving net zero by 2050.
“At a minimum, estate residents and the wider public are entitled to assurance that these emissions are accurately assessed, transparently documented, and lawfully disclosed to the decision-makers charged with determining whether demolition should proceed.
“This case exemplifies the point at which the displacement of established communities coincides with irreversible environmental harm and is therefore a matter of substantial public interest and concern, while directly challenging the assumption that demolition and rebuild is an appropriate or sustainable course of action to deliver housing.”
A Peabody spokesperson said: “We’re investing in communities in and around South Thamesmead, supporting people, improving public areas and providing much-needed new homes.
“The planned redevelopment of the Lesnes Estate will help us expand this work and create an even better place for local people to live. We’ll respond to legal enquiries around the planning application, and will continue to support residents during this period of transition.”
Bexley Council said it could not comment while legal proceedings were ongoing.
Cameron Blackshaw is the Local Democracy Reporter for Greenwich and Bexley. The Greenwich Wire is a partner in the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media. Story edited for length.
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