James Acaster and Nish Kumar join fight to save Peckham from huge flat development

Comedians Nish Kumar and James Acaster are backing a battle against what protesters have dubbed ‘gentrification on steroids’ after a developer announced plans to tear down a historic shopping centre and replace it with flats.

Berkeley Homes has applied to build 867 homes on the site of the Aylesham shopping centre and market, triggering a backlash from locals who claim the development is a further step towards pricing out families who have lived in the south London town for generations.

The application for a series of high-rise towers has been referred to the planning inspectorate, which rules on controversial developments and is a legal process. The Berkeley plans allow for only 77 affordable homes, which has been dismissed as unacceptable by campaigners.

Peckham, the setting for much much-loved comedy classic Only Fools and Horses, when it was considered a poor area south of the river, has been transformed with property prices rocketing in recent years.

With its proximity to central London and the City it has become a well-heeled area with developers circling for opportunities to bag prime sites.

The Aylesham Centre, built in the 1980s, is home to an indoor market and a range of long established shops and is owned by Berkeley who now want to bulldoze it to be replaced by a mixed development with flats.

Campaigners believe the developer is targeting those seeking to buy apartments as second homes or investment opportunities rather than providing affordable accommodation.

TV presenter Kumar and Off Menu podcast co-host Acaster have held fundraising gigs helping to raise more than £46,000, which will be used towards pay for a barrister to represent the campaigners at the planning inspectorate inquiry which starts on October 28.

Businessman Lord Harris of Peckham has also made a donation to the campaign and Southwark Council opposed the development.

Siobhan McCarthy, of Aylesham Community Action, who is from Peckham, told Metro: ‘These plans amount to gentrification on steroids. The plans have no buy in from the community and these flats will be snapped up by international investors and bring nothing to the community.

‘The Aylesham is a meeting place for many people and there are shops and stalls with lower prices. We are not anti development but this will rip the heart out of Peckham. It’s a battle for the heart and soul of this historic place.

‘As if 50 social rented homes and 27 shared ownership was not insulting enough to Peckham we now have to raise £50,000 for legal fees for the community to stay involved and have a voice in the most important local issue.

‘The comedians who stepped forward to help us fundraise are wonderful and fully on board with our campaign to stop this damaging development.’

Under the plans, only 12% of the development will be social and affordable housing with council planners typically requiring 35% to pass plans. 

Ann Lalic, who was a director on Channel 4’s Grand Designs working with broadcaster Kevin McCloud for a decade, is one of the leading campaigners. She was brought up in a council property in Rotherham and now lives in Peckham.

She told Metro: ‘Having worked on Grand Designs I know what bad building looks like. These flats will be poorly built and not to last at a cost to the community.’

She continued: ‘There’s too much of it, too tall, the space between will be like wind tunnels, they are flimsy and, to me, it’s an insult to be building this in a place like Peckham.’

Campaigners say the twelve per cent social housing provision  – below Southwark Council’s 35% target on all new developments – is unacceptable.

Ms Lalic added: ‘Working on Grand Designs pointed out to me big time the state of the housing situation, and has clarified why the Ayelsham development is so very wrong. The people who are buying those houses won’t be shopping in Peckham, they are using them to park their money.’

Meanwhile, traders in the Aylesham shopping centre fear their livelihoods will be lost.  

One, who runs stall in the mall, told Metro: ‘We are fearful for the future. We have had customers coming to us for years and this centre is part of the community. We feel this is a fight for the heart and soul of Peckham. It’s posh flats replacing businesses who have added to the community. We feel we have been treated disgracefully. We need to feed our families.’

Local MP Miatta Fenbulleh previously said on the plans: ‘This is the human cost of the housing crisis… children robbed of their childhoods.’

She urged Berkeley to listen to the community or face ‘unified opposition including from me.’

A spokesperson for Berkeley Homes said: ‘People have been arguing about this site since its allocation for housing in 2014. Meanwhile home building in London has ground to a halt, with 2025 housing starts forecast to land at less than 5% of London’s annual housing target.

‘This is a great scheme, designed by award winning national and local architects in line with the Council’s development brief. However, delays cost money. Worsening market conditions and rising costs forced us to amend our plans – reducing the affordable housing – so that the project can finally go ahead.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.