Skip to main content
The Morning Star Shop
Victory as south London pub listed as a community asset

THE occupation of one of south London’s most historic pubs set to be turned into an estate agency had its first taste of victory yesterday as The Elephant & Castle was listed as a community asset.

As previously reported by the Star, the heir to the original tavern — credited with giving the south London neighbourhood its name — was shut down in January after having its license revoked.

Last Wednesday a group of housing campaigners reclaimed the site and transformed it into an ad-hoc community centre in response to local anger over the confirmation that estate agency Foxtons were set to buy the premises.

One of the E&C Community Centre squatters going by the name of Rav told the Star that despite the pub now being listed as an asset of community value the group was not going to leave.

“I think it’s really good that this has happened — we’re here until it’s guaranteed.

“Until someone comes in and says ‘Look I’m going to turn it into a community centre, I legally own it’ or the council decides to make us the community centre and we can have this building for free, we’re here.”

He added that the local community is “extremely supportive.

“We’ve had tables outside — everyone comes, they all have a problem with the rise in rents and being forced out.

“People are very supportive, 100 per cent, there’s no one that said anything bad about this [occupation].”

Other occupiers recounted how people have come into the squat with food and messages of support.

For a weekend barbecue a local restaurant provided the grill and occupiers held a community party with live music.

Every morning the centre hosts a neighborhood breakfast for passers-by.

The application for The Elephant & Castle to be considered a community asset came from local advocacy group the Walworth Society at the 11th hour.

Its acceptance by Southwark Council was greeted with much enthusiasm by the group’s Diana Cochrane, who said: “The Elephant, Walworth and the Old Kent Road used to host around 200 public houses serving the local community and hosting their social events as well as welcoming people passing through our area.

“There are now less than 20 pubs left so we need to safeguard these to allow them to become pubs and entertainment places for the future.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You can read five articles for free every month,
but please consider supporting us by becoming a subscriber.
More from this author
Britain / 24 June 2016
24 June 2016
Britain / 24 June 2016
24 June 2016
Britain / 23 June 2016
23 June 2016
Delegates hold silence and call for normalising of LGBT love
Similar stories
Features / 30 December 2024
30 December 2024
Former resident LEO WOODLAND looks at the first century of a visionary project that saw almost 4,000 homes built in a vast pastoral setting in the suburbs, home first to exiles from central London’s slums to waves of migrants today
TOURIST TRAP: A view of the Edinburgh skyline. Housing press
Features / 27 August 2024
27 August 2024
After sustained campaigning by Living Rent, Edinburgh council is to introduce a visitor levy, with some of the money raised going towards council housing in the capital – a welcome step in a city under great pressure from an ever-expanding tourist industry, says KATHARINA BANDMANN