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Lewisham residents gathered outside Lewisham Town Hall, October 16, 2025
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DOZENS of Lewisham residents gathered outside Lewisham Town Hall on the evening of Thursday, October 16 in protest against plans to demolish and redevelop Lewisham Shopping Centre into luxury apartments.
The demonstration, called by Lewisham People’s Assembly as part of the Save Lewisham Shopping Centre campaign, heard chants of “You say cutback, we say fightback,” “Welfare not warfare” and “All renters united will never be defeated.”
Speakers included Loren McKillop from Lewisham Disabled People Against Cuts, Ed Sutton from Lewisham Greens, Jason Page from the Migration Museum, John McGrath of CND, Evan from Save Deptford High Street and local activists Bill Jefferies and Helen Mercer.
The rally was chaired by myself, with campaign leader and young Lewisham resident Faris Luke calling for regeneration that serves the community rather than developers.
Luke told the crowd that the campaign was not opposed to regeneration itself, but to schemes that push out local people and fail to deliver the social homes the borough desperately needs. Lewisham has more than 10,000 households on its waiting list, yet the proposed redevelopment includes only a small fraction of homes at social rent.
The £700 million scheme, led by developer Landsec, will see the current shopping centre and car park demolished to make way for almost 1,750 new homes, retail and leisure units and a music venue. Just 329 of the homes are classed as “affordable,” with fewer than 100 for social rent, far short of the levels campaigners say are required to meet local need.
After the rally, many activists attended the meeting of the Lewisham Strategic Planning Committee, where councillors voted unanimously to approve the application, despite a petition of more than 1,500 signatures gathered in just two weeks.
Controversy erupted when it emerged that Green councillor Hau-Yu Tam, the only non-Labour member and the only one to declare opposition to the scheme, was barred from voting under standing orders, along with Deptford councillor Rosie Parry, after both took brief breaks during the three-and-a-half-hour meeting.
Campaigners denounced the result as a democratic failure. “Lewisham needs redevelopment that serves the community, not Landsec’s shareholders,” said one activist afterwards. “We deserve better from our councillors.”
The Save Lewisham Shopping Centre campaign has pledged to continue fighting for a plan that meets local needs, preserves business for independent traders and delivers genuine affordable housing in the heart of the borough.
