Campaigners have slammed Berkeley’s latest plans for the Aylesham Centre redevelopment as a “citadel that will loom over historic Peckham”.
Published last week, the plans aren’t final, but the first look at a redevelopment encompassing the shopping centre, Morrisons supermarket and Peckham Bus Station.
The proposals involve building 1,050 homes, of which 35 per cent would be affordable, office space, retail, green spaces and a revamped Morrisons.
Peckham braces for the next chapter in Aylesham Centre redevelopment
Opponents say it’s an “overdevelopment” and that towering residential blocks of up to 27-storeys are “not the answer to London’s housing crisis”.
A spokesperson for local campaign group Aylesham Community Action (ACA) said: “People across the community are up in arms about these plans – they feel the plans have nothing to do with Peckham, don’t build on what makes Peckham a thriving place, and won’t meet the needs of people that live and work in Peckham.”
In an online petition against the plans, ACA said: “It is a massive overdevelopment with enormous buildings – a citadel that will loom over lower-rise, historic Peckham.”
Berkeley have said the proposals are only an “emerging masterplan” and it is engaging residents in an ongoing “conversation about the future of the site”.
The plans do appear to contradict Southwark’s own planning guidelines for the area, which say: “In any case, a 20-storey height restriction on development proposals should be observed.”
One of the blocks in the plans, located to the east of the site, would rise a staggering 27 storeys, while others would be as high as 20, 18 and 15 storeys.
In an open letter, Southwark Council said: “Officers would consider one of these buildings being taller than twenty storeys… Beyond that none of the buildings should generally exceed ten storey in height.”
The council said the proposals had “some positive aspects… but there remain a number of significant issues” that need consideration.
For example, the 1,050 homes proposed exceed the 850 capacity specified in Southwark’s planning guidelines.
Southwark Council said that although the 850 figure is flexible, increasing the housing stock by almost 25 per cent “would be detrimental to the character of Peckham town centre”.
The council also expressed fears over how the development would fit in with the area’s distinct “Peckhamness”.
There has also been little indication of what Berkeley would do to secure the security of small businesses already on the site.
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Locals are also unhappy about a perceived lack of consultation. The ACA spokesperson said: “People feel the consultation to date has been entirely on Berkeley Homes’ terms. The community have not been able to input on the most important aspects of the scheme like its building use, size, housing types, and how it is integrated into the rest of Peckham.
“There has been no two-way dialogue where options are explored and the community can see how its input is being reflected.”
If approved, phased construction of the development would begin in 2024 and conclude in 2033.
Under the construction plans, the Aylesham Shopping Centre would remain open to shoppers until 2032.
In response to a request for comment, Berkeley Group shared a press release saying: “Berkeley is committed to continuing to work collaboratively with the community, local businesses, the Council and other key stakeholders to deliver proposals that meet the current and future needs of Peckham.
“The Berkeley team has shared an emerging masterplan with the community as part of the ongoing consultation process for the proposed redevelopment of the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, which includes the shopping arcade, Morrisons store and car park.
“Berkeley is asking local residents, businesses and visitors to join the conversation about the future of the site.”
ACA has asked Berkeley to “engage with the community on all aspects of the scheme, and create a plan… that will have the consent of all of our communities”.
Berkeley is hosting a series of consultation events for the community on the emerging masterplan. These sessions will be attended by the members of the design team and will be held at Unit 12 (Bright House) in the Aylesham Centre:
• Wednesday 30th November, 3:30pm – 7:30pm: public exhibition event
• Saturday 3rd December, 11am – 12:30pm: interactive masterplan session, led by architects Sheppard Robson – please contact us to register for this session.
• Tuesday 6th December, 6pm – 7:30pm: interactive masterplan session, led by architects Sheppard Robson – please contact us to register for this session. • Saturday 10th December – 11am – 2pm: Public exhibition event
• Thursday 5th January, 6:30pm – 8pm: online webinar – please contact us to register for this session.