‘The skyscrapers in Lewisham tell me the council is putting profit over people’

A development of 649 homes is set to open in Lewisham early next year which will add another skyscraper to the drastically changed skyline in the area, 106 of the homes have been labelled “affordable”. Lewisham resident and journalist Agatha Scaggiante talks to residents and workers to see how they feel about the changes.

It’s a running joke in the area that nobody knows where the cluster of high-rises near Lewisham station came from. They sprung up quickly – some are already open to renters, whereas others remain under construction. Over the course of just a few years, they’ve drastically changed the borough’s skyline.

In the first half of 2024, new high-rises are set to open for renters, built by Get Living – the same company which broke ground in the fast redevelopment of Elephant and Castle. 

Get Living brands itself on “creating neighbourhoods”, not homes. In London, they have built-to-rent a staggering 4,000 homes. 

Newton Place in the Lewisham Gateway development is Get Living’s next big project in Lewisham town centre, a development of 649 homes as well as retail, food and drink. 

I chatted first with Fred Harding, an owner of the popular cafe Pistachios in the Park in Hillyfields. Situated on a hill in the park, they serve coffees, lunch and ice-creams every day of the week.

Fred has had the business since 2011, and says that since then Lewisham has become more affluent. It’s been good for business, as more people in the park can afford to eat out. But he doesn’t see much more changing.

“I don’t think the people in the new flats are going to hang out in Lewisham, at least for the foreseeable future,” Fred explains, “[They] are bought as investments and rented at high prices because of their proximity to getting away from Lewisham, via the station and the DLR.”

Fred thought it was likely that the outdoor Lewisham market next to the shopping centre would shut-down, pointing out that there were no plans for large-scale affordable housing. 

“The market is mainly for less well-off people. And they’re getting squeezed out. All the housing is getting more expensive, especially near the train,” he said. Lewisham has more than 10,000 people on its social housing waitlist.

I decided to venture to Lewisham market. Although the council currently plans to renovate the market and shopping centre, there are worries it could be under threat of being completely removed. To draw a comparison, Southwark council promised to preserve the Elephant and Castle’s market when the redevelopment began, but demolished it further down the line.

Daniel Evans at pitch 43, who has had his fruit and vegetable stall for more than 40 years, said: “At the moment it’s a bit slow for everyone. It’s getting worse and worse every year, because we’re having a lot of world changes. If it affects one it affects everyone.” 

But Mr Evans was optimistic about the future of the market, and said that he and the other traders are being consulted by the council about its future. “This market is the best market around. We hope to maintain the standard and keep the reputation. And I think they will.”

And the people who already live in Lewisham? I spoke to Simone Reca, resident of four years, to ask how the area had changed. 

“It hasn’t yet changed radically,” he said. “People from here are still kind of thriving and trying to stay here. But the area is becoming more expensive, and the people moving here are starting to be just business people that want to get to London Bridge, or Canary Wharf.” 

As home prices rise, he muses that his landlord might want to sell the house he lives in.

The amount of affordable homes approved or currently under construction across the borough of Lewisham total less than 640 – a small dent to the waitlist, and not even equivalent to the amount of homes in Get Living’s Newton Place development. 

By approving new developments without providing sufficient affordable housing, the council makes sure that Lewisham’s poorest residents will be replaced by the more affluent. 

The council is putting profit over people, pandering to Lewisham’s future residents instead of those who have made the borough what it is today.

Lewisham councillor Brenda Dacres said: “In recent years, new developments in Lewisham Town Centre have delivered more than 800 new affordable homes, including hundreds of social homes for families on our housing waiting list. 106 affordable homes will be delivered as part of the latest phase of Lewisham Gateway, as well as more space for shops, restaurants, bars and cafés, helping boost the local economy and create new jobs.

“Lewisham Market remains a vital part of the local economy and we will be delivering significant improvements and upgrades to the market through our £24 million Lewisham Town Centre improvements programme.”

Pictured top: Agatha Scaggiante outside the Lewisham Gateway development (Picture: Agatha Scaggiante)