Homeless couple turfed out of ‘unsafe Giraffe House’ at Burgess Park

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A homeless couple had to leave an abandoned youth centre they were sleeping in after Southwark council employed 24 hour security to stop them returning.

The pair had been staying in the disused building in Burgess Park until guards arrived a few weeks ago, according to neighbours.

The council intends to bulldoze the former youth centre, known locally as Giraffe House because of a sculpture of a giraffe’s head that protrudes from a window at the front of the building.

The property, which includes a closed adventure playground, has been earmarked for demolition due to health and safety issues, including asbestos, according to the council.

A security guard stationed inside the building on last week confirmed that a couple had been living in the former youth centre and said they were still due to collect some belongings they had left behind.

He added that the council was paying for round the clock security, including dogs to monitor the site and said the public wasn’t allowed on the property.

Southwark council is not saying how much it was spending per day on security at Giraffe House. Two cars, one which had ‘Dog Unit’ written on its bonnet were parked outside the building on Monday. A sofa, chair and shopping trolley had also been left outside the entrance of the former youth centre.

Councillor Portia Mwangangye, the Labour-run council’s cabinet member for parks, said staff had offered the couple support to find a new home and reiterated that the building was unsafe.

She said: “While we recognise the difficulties faced by those in need of housing, the safety of all residents is our top priority, and the presence of asbestos in the Burgess Park Adventure Playground building made the site unsafe for anyone to use.

“Council officers have reached out to the two people affected on a number of occasions, offering support on how to access our support services and find alternative accommodation. In the meantime, it’s important to keep the building secure whilst the council works on the next phase of investment for this part of the park.”

Pictured top: The former Burgess Park youth centre, known locally as Giraffe House (Picture: Robert Firth)