Appeal to overturn High Court decision to allow demolition of Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre
By Toby Porter
An appeal court case on the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre planning approval is to be heard next week.
The hearing is a challenge against the High Court decision to allow the demolition of the 55-year-old complext to be demolished and almost 1,000 flats to be built on the site.
The case will be held remotely on March 16Â and 17.
Campaigners to hold Rally in support the long-awaited Court of Appeal hearing against the project.
The hearing will be online and is open to the public. Permission to mount the appeal was granted to Jerry Flynn, of the 35 per cent Campaign, who is supported by local campaigners Up the Elephant.
Planning approval was given by Southwark council to shopping centre owner and developer Delancey in 2019.
It was disputed in an unsuccessful High Court challenge in October 2019, when Mr Justice Dove refused to quash the planning approval, after a two-day hearing.
The demolition of the shopping centre has begun, but the legal challenge has focused on the shortage of social rented housing in the proposed development.
Delancey has increased the amount of real social rented homes from zero to 116 units under the pressure of a three-year campaign by Up the Elephant, but it is still less than 12 per cent of the new development.
Campaigners also believe Southwark council’s planning committee was misled as to the maximum amount of affordable housing the scheme could viably provide and that there could be at least another 42 social rented homes, with help of Mayor of London funding.
More than £8,000 has been raised to support the legal challenge through a CrowdJustice appeal and the Up the Elephant campaign continues the struggle for a better deal for the many traders who have not been properly relocated.
The online rally, supporting the legal case, will be held on the morning of the appeal and will hear from Mr Flynn, traders, lawyers and trade unionists.
The Elephant and Castle shopping centre appeal rally, dubbed “Homes for People, Not for profit!” will be at 9:30am, on Tuesday, March 16.
You can join the Zoom Meeting here:Â https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
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