Peabody withdraws ‘squatting’ claims against housing activist in Bexley
By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter
A legal case against a housing activist has been dropped following false claims she had been living in empty homes on a Bexley estate to fight against plans for the houses to be demolished.
The homes, on the Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead, are set to be knocked down by Peabody in a project that would see 1,950 new units being built on the site.
Andrea Gilbert, 36, appeared at Dartford County Court yesterday to address claims from the Peabody Trust that she had been unlawfully living in four homes on the estate. It was alleged that Ms Gilbert had been living in the properties since April.
A witness statement from Terry Adams, director of commercial estate management for Peabody, said the trust was the registered freeholder of the homes on the estate.
He added that Peabody’s plans to regenerate the estate had been opposed by a group called Lesnes Resistance, which campaigned to have homes in the area repurposed instead of being demolished.
The trust claimed its management of the estate was being negatively affected by its continued occupation by the protesters.
Peabody claimed that the occupiers had no right to remain in the homes and that they were to vacate the spaces immediately or else court proceedings would be pursued.
A response letter from Lesnes Resistance dated September 2 appears to claim the group was refusing to vacate the properties until a meeting with John Lewis, the executive director of Peabody, could be arranged.
Ms Gilbert said at the hearing that she was only recently made aware of the case and that she was currently living in Wandsworth. She said she had never lived on the estate and had only attended the site for the purpose of advocacy work to support residents.
The housing activist said at the hearing: “All I have done is support the residents to clear their estate.”
Representatives from the Peabody Trust said at the hearing that they wished to discontinue its claims against Ms Gilbert. The trust also made claims that several unknown persons had been living in the properties, but district judge Thistle confirmed none of the unidentified individuals were present at the hearing.
Judge Thistle said: “I appreciate there are a number of people here today who are part of Lesnes Resistance. I’m sure they have strong views of what will happen going forward, but they have helpfully pointed out that none of them are currently living in or occupying the properties.”
A Peabody spokesman previously claimed that the majority of residents on the Lesnes Estate voted in favour of the regeneration. They added the scheme would bring about hundreds of high-quality, much-needed homes in the borough.
Pictured top: Andrea Gilbert outside Dartford County Court (Picture: Joe Coughlan)