In the heart of south London, a quiet battle is raging over the soul of Peckham. While the government champions ambitious housing targets, developers are finding clever ways to sidestep affordable home requirements, leaving local residents watching helplessly as their community transforms beyond recognition.
The Planning Permission Shell Game
Property developers in the area have mastered the art of exploiting planning system loopholes. They secure initial permission with promises of affordable housing, only to return later claiming the numbers no longer stack up financially. The result? Approved developments that somehow manage to shrink their affordable housing commitments to virtually nothing.
Community Voices Drowned Out
Local residents and community groups report feeling increasingly powerless as their objections are systematically overlooked. "We're not against development," explains one long-term resident, "but we are against being priced out of our own neighbourhood. These aren't just buildings - they're our homes, our community centres, the places where our children grew up."
The Viability Assessment Farce
At the centre of the controversy lies the 'viability assessment' process. These complex financial models, often kept confidential, allow developers to argue that including affordable housing would make projects unprofitable. Councils, desperate for any housing development, frequently find themselves backed into a corner, forced to accept significantly reduced affordable contributions.
What This Means for London
The implications extend far beyond Peckham's boundaries. If developers can routinely bypass affordable housing requirements in one London borough, the same tactics could spread across the capital, undermining the government's entire housing strategy and deepening the capital's affordability crisis.
A Call for Transparency and Accountability
Housing advocates are demanding urgent reform. They want to see:
- Full transparency in viability assessments
- Stricter enforcement of original planning conditions
- Stronger community consultation requirements
- Independent verification of developers' financial claims
As one campaigner put it: "When viability assessments consistently deliver the same result - less affordable housing - we have to ask who these calculations are really serving."
