"We want development. But we want the right kind."

This is the key message from Southwark Law Centre’s new Planning Voice evaluation report, launched on Thursday, 5th June.

Planning Voice was set up in 2017, a response to undemocratic development practices affecting the Law Centre’s local community in South London.

What is happening in Southwark?

Southwark has undergone significant change over the past decade. Recent analysis from Trust for London finds it to be one of the city’s most gentrified areas. It is among those that have seen:

• Average incomes increase by 11% (compared to 1% for the rest of London)

• A 5% drop in the proportion of households living in socially rented council housing

• A 2% drop in the Black population

• An indication of fewer families, or families raising fewer children: in Southwark, there were 32% fewer primary school applications in 2024/25 than ten years earlier

What forces are at play?

Southwark is historically an area with a significant amount of council housing. It was home to some of the largest housing estates in Europe, including the Heygate Estate (demolished), and the now largely decanted Aylesbury Estate. Between 1994 and 2023, Southwark saw a loss of 18,000 council homes. So, what is coming in their place?

As a central London borough, Southwark has extremely high property prices, and there is a great deal of competition for building sites if they become available. In new developments, private developers have failed to deliver enough family housing to meet local need (and policy targets), opting instead for smaller units in pursuit of increased profits. It's a trend that is playing out across the rest of London: a report published by Public Interest Law Centre found that estate regeneration projects that feature demolition routinely underproduce truly affordable housing.

New developments have also pushed up private rents and rents for local businesses. The result is that Southwark has become increasingly unaffordable for existing residents, and some people have been forced out of the borough altogether.

How has Southwark Law Centre responded?

The Law Centre takes direct legal action in specific cases where planners act unlawfully. Alongside this, the Law Centre contributes legal expertise to a range of local campaign and community groups, provides training, and promotes public engagement with planning.

As Southwark Law Centre planning solicitor, Jed Holloway, puts it:

“These things are being dropped in their lap. But by working with grassroots community groups, we help people understand what’s happening and how they can speak up. We help them frame concerns in the relevant language, and follow up with legal recourse when needed."

Here are some of the project's recent achievements:

Power to the community

Southwark Law Centre's planning law work is not about stopping development or resistance to change. It is about putting the community at the centre of planning, giving it a say over the future of its housing, businesses and surroundings while reflecting need and protecting equalities. It aims to stop the injustices of gentrification, namely, poverty and displacement.

Southwark Law Centre and Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) are leading the charge among Law Centres in planning law. Both are based in London, but the same injustices of gentrification are taking place across the UK. In fact, PILC has expanded its work beyond London, which has included supporting the Block the Block campaign in Greater Manchester.

We look forward to sharing updates from Law Centre planning law work as is it progresses.

Read: "We want development. But we want the right kind"

For media enquires, please contact media@lawcentres.org.uk