We, the concerned residents and supporters of the Lesnes Estate in Thamesmead, London Borough of Bexley, object to the proposed demolition of our homes as part of Peabody's regeneration plans in our community.

This proposal, having been approved by Bexley Council, has been referred to the office of the Mayor of London for Stage 2 approval. We have petitioned the Mayor of London to direct that this planning application be subject to a public hearing on the following grounds:

Residents’ Ballot:
As part of its obligations supporting its proposed regeneration of the area, in 2020 Peabody held a residents’ ballot on the Lesnes Estate, which asked eligible residents:

“Are you in favour of Peabody’s proposal to include Lesnes Estate in their regeneration plans for South Thamesmead?”

Of the 65.4 per cent of residents that took part in the ballot, 70.2 per cent voted ‘yes’.

However, nowhere in the document were the words ‘demolish’ or ‘demolition’ used.

This is not transparent, nor is the phrasing of the question asked in the ballot. Therefore, the resident ballot and engagement did not meet the guidance set out in the document, "Better Homes for Local People: The Mayor’s Good Practice Guide to Estate Regeneration."

Lack of affordable housing:
The proposed development to replace the Lesnes Estate will double its building density and triple the resident numbers, yet lead to a net loss in social housing provision, at a time when Bexley council has over 7000 homeless families in its books. In its report on the Stage 1 application to Bexley Council, the Mayor's Office is at a loss to explain this, and considers it an impediment to the application complying with the London Plan.

Viability Assessment:
Peabody are on record as saying they stand to lose £35 million from redeveloping the Lenses Estate, based on figures the Mayor’s Office report to the Stage 1 application refers to as "conservative" and part of an "unreasonable approach" of scheduling costs. Bexley Council’s own viability assessment of the proposals puts Peabody's profit from the proposed works at nearer £100 million.

Whole Life-Cycle (WLC) emissions:
The Mayor's office report on the Stage 1 application does not include a WLC assessment of the proposals, as required by the London Plan Policy S1 2, and is therefore unacceptable.

Sustainable and Green Measures:
The Office of the Mayor's report on the Stage 1 application concludes that it fails to address and/or meet: Flood risk; Sustainable drainage; Water efficiency and Transport - all of which are requirements provided for by the London Plan policies.
You can also see our petition to Stop Peabody demolishing the Lesnes Estate, Thamesmead London here: https://www.change.org/p/stop-peabody-demolishing-the-lesnes-estate-thamesmead-london-refurbish-don-t-demolish-c12fcc92-2fe1-4ff0-b901-bec27a5e565a