Residents say Southwark Council’s plans to build thousands of houses will encroach on their lives and sense of wellbeing

Peckham residents are opposing Southwark Council’s plans to build thousands of homes on shared green space.

They say Peckham Rye Park and Peckham Rye Common, which together make up 113 acres of open recreational grassland, ornamental and water gardens, a lake and woodland, are under threat. Taking away green space, the residents add, has significant implications for community wellbeing.

Liz Brough of the Friends of Peckham Rye Park (FOPRP) said: ”Sadly, although we have been told how important green spaces are over the last couple of years, the Park budgets are consistently cut.”

The council says thousands of families are forced to live in crowded, unsuitable conditions due to lack of affordable housing.  It plans to deliver 11,000 new council homes by 2043.

Stephanie Cryan, cabinet member for council homes and homelessness, said: “Southwark is in the grip of a housing crisis with over 15,000 households on the waiting list for a home.”

She added: “We carefully assess the local area when planning new developments, including proximity to the borough’s extensive network of over 215 parks and green spaces.”

The council plans to build 1,266 new homes by 2024. To date, 677 new homes have been made available, as set out in the council’s 2015 housing strategy.

But FOPRP activist Brough said the council’s plans would not be allowed to go forward without a fight. “We have communication with the park manager and local councillors who would alert us to any threat.” She added that FOPRP would campaign against any perceived threat to Peckham’s shared green spaces.

FOPRP funds the upkeep of Peckham Rye’s Community Wildlife Garden, which was created more than 10 years ago. The group raises money for the garden from an annual fete on Peckham Rye Common. The garden is maintained by volunteers.

Community gardens are seen as a key shared resource and two years of the pandemic with its intermittent lockdowns have underlined the importance of having green spaces that are accessible to all. 

Daisy Young, who lives in a top-floor flat in Peckham, says she has come to realise the value of having a local park: “I visit the park a lot, either walking round it or using it as my outside space to chill or spend time with friends. During lockdown at the beginning of 2021, going for a walk around the park became the highlight of my day and massively benefitted my mental health. Since then, it has cemented a special place in my life.”