Concerns were raised ahead of the planning application for plot H1 on Elephant Park after it emerged that Southwark Council were investigating the rent status of at least one property at Sandow House.
In a briefing paper, local campaign group Southwark Law Centre said: “The Council has an outstanding enforcement action for a social rent property on Elephant Park, to establish whether or not the home is being properly let at a social rent.
“This raises a question about whether or not social rents are being charged for the hundred Elephant Park social rented units, in accordance with the outline planning permission’s s106 agreement.”
Towering office block application for Elephant Park refused by Southwark Council
At the planning committee meeting on Tuesday, October 4, which saw the H1 application rejected, Lib Dem councillor Nick Johnson said the prospect was “alarming”.
Clarifying the council’s position, Cllr James McAsh, Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency and Sustainable Development, said: “The council recently completed an audit of affordable housing across the borough and identified no such breaches at Elephant Park.
“We, therefore, have no reason to believe that the social rent properties at Elephant Park are not being let at the correct rates.”
Southwark Law Centre had argued that the H1 application should not be approved until the investigation had been completed.
Towering office block application for Elephant Park refused by Southwark Council
Southwark Council said it was not relevant to the application, in part because it didn’t contain any residential units.
The council has previously battled with developers over whether they’re fulfilling their promises to provide affordable housing.
In 2015, a resident of the Signal Building in Southwark was confused when his tenant pack made reference to ‘affordable housing’ even though he was paying the market rate to a private landlord.
Southwark Council have the past sought to bring civil suits against housing associations .
In 2016, housing campaign group, the 35% Campaign, complained to Southwark Council that private developments weren’t delivering the affordable homes they had promised.
When Southwark Council rejected the complaint, the group escalated it to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGC).
The Ombudsman concluded that the council didn’t have a “proper procedure” for checking that private developers were keeping to their word.
The report said: “The Council failed to implement a structured procedure for supervising compliance. It has now begun a borough-wide audit into compliance… it relied on developers honouring the duty under the agreements.”
Worryingly, it added: “It may act as encouragement for unscrupulous developers to agree to something they do not intend to provide knowing nothing would happen.”
Commenting, Cllr Nick Johnson, Southwark Liberal Democrat member, said: “As a local party we believe in 50 per cent genuinely affordable housing on all private developments.
“So, it is disgraceful that Labour gave in and allowed for Lendlease to reject the administration’s pitiful 35 per cent minimum for the Heygate EstateIt’s even more infuriating that the council is investigating or is unsure about the status of 100 social rent homes.
“We are in a housing crisis and this brings up real concerns that developers may be taking advantage of Labour elsewhere without anyone realising.”
Cllr McAsh said: “Southwark desperately needs genuinely affordable housing so when it is secured through the council’s planning process, we must ensure that it is delivered. If anyone has evidence of a home being rented at higher rates than agreed through the planning process, we encourage them to contact the council’s planning enforcement team.”
A spokesperson for L&Q, which manages properties on Elephant Park, said: “L&Q is working closely with Southwark Council on the investigation and we are confident of a future positive outcome.”