Statement in response to The Honourable Mr Justice Dove’s decision to refuse the council’s application for a Judicial Review

22 December 2016

Council’s response to decision to refuse judicial review on Aylesbury CPO

In response to The Honourable Mr Justice Dove’s decision to refuse the council’s application for a judicial review of the Secretary of State’s decision to turn down the compulsory purchase of the eight remaining properties in the first phase of the Aylesbury estate regeneration, Cllr Mark Williams, Southwark’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and New Homes, said: “We are hugely disappointed with this decision, and will now pursue an oral hearing to reiterate our case for a judicial review. This is not a decision we take lightly, but our residents need new affordable homes, and the Secretary of State’s decision has huge ramifications for Southwark, and for councils across London that are trying to help tackle the housing crisis. On the Aylesbury alone, turning down our CPO means the Secretary of State is jeopardising plans for 800 new homes for Londoners, including hundreds at social rent as well as extra care homes for some of our most vulnerable residents. We can’t sit back and jeopardise this fantastic project, and that is why we have to challenge the decision.”

Further information:

In September the Secretary of State rejected the compulsory purchase of the eight remaining properties in the first development site on the Aylesbury estate, stating that the council had not done enough to acquire the land by agreement, and that the order would breach the human rights of the remaining leaseholders by forcing them to use their savings to buy a new property. But Mr Javid’s findings were based on a former leaseholder policy which the council updated in December 2015 and shared with the Secretary of State. 

This new approach was not reflected in his decision.

The regeneration of the Aylesbury estate will bring the following benefits for local people:

• 50 per cent affordable homes, with 75 per cent of those at social rents and the remainder as shared ownership or shared equity homes for leaseholders
• mixed communities - between social rent, shared ownership and private sale
• improving existing open space, (invested £11m to improve Burgess Park for local residents, with a further £6m to be spent over the next three years, and improved grounds maintenance)
• working with the Creation Trust to support the economic and social regeneration of the estate by helping residents into education, training and employment, as well as supporting a range of other projects and programmes Creation run including their resident involvement activities

Page last updated: 22 December 2016