Elephant Amenity Network

Elephant Shopping centre decision

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Dear Friend

Yesterday we finally received the judgement on our appeal against the High Court decision not to overturn the shopping centre planning approval.

I’m sorry to say that the appeal has been lost and so the redevelopment of the shopping centre site can proceed. Many of you will have seen demolition is already well advanced.

We’re naturally very disappointed, but nonetheless heartened by the support our campaign has received, which  has ensured that many important improvements to the redevelopment have been made, including:

  • An increase of the social rented housing from 33 units of s/r equivalent, owned and managed by developer, to 116 proper social rented units, owned and managed by Council or housing association
  • Provision of affordable retail space
  • An established traders’ panel
  • Temporary traders’ premises on Castle Square
  • Trader relocation and assistance funds of £634,700 and £200,000
  • 15-year affordable retail leases

We have also demonstrated the will and determination of the local community, which will stand us in good stead for the future – the regeneration of the Elephant is far from finished. We will continue our support for the displaced traders, who are negotiating for new market space at the Elephant.

We will also be publishing blogposts very shortly on the legal challenge, on the 35% Campaign and Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) websites.

We must thank our barristers, Sarah Sackman and David Wolfe QC for their unstinting work and expert advocacy; Paul Heron and his colleagues at the PILC for their equally unflagging support and everyone at Southwark Law Centre for pointing us in the right direction, at the outset.

Many thanks once more,

Regards

Jerry
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Take Action on Empty Homes!

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Dear Friend

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The empty homes Day of Action on 17th April has won wide support and this is also reflected in the speakers list for the rally.

Empty Homes Day of Action – Online rally with national speakers
Saturday 17th April, 11am – 12 noon

Speakers include
John Bird, Big Issue founder
Will McMahon, Action on Empty Homes
Tanya Murat, Homes For All
Jon Glackin, Streets Kitchen
Ellen Clifford, Author and Disabled People Against Cuts
Tyrone Scott, Shelter
Steve Turner, Unite the Union

Online Rally Facebook Event here

Our Southwark “in person” event is happening at Manor Place Depot at 11am on Saturday 17th April. Please come if you can:

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Empty Homes Day of Action – Manor Place Depot, Southwark
Photoshoot and livestream
11am to 11:30am (it’s a short one, don’t miss it!)
Saturday 17th April
This event is a socially distanced photoshoot and is part of the Empty Homes Day of Action.

Manor Place Depot Facebook Event Here

More details on Manor Place Depot, a Notting Hill Genesis development, have been kindly provided by 35% Campaign. Once again a free and accountable journalistic service.
https://35percent.org/2021-04-11-action-on-southwarks-empty-homes/Please TWEET on #EmptyHomes
and on FB #RequisitionEmptyHomes

More details about the day of action:
http://www.axethehousingact.org.uk/uncategorized/empty-homes-day-of-action-saturday-april-17th-2021/

Regards
Jerry
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Centre closes, but campaign continues

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Dear Friend

Many thanks to all of you who joined us on our great protest to mark the closure of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre last Thursday. The large crowd marched round the shopping centre and heard impassioned and heart-felt speeches from Latin Elephant’s Patria Roman and shopping centre trader Emad Megahed, both mainstays of the Up the Elephant campaign.

The protest and closure drew widespread media coverage, with
articles in the SE1 website, Southwark News, South London Press, South West Londoner, Morning Star, The Guardian (and an opinion piece), the Justice Gap, Vice and the Spanish language Express News UK (and here) and the BBC’s Drivetime with Eddie Nestor.

See More photos of the protest here

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Thank’s to Emile for photo

What next…..

While the centre has closed the campaign in support of the traders continues. The day before the centre’s closure Mayor Sadiq Khan responded to the traders proposal to the Mayor for new market stalls at the Elephant to accommodate traders who have not been allocated new premises.

The Mayor has said ‘It is disappointing that a number of small businesses still don’t have the certainty they need….in general I would welcome any workable solution that would provide these businesses with the space they need to trade’.

The traders’ proposal is supported by Florence Eshalomi MP, London Assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark, local councillor Maria Linforth Hall and London Assembly members Caroline Pidgeon and Sian Berry, the Green Party candidate for Mayor. The Camberwell and Peckham Constituency Labour Party also passed a motion in support of the traders’ Proposal at their meeting last week.

The traders and their supporters will now be building on this support to get new market stalls and kiosks for those traders without new premise and repair some of the damage done to their businesses and livelihoods, by the centre closure.

You can read more here.

Regards
Jerry

 Copyright © 2020 Elephant Amenity Network, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Elephant Amenity Network
18 Market Place
Blue Anchor Lane
London, Southwark SE16 3UQ
United Kingdom

Latest on Shopping Centre traders

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Dear Friend

Our twitter storm last week in support of the shopping centre traders generated some great publicity. The gentrification of the Elephant and other working-class areas was taken up on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Drivetime with Eddie Nestor. There were great contributions from Latin Elephant, campaigners and most importantly traders themselves – you can hear it here.

Traders and campaigners also joined the XR rebellion demo at the Elephant on Sunday.

Traders have also put together their own proposal for staying at the Elephant, devised by Alice Chilangwa Farmer, with the assistance of Latin Elephant, Southwark Law Centre and the Up the Elephant Campaign. This has been sent to the Mayor, local councillors and London Assembly members – we will bring more news of this very soon.

Meantime you can read the latest 35% Campaign blogpost on the shopping centre here.

Regards
Jerry

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Copyright © 2020 Elephant Amenity Network, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:

Elephant Amenity Network

18 Market Place

Blue Anchor Lane
London
Southwark
SE16 3UQU
United Kingdom

 

Support the shopping centre traders!

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Dear Friend

Just a quick email saying that tomorrow (Friday 24 July) Latin Elephant are launching a social media campaign around #MyElephantMasks, as they become compulsory.

Latin Elephant have produced 100 of their own masks and will be distributing them at the Shopping Centre, 11am, to send a positive message from a strong united community, fighting Covid and redevelopment.

All are welcome to join us!

Also, please help us and promote using Twitter hashtags; keep your eye out for these hashtags from tomorrow:

#MyElephantMasks
#BuyLocal
#BuyElephant 

Regards
Jerry

The shopping centre is back!

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Dear Friend

The shopping centre traders are back in business after the Coronavirus lock-down. All of them have had to adapt to new regulations, putting up screens, redesigning the space inside their units etc – showing their quick adaptability and resilience!

Everyone is invited to keep up the Elephant spirit by supporting local traders – so, bring your face-mask, keep social distance and #buylocal #buyElephant!

Please spread the word too –

https://twitter.com/LatinElephant/status/1273246907599589377
https://www.facebook.com/Latinelephant/posts/3019923641390550?comment_id=3019941381388776&notif_id=1592402205715844&notif_t=feed_comment

Regards
Jerry

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Our mailing address is:

Elephant Amenity Network

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Stop demolitions and requisition empty homes!

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Dear Friend

I hope you have been keeping well during these difficult times.

The Up the Elephant campaign has been working with Latin Elephant and Southwark Law Centre, to help shopping centre traders through the Coronavirus crisis and with their relocation plans. According to Southwark Council 45 traders have now been relocated, with 28 applications rejected. Traders can also draw on two funds – the relocation and transition funds – and Latin Elphant and SLC have been doing great work helping traders with this.

The campaign has also joined with eighteen other groups to send an open letter to Southwark demanding that it Stop demolitions and requisition empty homes to help solve the housing crisis.

There will also be a socially distanced protest to open up empty homes this Thurs 4 June 6pm, outside Pret a Manger
One the Elephant, 1 St Gabriel Walk, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SA
FB Event here

This is a socially distanced protest. Please bring a mask or face covering and stay 2 metres apart.

Regards
Jerry
PS We will be having an on-line meeting very shortly – notice and link to follow.

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Copyright © 2020 Elephant Amenity Network, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:

Elephant Amenity Network

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Blue Anchor Lane

London, Southwark SE16 3UQ

United Kingdom

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Elephant Activism Week

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Dear Friend

It’s Elephant Activism Week!

We’re calling on all supporters to join us this week for a bout of activism!

1 Doorstep Delancey!  Developer Delancey will be updating the Southwark Empowering Communities North West Area Forum on the Elephant and Castle shopping centre redevelopment this Thursday.

6:30pm-7:15pm Thursday 12 March, Outside Amigo Hall, St George’s Cathedral, Lambeth Road, SE1 7HY (intersection with St George’s Road).
FB Event here

This is a rare opportunity to DOORSTEP DELANCEY! We are demanding that the shopping centre is not closed, until all the traders are properly relocated (many still have nowhere to go) or suitably compensated.

We will be doing a photo opp and leafleting outside Amigo Hall as people go into the meeting, which starts at 7pm. More details are on the Southwark Council and SE1 Community websites.

2 Love the Elephant Film Night: “Why do Elephants keep developing?” 

Join us at 55East for an evening of solidarity to raise funds for the shopping centre Judicial Review Appeal. Emile Scott Burgoyne’s updated documentary, Why Do Elephants Keep Developing? exposes the dodgy deals and offshore billionaire backers behind the Elephant and Castle regeneration. The film showcases our many local heroes; our protests, parties, celebrations, victories and defeats.

6pm-9pm Friday 13 March, 55East, 53-63 East St SE17 2DJ 
Tickets from Eventbrite here (donations)
FB Event here

3 Share and donate! We have raised a fantastic £2,375 in our new Judicial Review Appeal, in just six days! Please help us push on to our £3,000 target by sharing and donating – any amount big or small!

Regards
Jerry

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A success for shopping centre traders!

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Dear Friend

The shopping centre traders’ deputation and protest at Southwark Council’s Assembly on Tuesday was a great success.

Prior to the Assembly, Southwark Council agreed to contribute £200,000 towards traders’ relocation costs. The money will be in addition to the relocation fund of £634,700, paid by Delancey. Southwark also promised a further announcement on the issue. Details of how the £200k wiil be administered are also awaited.

There can be no doubt this was a response to the campaign and the traders determination to get a fair deal.

The deputation’s 6 representatives (from the main centre, market stalls, arches, plus Latin Elephant and Southwark Law Centre) were well received by the Assembly. It presented their seven demands and took questions from the councillors.

A vibrant protest heard speeches from Paul Heron, of the Public Law Interest Unit and Patria Roman of Latin Elephant, amongst others.

A key demand is for more money from Delancey and no centre closure until all the traders are relocated or suitably compensated – sign the petition here!

We will be meeting very soon to see how we take the campaign forward …hope to see you then!

You can read more here and here

Regards
Jerry
Copyright © 2020 Elephant Amenity Network, All rights reserved.

Shopping centre protest tomorrow

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Dear Friend

Just a reminder that the shopping centre traders are sending a deputation to Southwark Council’s Assembly tomorrow evening, Tuesday 28 January.

We will be supporting them with a vibrant demonstration outside Southwark Council HO, Tooley St, SE1 2QH at 6pm – please join us!

These are the traders’ demands;

  1. that the shopping centre is not closed until every independent trader is relocated or receives financial compensation.
  2. that Delancey increases the relocation fund.
  3. that the rent and service charge costs of the relocation options are brought into line with each other.
  4. that the businesses in Arch 7 are fully included in the relocation strategy and can draw from the relocation fund.
  5. that the market traders around the centre are equally and fairly treated and that all traders get the benefit of rent reductions, until the shopping centre closes.
  6. that the independent business adviser, Tree Shepherd, applies the agreed criteria for the allocation of relocation spaces in a fair and transparent way.
  7. that the database of opportunities reflects what was agreed on the approval of planning permission.

    You can read more here

    Regards
    Jerry

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