Campaigners fight plans for 31-story student high rise at Scott House, Deptford

Scott House on Grove Street, north Deptford was built by A. G. Scott & Co, makers of tin boxes in the late 1890s, when the road was lined with grand Victorian houses. Different companies moved in and out over the years; some local residents still remember the site as "The bag factory", a small employer in the 1970s.

The building was converted into 19 homes in 2001; this includes eleven 3-bedroom homes and eight 2-bedroom. Both sizes of home are in high demand in the borough, which has soaring levels of housing need. The homes also include workspaces.

Planning applicant, Tribe Grove Street, is part of YourTribe which formed in 2020 as a specialist developer of Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA). It has now become part of giant London property developer Aitch group.

Save Scott House campaign

Campaigner Martin North told Salamander that local residents were shocked to hear of the plans for the new student tower block in March 2024. By this time, Tribe had spent at least six months in "pre-application" discussions with Lewisham planning department and the GLA, and much of the development was already agreed.

Save Scott House campaign was rapidly formed, including Pepys Community Forum and other local community organisations. Campaigners submitted more than 70 objections, a signed open letter from Scott House residents and petition of over 500 signatures to the council, showing the strength of local opposition to the plans.

The group asked for an investigation of the sudden "influx of support" for the development - 100 comments all sharing similar wording, that appeared after the deadline for the public. They now believe these comments were submitted by a canvassing organisation on behalf of the developer.

The development plans were discussed at the Strategic Planning Committee meeting on 22 October 2024, followed by a further committee meeting on November 7th. Malcolm Cadman, from Pepys Community Forum, says the group witnessed an "appalling lack of democracy" at the meetings, leading the group to raise formal complaints relating to both procedure and councillor code of conduct.

Plan "does nothing to address Lewisham's high housing need"

At the meeting of 7th November, two "resident objectors" were permitted a total of five minutes to comment on the plans.

Amber, a Scott House resident, compared Tribe's plan with the previous development plan for Scott House, which the council approved in 2019.

The earlier plan would have provided 137 homes, with "an opportunity for residents and families to return." No such possibility exists under the current plans.

She challenged the council's argument that PBSA increases the supply of privately rented homes.

Tribe's plan, "risks displacing residents, severing people’s ties to their communities and does nothing to address Lewisham’s already high housing need," she said.

"Net loss of 19 family homes" with an additional 137 that will not be built

Caitlin Colquoun from the Planning Voice Project spoke on behalf of residents.

She challenged the council's core argument that, because it has missed its local housing targets, the balance of its decision must be "tilted" in favour of development, and therefore significant issues with the plan could be ignored.

Colquoun argued that the development fails to meet Lewisham's Local Plan and the London Plan. In addition to the net loss of 19 family homes, she pointed to the additional 137 homes in the earlier application that has now lapsed.

Councils are allowed to count PBSA rooms towards their housing delivery targets using a ratio of 2.5 : 1. The development's 502 student rooms would count as equivalent to 200 homes. However, this formula, "is only for purposes of housing delivery test not for interpreting local policy", Colquoun said.

She pointed out the poor local transport connections (a low score of 2 on a scale of 1 - 6), the failure to identify a Higher Education nominee, and the loss of daylight and sunlight of nearly 50%, affecting homes nearby. The majority of those affected would be residents in affordable housing and social rented tenants.

Is there over-concentration of PBSA in Deptford Park?

PBSA is a departure from the traditional, university-managed student accommodation model and highly attractive to investors. YourTribe and other developers are rolling out PBSA tower blocks across southeast London at breakneck speed.

Throughout the meeting, speakers raised concerns about over-concentration of PBSAs in north Deptford. Colquoun pointed out that Tribe's plans would result in 1770 student beds within a 1/4 mile radius of Deptford Park.

She added that at the time of writing her objection, the plans would result in 4,747 PBSA student units within a 1 mile radius of the site. (This figure has now increased.) The GLA's delivery target for the whole of London is 3,500 student beds per year.

The committee approved Tribe's application, in principle. Further details are now being worked out, including the S106 legal agreement. Negotiations are expected to be completed by 6th May, when the application will go to the GLA to request Stage 2 approval from the London mayor.

Cadman said: "PBSA is like a pandemic, it's broken out all over London. It's bad news for local people."

YourTribe and Aitch Group in Deptford

During the November 7th meeting, Cllr Paschoud asked what help would be available for current Scott House tenants who will be evicted under the plans. He asked whether Tribe's commitment to making "reasonable endeavours" to assist tenants could be strengthened to "all reasonable endeavours".

Tribe's spokesperson responded in a general way, adding, "We have an associated company where we do some low-key residential lettings." If this is a reference to Aitch group, then it is a significant understatement.

Property developer Aitch Group has completed hundreds of sites, the large majority in southeast and east London.

It announced its new partnership with YourTribe in October 2023, and now describes YourTribe as "a student accommodation brand powered by Aitch Group".

In December 2024, just weeks after Tribe Grove Street reassured the council that it would use its contacts and "associated company" to rehouse the existing tenants of Scott House, Aitch Group sent section 21 eviction notices to 150 residents at Vive Living in Childers Street, Deptford.

The notices were included in an email that ended "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year".