Today, Find Others spotlights Friends of Mais House, a community group formed by residents of the Sydenham Hill Estate as a result of plans for a massive, inappropriate redevelopment scheme in their area. These plans threaten some of London’s most important woodland areas, and so the group wishes for a more sensitive development plan to be adopted.

Mais House & Sydenham Hill

Mais House is a former sheltered housing block of three storeys. Until 2018, it was the much-loved home of dozens of elderly residents. It is located on Sydenham Hill Ridge, which is one of the highest parts of London and is an area of special character with its valuable woodland habitat. The view of this wooded ridge can be seen for miles, as it has been since Roman times. The site is adjacent to the Sydenham Hill Woods which forms part of the old Great North Wood, a sprawling ancient landscape of outstanding beauty and huge importance to many in South London. It is truly one of London’s green lungs. This area is a vital wildlife corridor and is home to more than 200 species of trees and plants, as well as rare fungi, insects, birds and woodland mammals like bats and hedgehogs.

Between 2016 and 2018, the City of London Corporation set about “decanting” the Mais House residents to other accommodation both within but also far beyond Lewisham borough. The elderly residents had been told they could return when the Corporation had refurbished Mais House. Many have since sadly died; others now know they cannot return as the Corporation has had a change of heart. Mais House will not be refurbished; it will be demolished. There is no provision for sheltered housing in the Corporation’s plans and nowhere for them on the Estate. This seems a terrible betrayal.

Instead, the Corporation submitted plans for 110 “general” housing units, including new seven-storey pitched roof development which will tower over existing listed buildings, break the ridge’s tree line and be visible across London. The plans also reduce the much-needed green space of Sydenham Hill by felling nineteen mature trees, disrupting underground streams and the wildlife corridor. These plans involve developing urban scale buildings on a steep hill in a suburban location, with poor transport links and limited access to amenities. This will inevitably lead to increased car ownership and pollution, damage to the precious ecosystem of Sydenham Hill, and a decreased quality of life for existing and future residents of the estate.

The Judicial Review

Despite over 200 objections from local residents, the 20th Century Society, all the local amenity societies and Lewisham Council’s own specialist officers, Lewisham Council did not intervene to ask the city of London to reduce the scale of the build and first issued planning permission in November 2020. In the main, the objectors were not opposed to the redevelopment of the Site in order to upgrade the existing social housing and increase the number of residential units. Objections related to the inappropriate height and scale of the new buildings.

Friends of Mais House was created with the aim of raising funds to seek legal advice as to whether Lewisham Council had acted illegally in its handling of the application. Lawyers representing the group advised that there were indeed grounds for Judicial Review and they then raised further funds to help support a local resident to file a claim at court.

The first Judicial Review succeeded. In May 2021, High Court Judge Mrs Justice Lang handed down her ruling that the grant of planning permission should be quashed. She urged the City of London Corporation to reconsider the height and scale of the proposed development and submit a more acceptable proposal.

However, to the residents’ disbelief, Lewisham council performed a mere tick-box exercise to attempt to appear to follow the letter of the law, and resubmitted the very same, unchanged application. Lewisham was resolute in not discussing amendments to the scheme with the residents and instead – just six weeks following the Mrs Justice Lang’s ruling – Lewisham Councillors again voted in favour of the unchanged plans..

Friends of Mais House believe there are grounds for a second Judicial Review. A further claim for Judicial Review was lodged at Court and on 10th February 2022, High Court Justice Sir Duncan Ouseley issued an order for a “rolled up” hearing, which will take place on 9th June 2022, probably at the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. At that “rolled up” hearing, the judge will listen to both sides’ arguments as to why or why not there should be a Judicial Review. If he is satisfied that the Claimant’s grounds are arguable then he will hear the case on the same day.

Friends of Mais House have now relaunched their fundraising campaign to enable the Claimant to have her day in Court and to save their communal green space and the ancient woodland that surrounds it.

The Aims

Friends of Mais House simply hopes that the court will again quash the decision that they believe was made without proper consideration of all the information available regarding the unique site of Sydenham Hill. They would like to enter into a cooperative co-design process with the City of London where local resident knowledge is taken into account in order to fit the environment of the ridge. The members of this action group have spent more than three years and £40,000 of their hard-earned money just fighting to have a say in these development plans.

The ‘rolled up’ hearing is due to commence on the 9th June 2022. With the situation building to a critical point, Friends of Mais House have raised £49,000 of the £65,000 it is estimated will be needed to cover legal costs. They are so close to their goal, and need your help to spread their message as far as possible so that their idyllic green space can be protected.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear to us all that good quality housing, designed to create community and give proper regard to amenity, infrastructure, and green space, is vital for the mental health and wellbeing of people from all walks of life. If you support the endeavour of Friends of Mais House, please consider donating to them here. Also, make your support visible by joining their campaign here. 

While Friends of Mais House are facing very specific circumstances in their legal case, time and time again we are seeing more of our precious green areas encroached upon by unacceptable and unsustainable development. Just imagine the impact it would make if every local action group mobilised in one place to protect their counties from the same injustices as the Mais House development. As always, it must start with you. Create a campaign about your local green space on Find Others to show this government that we are serious about maintaining our areas of natural beauty and combating climate catastrophe.