When it’s developers v people, usually the money wins. See how one community came out on top

The Guardian 20 December 2025

“What happens when international capital arrives on your doorstep and threatens to devour your home? The residents of the housing estates surrounding Battersea power station in London, …… faced that prospect when, in 2012, a consortium of Malaysian investors bought the derelict power station, decommissioned since 1983, for £400m.

“………… Over the years, Battersea and the adjacent Nine Elms area was refashioned as a playground for oligarchs and other international elites. The US embassy arrived and when the shopping centre opened in 2022, it came with Rolex and Cartier stores, luxury private members’ clubs and apartments with multimillion-pound price tags.

“…………… Locals feared being forcibly displaced as occurred in Elephant and Castle and Stratford. In these areas of London, regeneration had become a byword for the social cleansing of working-class communities and their replacement by affluent residents.

“Yet a quiet victory has occurred that shows how communities can bargain with developers. Last month, Battersea power station announced that it would be working in partnership with Wandsworth council to build 203 council homes as part of the development’s 17-hectare (42-acre) master plan.

“This win is a genuinely radical vision of what local government can achieve. And it matters because it is a radical assertion that mixed-income communities should continue to exist, and be actively facilitated, in the centre of London. Mixed communities have increasingly come under attack as ire against the housing crisis is directed at social housing tenants occupying central London locations, particularly if the household is born overseas. ……….

“The council housing agreement was won after robust negotiations, aided by the Greater London authority, which included the council ending all collaborations until the housing question was addressed. Eventually a deal was brokered, because even if the primary pursuit is profit, developers still want to be seen to be building and facilitating “a vibrant and friendly community”. ……………..

“Community simply cannot exist without the presence of existing long-term residents.

“The council’s efforts go further than the power station. This year, it has built 57 new council homes for rent on the Patmore, an estate not far from the power station. There are also new outdoor play spaces, including a multi-games area …….. . If you have lived in an area all your life, through its roughest periods, why should you not feel the benefits when development turns up at your door?

“……. the unilateral slashing of affordable housing quotas from 35% to 20% in the capital proposed by the housing secretary, Steve Reed, could scupper any future wins for local councils. The policy has been proposed as a way to get shovels in the ground and stimulate the economy. However, this is short-termist. As Aydin Dikerdem says: “when the market slows down (as the housing market has) and building costs go up and developers are struggling, it’s precisely the moment when the state should step in”. See ‘Britain’s Housing Crisis: What Went Wrong?’ BBC IPlayer 17 October 2023.

“That could allow local government to stimulate housing demand, provide workers and cover construction costs, so long as certain social obligations are met or increased. If government could take a leaf out of Wandsworth’s book and stand up to developers, rather than rolling out the red carpet, then perhaps local communities would be all the richer for it.”

Please note Richmond Council.