New report by Zoë Garbett AM reveals estate regeneration schemes are still driving “degeneration” and displacement across London

A new report launched today by Green Party London Assembly Member Zoë Garbett reveals that residents across London continue to endure worsening living conditions, displacement and a lack of meaningful democratic control under estate “regeneration” schemes despite policy reforms introduced in recent years. 

Despite the introduction of resident ballots and new policies under the current Mayor of London, the report finds that residents’ experiences remain largely unchanged, with communities continuing to face years of deteriorating housing.  

The report also points to a wider democratic deficit, with residents often lacking the time, resources and accessible information needed to engage in the estate regeneration process. 

Earlier this year, Zoë Garbett hosted the event Fighting London’s profit-driven estate demolition and gentrification, in response to the fact that 137 estates across London are slated for demolition. This new report draws on testimony from affected communities gathered at the packed-out City Hall event as well as first-hand visits to estates undergoing regeneration across the city. 

Zoë Garbett Green Party London Assembly Member said:  

“Our planning policies too often ignore the people who live on estates in favour of developers whose priority is their profits. 

“Regeneration is often presented as the solution by councils, but we know it comes at a cost – land is sold to private developers, luxury flats replace social housing, culturally significant spaces like markets are destroyed and communities are uprooted. 

“Residents across London are still living through the same failed model of estate regeneration, years of neglect, uncertainty and the very real risk of displacement. 

“Despite new policies, the system continues to sideline residents and prioritise high-end market housing over meeting local needs.  

“The Mayor often hears from developers and lobby groups, but it’s important that the perspectives of local residents are at the centre of the conversation. 

“The recommendations in this report are built on what residents have been saying for years. They form a roadmap for real change, guiding the Mayor toward planning policies that are fairer and provide a proper counterbalance to the influence of big developers, ahead of the publication of the draft London Plan in May 2026.” 

Campaigner Imogen Tranchell from Friends of Shepherd’s Bush Market and Protect Our Places said:  

“Those who are supposed to represent us instead ignore and dismiss our voices, while doing the bidding of billionaire developers.” 

Reflecting on the event hosted by Zoë Garbett, Andrea Gilbert, a housing activist and resident of the Lesnes Estate that’s battling through an estate regeneration process said:  

“It was powerful to be in City Hall alongside so many residents and campaigners with lived experience of the housing crisis. Events like this matter because they centre the voices of people directly affected by poor housing, regeneration, and displacement. Hearing those shared experiences together reinforced how urgent it is that housing policy is shaped by communities, not imposed on them.”  

Key recommendations from the report:  

• Implement the full suite of recommendations from Siân Berry’s 2022 report on estate ballots and set out how landlords will be held accountable for their promises 

• Publish a full response to Just Space’s Alternative Good Practice Guide ahead of the next London Plan 

• Introduce a presumption against demolition of social housing, with robust options appraisals prioritising retrofit 

• Require the full re-provision of all social homes as a minimum, with a significant net increase 

• Strengthen safeguards for residents, including single moves and enforceable completion timelines 

• Create a Community Plan Fund to support resident-led alternatives 

• Add new conditions to GLA funding to improve transparency and prevent displacement 

• Publicly call on Government to fund a mass retrofit programme for social housing estates 

-ENDS-