James Acaster and Nish Kumar Help Raise £40,000 to Fight Peckham Redevelopment
Jesters James Acaster and Nish Kumar have stepped into the heart of a heated South London casing battle, helping original contenders raise around£ 40,000 to oppose the proposed redevelopment of the Aylesham Centre in Peckham.
Their involvement has fitted fresh energy into a growing community movement determined to repel what residents see as an illegal and dangerous design.
In September, Acaster and Kumar performed a special fundraising show at Peckham situations, uniting residents and contenders under one roof.
The event supported the Aylesham Community Action( ACA) group, which is gathering finances to secure legal representation ahead of a pivotal Planning Inspectorate hearing later this month.
The cause has struck a chord with locals. Donations have poured in, taking the crusade to£ 41,000, just shy of its£ 50,000 target.
“This is the human cost of the housing crisis, children robbed of childhood.”
That statement, shared by a local campaigner, summed up the mood in the room. It’s not only about new buildings; it’s about the community’s soul.
At the centre of the dispute is a large-scale plan by Berkeley Homes to build nearly 900 new homes on the Aylesham site off Rye Lane. While the developer argues that the project will help address London’s housing shortage, campaigners say the proposal favours profit over people.
Only 12 per cent of the homes have been allocated as “ affordable, ” a steep drop from the usual 35 per cent anticipated in developments of this size. That decision has drawn outrage from residents and councillors likewise.
When the plan was first submitted to Southwark Council in 2022, locals hoped for a community-driven rejuvenescence that would include authentically affordable homes. Rather, they say they’ve been met with rising halls, reduced affordability, and little original input.
To make matters worse, Berkeley Homes lately bypassed the council’s planning commission altogether, taking its appeal straight to the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
The community response has been loud and determined. Hundreds have joined protests demanding fair housing. Placards have filled Rye Lane with calls for “Homes for locals, not investors” and “Keep Peckham affordable.”
Local councillors and MP Miatta Fahnbulleh have also called for the plans to be rethought, warning that the development risks pushing long-term residents and small businesses out of the area.
A symbolic council meeting held in July rejected the proposal, citing the lack of affordable housing and its potential harm to the Peckham Conservation Area. But with the appeal now heading to a government-level inquiry, campaigners fear their victory could be short-lived.
Peckham’s fight is part of a bigger story, one about London’s housing crisis and who the city is really being built for.
For residents, the Aylesham site represents more than just land. It’s a test of whether developers and decision-makers will listen to local communities or continue prioritising large profits over fair housing.
Protests have spread across Southwark, with over 600 people joining recent marches calling for half of all new homes on private land to be council-owned, and 100 per cent of those on council land to remain genuinely affordable.
The Planning Inspectorate hearing set for late October will decide the project’s future. ACA hopes that with legal backing — funded by those comedy-driven donations, the community will finally be able to make its case heard at the highest level.
Until then, the message from Peckham is clear: this isn’t just about a shopping centre or a development deal. It’s about the right to stay, to live, and to belong.
“Is this a city I can still call home?”
That haunting question, echoed through local protests, captures what’s truly at stake in the battle over the Aylesham Centre.
