Elephant Shopping Centre: date set for High Court hearing

Campaigners Up the Elephant learnt last month that their case will be aired in the High Court on 17 and 18 July.

Delancey's plans to redevelop the shopping centre and the London College of Communication were approved by Southwark councillors in July 2018 and rubber-stamped by City Hall in December.

The challenge focuses on the social rented housing in the mixed-use scheme, with campaigners arguing that the development of nearly 1,000 homes for rent is capable of supporting more than the approved 116 homes at social rent levels.

Jerry Flynn from the 35% Campaign said: "We are pleased that the case has taken a step forward. We have raised over £7,500 towards legal costs so far, through our CrowdJustice appeal.

"A legal fight is always long and costly, but we are determined to do everything we can to get social rented homes that we simply cannot afford to lose."

The High Court hearing will be 'rolled-up', which means that both the decision on permission to apply for a judicial review and the case itself, should it proceed, will be dealt with together.

The order for the hearing noted that the application was "…one of those exceptional cases where the public interest in the issue which the claimant raises is such that if permission is refused this should occur after a hearing".

The challenge is supported by the Public Interest Law Centre and Southwark Law Centre.