Fighting for a Right to Return to the Aylesbury Estate After Domestic Abuse and Displacement

The Aylesbury Estate has been earmarked for demolition since 2005 with all former tenants promised a “right to return” to the estate on its completion. Our client was moved from the Estate in 2015 to make way for the development. In 2024, Southwark Council reached out to former tenants asking if they still had an interest in returning to the Estate. When our client expressed her desire to return, she was told she no longer qualified after a “relationship breakdown” causing the original tenancy to split. This was a gross misrepresentation of our client’s situation, who had been forced to flee an abusive partner.

Our client threatened legal action against Southwark Council. A significant milestone has now been reached and the client’s right to return restored.

In barring former joint tenants from the right to return, Southwark Council operated a policy which discriminates against women who are more likely to experience domestic abuse.

This case plays a key role in London’s ongoing struggle against gentrification. Estate redevelopment projects often take decades to complete, during which communities are displaced and seldom offered the chance to return. Southwark’s policy illustrates yet another way local authorities are imposing barriers and restricting the rights of estate residents.

This case is part of PILC's Gentrification Project. Claudia Hyde of Landmark Chambers was instructed.