Retrofit not demolition the way forward for Catford, says Lewisham Council

Lewisham Council has made significant changes to its plans to redevelop Catford town centre, including dropping plans for demolishing Milford Towers and to re-route the South Circular, as part of a new Catford Town Centre Business Plan.

The new direction in policy was agreed on 9 September at the third Mayor and Cabinet meeting of the new administration.

The changes are a reversal of some long existing polices, with the then Labour run council in 2021 approving a £500m plan to build thousands of homes in the Catford area.  

However, the 2021 plans were in fact a reiteration of even earlier plans as it was back in 2011 that Lewisham’s Mayor and Cabinet first agreed plans for Catford which included the eventual demolition of Milford Towers.

The proposals for redirecting the South Circular have an even longer history.  While the most recent plans for moving the South Circular and creating a new civic public space outside the Broadway Theatre date back to 2017, there have been earlier proposals for moving the South Circular since at least the 1980s.

The council’s new plans will leave the route of the South Circular untouched, but instead make a number of changes to improve access and safety. 

These proposals include a new pedestrian crossing outside the Catford Bridge Tavern, pavement and crossing improvements outside the Broadway Theatre and on Brownhill Road and completing the long promised Catford Stations Links Project. 

Other proposals include a cycle parking and micromobility hub, examining a new western access to Catford Bridge station and improving the “arrival experience” for visitors to Catford leaving Catford Bridge station on the eastern side, by restricting parking and the store of refuse by the use of yellow lines on a section of Doggett Road.

Addressing the 'structural' problems of Catford Regeneration Partnership Ltd (CRPL)

CRPL was created in 2010 as a limited company 100% owned by Lewisham council.  Its remit was to acquire and manage leasehold interests in and around the Catford Centre with the objective of supporting long-term regeneration of Catford town centre. 

Its current portfolio consists of 22 commercial unts within Catford shopping centre, 9 units on the Catford Broadway, 2 units on the Rushey Green, 17 residentials projects, Catford House, the Brookdale Club and 9 Holbeach Road.

The finances of CRPL are concerning.  As of 31 March 2026, the value of Lewisham council’s loan to the council-owned company was £18.1m, having increased from £16.9m a year earlier.  It seems the company is now in negative equity, as the last valuation in March 2024 ranked CRPL’s entire portfolio at £17.4m.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting Daniel Dream, cabinet member for inclusive regeneration (and a Rushey Green councillor) did not hold back in highlighting the failings of CRPL. “Our ambition for Catford has been quietly held back by a structural problem – CRPL,” he said.

Dream drew attention to plans for a review of CRPL’s future role and structure. He acknowledged the need to stabilise the company’s finances while the review is undertaken saying: “We cannot build the credible future for Catford while pretending this company’s [financial] position is someone else’s problem.”     

The initial financial decisions that have been made include writing off rental arrears of £1.28m and service charges of £110,896. 

A budget allocation of £400,000 has also been allocated to undertake a review and financial assessment of CRPL and to fulfil a retrofit vision for Catford, with the papers stating: “CRPL will be required to continue holding the assets in their current form for the foreseeable future, whilst the Council delivers the revised framework which could have a retrofit first approach.”

The meeting also approved an annual budget of £250,000 for a period of five years, a total of £1.25m, to support the existing capital budget for delivering the new Catford Business Plan up to 2030. 

The future of Milford Towers

With the demolition of Milford Towers firmly dropped, the council now have the ambition of improving the quality of Milford Towers, following the transfer next month of many of the flats from Notting Hill Genesis to Lewisham Homes.

There is also a desire to retrofit the Holbeach car park, located under Milford Towers. Council papers highlight the example of a successful retrofit by Southwark Council of a multi-storey car park in Peckham known as Peckham Levels.

Support local independent journalism from just £2 per month or leave a tip.

Thomas Lane Yard and Goldsmiths' Catford campus

While there are significant changes planed for the Catford Town Centre Business Plan there are also aspects which are very much taking forward plans already in place.

Plans for 113 affordable homes at Thomas Lane Yard are progressing and closure of the Thomas Lane car park will soon take place. Construction is expected to commence in 2027 and to be completed by autumn 2029.

A further policy that remains unchanged from the previous Labour administration is the partnership with Goldsmiths University and plans for a Catford campus, announced in January 2026.

The plans will move Goldsmiths' post graduate design and fine art department of around 600 students into the Old Town Hall, from September 2027.

The council would lease the site to the university for at least ten years and the council has pointed to the benefits for Catford, saying it will provide “a significant opportunity to support increased footfall, activity and demand for services throughout the day and evening.”

Interestingly, it is admitted that while “good progress” has been made, including the Heads of Terms being agreed, the final lease is still awaiting formal sign-off.

Goldsmiths has announced financial difficulties and declining enrolment since the partnership was agreed. Management plan to cut around 25% of remaining jobs, which the UCU union has said would destroy the institution and lead to insolvency.

Lewisham council has not yet acknowledged this risk to their plans, or the wider impacts on the borough of potential loss of the anchor institution.

Financial questions still to be answered

The council's ambitious plans do leave a lot of questions about funding unresolved and the report approved by mayor and cabinet includes the stark statement:

“There is currently insufficient capital and revenue budgets available to deliver the entirety of the programme. Funding bids for external funding will be developed as they become available.”

Retrofitting of buildings is not cheap, for example the initial estimates to merely retrofit Holbeach Road car park are between £5 - £10m.

Lewisham council might also face a further challenge in how it negotiates with the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Back in 2019, Lewisham council entered into an agreement with the GLA in relation to a £10m grant to support altering the A205 and infrastructure to deliver new housing in Catford. 

However, £7.1m of this GLA grant has already been spent.

The report advises the mayor and cabinet: “The Council must comply with the terms and conditions of the HIF [Housing Infrastructure Fund] grant agreement, including any requirements relating to milestones, deliverables, eligible expenditure, monitoring, reporting, audit, cashflow and changes to the approved infrastructure works.

"Failure to comply with those terms may result in funding being withheld, suspended, withdrawn or required to be repaid.”

Of course, the revised transport and access plans for Catford might be signed off by the GLA, but at this stage agreement appears not yet to have been reached, and again the mayor and cabinet are warned that: “Any revisions must be approved by the GLA before they are implemented.”

For a long time regeneration of Catford has faced many setbacks and difficulties. Changes in direction, whatever their merits, are no guarantee of easy sailing in the years ahead.

Support local independent journalism from just £2 per month or leave a tip.