Scott House: YourTribe submit duplicate plans, campaigners call out 'gameplay'
Housing campaigners believe developers are trying to obscure their record including the premature eviction of Scott House tenants, in the face of a legal challenge.
Deptford housing campaigners Save Scott House were shocked to be informed on 13 May that YourTribe have submitted a new 'duplicate' planning application to Lewisham council.
No reason is given for the new application, but campaigners believe that YourTribe, the student housing arm of the giant firm Aitch Group, is trying to sidestep issues that have been raised on their earlier application.
Lewisham council made a decision in favour of the application on 7 November 2024.
But campaigners have pointed to areas where they argue that the developer has not complied with the terms they agreed to in the meeting.
YourTribe served eviction notices on Scott House tenants long before its stated commitment to support them in finding alternative accommodation had kicked in.
In addition, a legal challenge has been raised against Lewisham council's decision which has not yet been heard in the high court.
A seasoned Lewisham campaigner told Salamander the move by YourTribe was "certainly gameplay".
Scott House is a locally listed Edwardian building on Grove Street in Deptford, once a tin box factory. It was converted into 19 live/work units in 2001, providing homes and workspaces for around 60 tenants.
The council approved a plan to develop 137 homes at the site in 2019, with an opportunity for the existing tenants and families to return to their homes after the work completed.
However, the plans were not progressed and in 2024 YourTribe applied for planning permission to develop the site.
YourTribe plans a 31-story tower block, providing Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) rooms for 502 students.
Campaigners argue that the community consultation was not carried out fairly, and question the authenticity of comments in favour of the development, which were provided by a canvassing organisation working for YourTribe.
At the planning meeting in November 2024, Scott House residents objected that the plans "did nothing to address Lewisham's already high housing need"
Caitlin Colquoun from the Planning Voice project argued that in addition to the loss of the 19 existing homes, the opportunity for a further planned 137 homes should be acknowledged.
Councils are allowed to count PBSA rooms towards their housing delivery targets using an equivalence formula - a ratio of 2.5 : 1.
Lewisham planning officers confirmed that the development's 502 student rooms would be treated as equivalent to 200 homes.
Colquoun made a case that the formula "is only for purposes of the housing delivery test not for interpreting local policy," and that the plans did not comply with the London Plan or Lewisham's Local Plan.
The residents' objections were overruled and the plans approved, although councillors pressed YourTribe to make a commitment in the section 106 agreement to make "all reasonable endeavours" to assist tenants with relocation.
When the the section 106 agreement was reviewed August 2025, it included a requirement to produce a relocation strategy 4 months after the deed was signed.
However, in what the campaign described as "an incredibly bad faith approach" tenants were served with eviction notices before the section 106 agreement was entered into and took effect.
Save Scott House campaigner Cecilia North said: "I continue to maintain that this application does not meet community need for homes, which is very high, nor does it meet stated council priorities or the wider need for housing.
"At the same time it will destroy part of Deptford's heritage."
Meanwhile, Aitch Group and YourTribe have continued to expand their Purpose Built Student Housing across Deptford, leading to concerns about over-concentration.
Lewisham council recently approved YourTribe's plans for another 605 student rooms at Sun Wharf.
Aitch Group evicted 150 residents from their rental flats on nearby Childers Street in December 2025, replacing the homes with "boutique luxury" student housing managed by YourTribe.
YourTribe did not respond to a request for comment.
Save Scott House campaign is urging Lewisham residents to respond to the new consultation which closes on 3 June, planning application DC/26/143833.
They require at least 10 objections to trigger a planning meeting.
"It is extremely important that the new ruling Green Party now call in this development and prevent the loss of much needed housing," Cecilia North said.
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