St. Agnes Place - Putting Up A Resistance

[Kid_Eternity]

fyi:

RASTAFARIANS AND other residents of London's oldest squatted street promised to resist bailiffs and police to protect their unique community.

St Agnes Place, in Kennington south London, has been home to an established community since 1974.

In the 1970's Bob Marley frequently stayed in the street which is home to the International Rastafarian headquarters.

Over existing 200 residents, who fear homelessness, have vowed to resist attempts by Lambeth Council to remove them.

Tomorrow morning several residents are expected to gather at Lambeth County Court to oppose moves by the council who want permission to demolish 21 terraced Victorian houses and evict the residents.

Key bit of info:

The hearing will take place on Wednesday 2nd November, 10.30am, at Lambeth County Court, Cleaver St., Kennington Road SE11 4DZ.

full article

 

[aurora green]

Looks like this is all about to kick off.
Lambeth have applied parking restrictions along the street. Presumably to clear the path for heavy plant machinery that will be needed to implement the
demolition orders that have been placed all down one side of the street.
Things are not looking good for St Agnes.

 

[William of Walworth]

Equally downhearted St Agnes thread happening on General

 

[aurora green]

Yeah, on the other thread, (which is general so I'm scared of it slipping away) Piratetv says they will set up an aruga, to alert people of the evictions in case anyone wants to go down and try to help.

 

[William of Walworth]

I'm going to make sure the other thread keeps getting bumped for the time being.

Will keep an eye out for any general call to action, I live locally, but work quite far off ...

 

[stamfordcfc]

i drive down at agnes place each day morning and night but have not seen anything different recently. A few months ago the police blocked either end of the road but think that was to do with the Rastafarian HQ. Think Lambeth council will have a fight on their hands to get people out if they have been there for over 20 years. Squatter rights and all. But I suppose at least it's social housing that will be built in place not yuppy flats

 

[stamfordcfc]

Actually i've changed my mind. Why knock down and replace some perfectly good houses with new crappy soulless new building. No doubt some buidling company will be lining their pockets

 

[bluestreak]

there could be some trouble heading down there now. i've just seen a few polcie vans and another tea truck going south down the lambeth road.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

The best childminder I ever had was in Aggie Place. She was brilliant and my son loved her.

 

[aurora green]

...Squatter rights and all. But I suppose at least it's social housing that will be built in place not yuppy flats

You'll find that squatters have negligable rights these days.

And I wouldn't be too sure about social housing being built after demolition either, you just watch those 'luxury' flats go up.

 

[Streathamite]

Reading this thread, I want to weep. LBL are destroying a vital, much-loved resource - and a priceless part of our social history - just to suck some developer's cock.
I think we should get one of those evicted to stand against that scumbag fitchett (may he rot in hell), and see what happens...

 

[William of Walworth]

I wouldn't be too sure about social housing being built after demolition either, you just watch those 'luxury' flats go up.

Fitchett's been talking the talk about housing associations etc., but that's PR I'm sure. I agree, no doubt social hosuing will be much in the minority of the overall development.

 

[netbob]

I know I seem to be developing a standard response too issues like this; but someone should set something up on Pledge Bank .

There seems to be much general support for St Anges that needs galvanising somehow. e.g. I will turn up and support if 20 others will.

 

[colacubes]

There was a feature about St Agnes Place last night on Radio 5. It was just before the 11.30pm news and featured a fairly positive interview about the road with a few residents. Fitchett then was on there saying the usual. The feature finished saying that the end was nigh for them.

I think there was also a debate more generally about squatting after the news but I was too tired to stay up and listen to it.

If anyone's interested you should be able to listen to it via the bbc website: www.bbc.co.uk/radio

 

[aurora green]

What a thoroughly nasty piece of work Fitchett is.

Not only did he call the longstanding residents of St Agnes palce parasites, but he is also linked to the £3million housing fraud .
I'm not actually sure where Princes ward is, but could people be very sure not to re-elect this dispicable character.

 

[William of Walworth]

This message has been posted in new threads in Community and the Direct Action/Protest forum, and has also been added to the main St Agnes thread in General.

CALL FOR SOLIDARITY FROM St. Agnes Place and the Kennington Play Project
Please Forward this to people in South London.

On Wednesday 23rd November 2005 at Brixton Town Hall, Lambeth Council will be holding a full council meeting. We want to discuss the future of St Agnes Place and the nearby Kennington Play Project. Their plan is to close the playground and knock down twenty one properties (52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 and 91) in a £16m deal with London Quadrant Housing who want to buy the land.

For more than 30 years, the squatters of St Agnes Place have formed one of Britain's most distinctive communities and have established themselves as a positive part of the wider community. The Kennington Play Project has offered a safe open-access play facility for local children which is as in demand now as it was over 25 years ago when it opened. Once the council takes a decision like this, the likelihood of further land sales and demolition in the area increases. Where will this stop and where will the children who use the playground go to play?

The demolition notice has already been served, and it is now a matter of time before they act on it. Lambeth Council has been trying to get rid of the residents of St Agnes Place for years - Councillor Keith Fitchett recently described them as “parasites”. This is the same man who is at the centre of a Council Housing fraud scandal which has recently cost £2.8m of tax payer’s money. Police fear this money may never be recovered and Fitchett may be forced to resign as a result. We are being expected to put our trust in a council which is knee deep in scandal and financial mismanagement.

The meeting on the 23rd is your opportunity to make your views heard. We need to let Lambeth know that their plans are totally unacceptable and will have an extremely negative impact on the local residents. The more people we can get down to Brixton Town Hall the better. Please pass this information on to your friends and arrange to meet at 6:00pm.

For further information please feel free to call: 07795 542 458

 

[netbob]

What a thoroughly nasty piece of work Fitchett is.

Not only did he call the longstanding residents of St Agnes palce parasites, but he is also linked to the £3million housing fraud .
I'm not actually sure where Princes ward is, but could people be very sure not to re-elect this dispicable character.

Its up towards the river, just north or Kenington. I didnt really an opinion on him untill I heard that interview, but now I do.

As far as I can work out all the Lib Dem councillors up there are on about 2000+ majorities over labour in that area. A decent campaign focused on him could probably achive something.

 

[tippee]

Shocking!

Crikey, surely only a Nigerian would have had the gumption to get away with that....

 

[William of Walworth]

Shocking!

Crikey, surely only a Nigerian would have had the gumption to get away with that....

Pleae explain??? Since when has Fitchett been Nigerian??

<deeply suspicious mode >

More importantly :

Posted by pootle on the main thread in General, very recently (Monday am) :

I went through St Agnes Place about 15 minutes ago on my way to work, and there were vans with Lambeth Council on them putting up "ROAD CLOSED" signs at either end of the street.

Last week, parking suspension notices went up saying parking was suspended from Monday 21st November to "indefinate"...

 

[Bob]

What a thoroughly nasty piece of work Fitchett is.

Not only did he call the longstanding residents of St Agnes palce parasites, but he is also linked to the £3million housing fraud .
I'm not actually sure where Princes ward is, but could people be very sure not to re-elect this dispicable character.

Hang on - he's only connected to it in the sense that he's in charge of the department where it happened. It's not as if he's nicked the money himself or helped anyone nick it.

 

[William of Walworth]

Hang on - he's only connected to it in the sense that he's in charge of the department where it happened. It's not as if he's nicked the money himself or helped anyone nick it.

Calling St Agnes residents parasites is in no way forgiveable though ...

 

[aurora green]

Hang on - he's only connected to it in the sense that he's in charge of the department where it happened. It's not as if he's nicked the money himself or helped anyone nick it.

Nevertheless, Councillor Fitchett was in charge, he was responsible for ensuring that our much needed housing budget was put to best use.
Lambeth tenants have been defrauded of £3million, and services will suffer as a consequence.
The buck's got to stop with someone, dont you think?

 

[stamfordcfc]

Pleae explain??? Since when has Fitchett been Nigerian??

<deeply suspicious mode >

More importantly :

Posted by pootle on the main thread in General, very recently (Monday am) :

William of Walworth the person who stole £3million from the Housing department was a Nigerian (who has now down a runner and left the country with the money) and this is who is being referred to not that Scumbag Fitchett

 

[stamfordcfc]

Scumbag Fitchett is for the high jump at the Extraordinary Council Meeting at the town hall on Wednesday night. I might go along a see the worm squirm. I hope everyone gives the Libs and Con council what for, with the £3 million fraud, £11 million owed by the council due to poor accountancy and St Agnes Place

 

[Bob]

Nevertheless, Councillor Fitchett was in charge, he was responsible for ensuring that our much needed housing budget was put to best use.
Lambeth tenants have been defrauded of £3million, and services will suffer as a consequence.
The buck's got to stop with someone, dont you think?

Happy to agree with you on that - just didn't agree with the implication of the post (in my eyes anyway) that he'd somehow nicked it himself.

 

[aurora green]

Happy to agree with you on that - just didn't agree with the implication of the post (in my eyes anyway) that he'd somehow nicked it himself.

He's also been found to be buying up ex-council homes cheap at auction according to indymedia
It just seems to me, that I'd prefer to have someone else in charge of housing next time. This man has got a bad track record, and the way he is treating longstanding Lambeth residents of St Agnes place is just dreadful.

 

[Bob]

He's also been found to be buying up ex-council homes cheap at auction according to indymedia
It just seems to me, that I'd prefer to have someone else in charge of housing next time. This man has got a bad track record, and the way he is treating longstanding Lambeth residents of St Agnes place is just dreadful.

Bad reporting there but unsurprising given that the source is the IWCA. He didn't buy anything at all. He bid for something at a public auction - didn't offer enough to win it. And before he did anything he told the Labour opposition on the council that he was going to put a bid in - hardly the actions of somebody with something to hide.

 

[IntoStella]

Bad reporting there but unsurprising given that the source is the IWCA. He didn't buy anything at all. He bid for something at a public auction - didn't offer enough to win it. And before he did anything he told the Labour opposition on the council that he was going to put a bid in - hardly the actions of somebody with something to hide.

It's still unethical, though. Especially when he has the gall to call the residents of St Agnes parasites. If what he tried to do doesn't constitute abusing one's power and privilege for personal gain then I don't know what does.

It should be illegal.

The more Fitchett calls decent people parasites for his own nefarious political ends, the more determined people like me will become to make sure the voting public know the truth in the run-up to the elections. It will backfire on him.

He also lied on television about the ownership of Elmwood House in Rushcroft Road, claiming it was never owned by the council. In truth Lambeth flogged it to the private sector.

 

[Streathamite]

Happy to agree with you on that - just didn't agree with the implication of the post (in my eyes anyway) that he'd somehow nicked it himself.

bit irrelevant. this fraud happened cos of a total lack of controls over staff's individual powers/leeway etc. there's only one person who should take responsibility for that - the elected councillor at the apex of that department

 

[William of Walworth]

William of Walworth the person who stole £3million from the Housing department was a Nigerian (who has now down a runner and left the country with the money) and this is who is being referred to not that Scumbag Fitchett

OK thanks for that footnote, but the fraudster's Nigerianness is surely irrelevant .. his criminality is. And the lack of any control over him ...

That earlier post just looked a tad suspicious on first reading to someone like me, just outside the borough, who didn't understand the detail.