The Cherwell Group is a development company that operates across London, the West Country and the Home Counties. They are the current landlords of SET Social and are now proposing a redevelopment of the space.
They will hold a public consultation about this on the 14th and 15th of September (5 pm - 8 pm both days) at SET Social.
SET Social is our not-for-profit arts and social club in Peckham. It has a café, bar, library and garden, and hosts workshops, screenings, live music and other events. The space runs as a members' club, with membership helping to keep the doors open and the venue in everyday use as a community-led arts and social centre.
Cherwell claims that 55 Nigel Road will be redeveloped into a mixed-use scheme, including shared-living homes, a similar community organisation, public gardens and a pedestrian route.
Shared-living homes historically don't meet affordable rent prices and are small, overpriced flats with shared living amenities.
Cherwell has a track record of failing to deliver on community needs and cultural roles for the area, and SET does not have a confirmed home in the new development.
SET Social will continue to live! We're applying for Asset of Community Value status so the council formally recognises SET's cultural and social value. We're also establishing a Community Benefit Society to campaign against the planning proposals and keep SET running as it is.
If Cherwell won't maintain the current lease, our goal is to raise funding for a community purchase, securing SET's future for the organisations and communities that already call it home.
SET's model is to work with short-term lets in order to provide cheap, not-for-profit spaces for the direct community and general public. They need to continue operating this way to enable free or affordable community events and third spaces. If they opposed the plans, it would contradict this model which is why resistance to Cherwell's developments needs to come from the community.
Cherwell is planning to build 117 'shared living' rooms, with a maximum occupancy of 117 residents. Shared living is a form of housing where residents rent a small private room but share kitchens, living areas and other amenities with other tenants (similar to a hall of residence or co-living hostel, rather than a self-contained flat).
Shared living isn't classed as a genuine "home" under planning definitions (it takes around 1.8 units to equate to one home), yet despite their small size these rooms often come with high rents that are unaffordable to the roughly 93% of Southwark households who qualify for social or intermediate affordable housing. Residents often stay just a few months which makes them poorly suited to building the stable, rooted communities that Southwark needs.
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