Around 600 people took part in a march through Peckham on Saturday (1 March) against the latest planning application for the 1980s Aylesham Centre. The scheme would flatten the centre, replacing it with a Morrisons supermarket and 877 homes designed by a team headed by 2017 Stirling Prize winner dRMM.In December, Berkeley reduced the number of affordable and social homes from 270 to just 77 a decrease from 37 per cent to 12 per cent of the total. Southwark Council, the local planning authority, described the move at the time as disappointing.Organisers of this weekend's march said the offer of 77 social and affordable homes was a 'disgrace to Peckham' and prioritised 'profit over people'. Campaigners also called out the scale of the scheme, which could reach 20 storeysacross 13 new buildings.AdvertisementSpeaking to protesters, Tanya Murat, of the Southwark Defend Council Housing campaign group, said: [Just] 12 per cent is an insult to the people of Peckham [and] local people will no longer accept the rule of developers.She continued: We will fight for development that respects the heritage of our areas, that respects our diverse communities, that does not bend the knee to the rule of development capital and investors whove got no interest whatsoever in the people of this area and in the people of Southwark'.Siobahn McCarthy, from the Aylesham Community Action campaign, added: Its hard to imagine tall towers in the centre of Peckham being built and all that for just 77 so-called affordable housing. Imagine the huge impact that's going to have. I think we can all agree thats absolutely disgusting.Her comments were echoed by local architect Benedict O'Looney, of Benedict O'Looney Architects, who told the AJ: After a decades community campaigning for a conservation area celebrating and preserving the rich historic townscape of Peckhams town centre, the new Aylesham proposals seem out of scale and out of character with Peckhams historic village core.A, tall high-density, scheme may be appropriate for the edges of Londons many historic village centres, but not sitting right on top of one.Advertisement'We love our town centre and welcome the development of the underused Aylesham site. It is a big site and could accommodate perhaps 500 flats. [But] the overly dense 870 flats proposed here seems wrong and unkind to the Peckham community and environment. Source:Gino SpocchiaDemonstrators against Berkeley's Aylesham Centre scheme (1 March 2025)Sarah Borowiecka, founder of Peckham-based architecture practice studio on the rye, said in her formal objection to the application, that the 'the proposed development of the Aylesham site [is] a muddle of too big buildings carelessly deployed'.She wrote: 'There is a lack of a sense of purpose, with no strong central hub or internal organisation to inform their positioning and without a strong link to the rest of the commercial centre of Peckham.'Borowiecka continued: 'The Rye Lane elevation of the proposals as drawn would dominate the existing buildings including the old Jones and Higgins Department Store the elevation is two stories too tall and does not fit with the rhythm or size of the existing buildings. Much effort has gone into the restoration of historic houses and shops in this area in accordance with their original designs and this sense of place should be maintained by the new development.'Borowiecka added that it is 'also disappointing that the percentage of affordable housing in the scheme has been reduced from 35 per cent to 12 per cent.'The dRMM scheme is smaller in scale to Sheppard Robsons designs for 1,050 homes which proved hugely controversial to local residents and Southwark Council prompting the local authority to criticise the plans in late 2022.The practice left the project in May 2023.When dRMM was appointed to the Aylesham scheme, a Berkeley spokesperson told the AJ that its regeneration plans would have a hugely positive impact in Peckham; particularly the hundreds of affordable homes that would transform the lives of local families on the housing waiting list.dRMMs scheme includes a 4,400m Morrisons supermarket, 10,900m of commercial space and 3,30om of new public realm designed by landscape architect Gillespies as well as the new homes. Some of the design elements have been worked on by local practices Feix&Merlin, Nimtim, Dowen Farmer and Jas Bhalla Works, including shops facing Rye Lane.Separately, a petition against the Aylesham Centre plans has so far attracted more than 5,150 signatures, while over 2,260 comments opposing the development have been received by Southwark Council, which is expected to rule on the proposal in June.The Sheppard Robson scheme received more than 7,200 online signatures and over 3,000 comments. Berkeley then returned to the drawing board, before appointing dRMM to help shape the project so it resonated with the community it serves.Sheppard Robsons designs had themselves replaced previous AHMM proposals for the sites former owner, BlackRock, which were never submitted. The plot was sold to Berkeley in the wake of local opposition during an early consultation stage.Work on phase one of the dRMM-led scheme is expected to begin in late 2025, with completion between 2027 and 2029. The second phase is expected to start construction in 2030 when the Aylesham Centre will close and complete in 2034.Berkeley declined to comment.dRMM, Dowen Farmer Feix&Merlin, Nimtim, and Jas Bhalla Works have been contacted for comment. Source:Millerhare for Berkeley HomesdRMM's masterplan for Peckham (May 2024)