Court order bid to remove squatters in West Norwood

The squatters, who set up camp in Knight’s Hill, could be turfed out following a county court hearing on November 10.

The group, known as the Knight’s Hill Ecological Peace Camp, have erected a row of tents and an outdoor kitchen on the site of the old Lambeth College building in West Norwood.

But a private landowner is pushing through a court order to get them evicted, following complaints.

Councillors for Knight’s Hill ward, Councillor Jackie Meldrum, Councillor Mike Smith and Councillor Jane Pickard, said the camp had left residents feeling "unsafe and vulnerable in their own homes".

In a statement they said Lambeth Council officers who assessed the camp found it was having a "detrimental impact" on the environment.

The statement said: "Residents have told us they feel unsafe and vulnerable in their own homes and are suffering as a result of nuisance noise, smoke from campfires and hazardous waste.

"This is unacceptable and as councillors we are determined to tackle the problem.

"Council officers have since visited the site to assess the campers’ activity and their impact on the environment and found the eco-camp was having a detrimental impact."

Councillor John Whelan said the area was becoming a "magnet" for squatters, with another group taking over a nearby abandoned care home, owned by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

But the squatters claimed they had received messages of support from neighbours who want them to build an eco-community.

In a YouTube video one squatter, calling himself Freeman Neo, said: "The general feeling we are getting from the community is they think this is a good project and they want to get involved.

"It’s going very well – we are getting people just generally walking past and saying ‘What the hell are you guys doing?’

"We’ve got given a bottle of wine, homemade cake, bars of chocolate.

"The community really want to start growing their own organic vegetables."