Thamesmead residents wrap up Dashwood Social Club occupation

Housing Rising says its year-long occupation of the Peabody-owned Dashwood Social Club was a stand against the loss and privatisation of community space.

Residents and community groups in Thamesmead have spent the past year occupying the Dashwood Social Club and Nursery, challenging what they see as the removal of community spaces from local control.

The occupation, organised under the banner of Housing Rising, began on 6 September 2025 and ended on 19 September 2026. The building is owned by housing association Peabody.

For the campaigners, the Dashwood is not simply a building. It is part of the social fabric of Thamesmead: a place where children, parents, older residents, neighbours and community organisations can meet, organise and build relationships.

Housing Rising argues that when spaces like these disappear, communities lose more than physical buildings. They lose places to meet, organise collectively and challenge isolation.

The group says the occupation was a direct response to what it describes as a wider pattern of community facilities being closed, made unaffordable or placed beyond meaningful local control.

A central criticism from Housing Rising is the role of consultation in regeneration projects. Residents are frequently invited to meetings, asked to complete surveys and encouraged to give their views on plans for their neighbourhoods. But campaigners argue that consultation does not amount to control.

“A meeting does not give residents ownership. A questionnaire does not give residents a veto. A glossy regeneration document does not replace a community centre,” Housing Rising says. The group argues that once community spaces are lost, reclaiming them becomes considerably harder.

For that reason, it chose occupation as a form of direct action, keeping the building in community use and making the dispute over its future impossible to ignore. “We are not waiting to be consulted out of existence,” the group said.

During the occupation, Housing Rising says residents and supporters organised meetings, workshops and other community activities, while inviting local organisations and residents into the building. The group also says it sought dialogue with Peabody, the council and other relevant bodies throughout the action.

The campaign around the Dashwood raises questions that extend beyond a single building. Thamesmead has undergone decades of development and regeneration, raising the familiar question of who ultimately benefits when neighbourhoods are transformed. For Housing Rising, the issue is one of power: who controls the places where people live, meet and organise?

Peabody describes its community centres as being “at the heart of our communities”. Housing Rising is challenging the housing association to put that principle into practice. The group is demanding that the Dashwood remain in community use and be accessible to local residents, grassroots organisations and community groups.

It is also calling for transparency over the building’s use, costs and future, affordable access for community organisations, and meaningful resident involvement in decisions about its governance, design and use.