Rampart Social Centre in London under eviction

Sat Dec 22 10:07:14 GMT 2007

London's  Rampart Creative and  Social Centre
has received a nice Christmas present :

EVICTION PAPERS

The plan to turn the area in a buy-to-let paradise is underway
before the property bubble will fully blust, hopefully in 2008 !!!

RAMPART web site  :

http://therampart.wordpress.com

Support and solidarity email to --->      rampart at mutualaid.org

You can view the planning application here :

http://tinyurl.com/2jv8tk

Please send your objection to the planning application.

As well as providing your name and address, you need to clearly
specify in the subject the application number PA/07/02707 and the
fact that the letter is for OBJECTION (eg. subject : Objection to
Application PA/07/02707 - 7-11a Rampart Street)

Here is the email : benson.olaseni at towerhamlets.gov.uk

MORE INFOS >

The Court Case granted a possession order to the owner
for the 3rd January 2008. This could mean Rampart Social
Center being evicted over the next few weeks ...

any solidarity email to be sent to : 

rampart at mutualaid.org

The whole out of the blue eviction threat smacks of a vindictive
punitive reaction to the campaign of objection against the proposed
demolition of the houses next to the social center. It turns out that
the so-called new owners of the houses are in fact a wholly owned
subsidiary of the 'previous owner', the Rampart Trust Co Ltd that
still owns the warehouse which the social center occupies. Even
though there is no planning permission in place or applied for in
relation to the social centre, they claim that they intend to start
demolition in Jan/Feb 2008. Obviously this is impossible and they
know it, so their attempt to have us evicted is not really because of
any impending work in the new year.

>> More on the campaign against planning consent

Speaking of planning, it is still possible to lodge objections
against the proposed new houses on the site of the existing houses.
The officer dealing with the case is currently on leave and so the
consultation period has apparently not been closed. If you've not yet
written and especially if your address is one in Towerhamlets, then
please write a letter perhaps objecting to the proposal on the
grounds that it involved a demolition inside the conservation zone
and the new construction will totally change the character of this
piece of east end heritage. You might also mention that the owner is
on record as planning to make an application relating to the
building next door and therefore the development should be considered
as a whole to really understand the visual impact that the changes
currently proposed might have.

As well as providing your name and address, you need to clearly
specify in the subject the application number PA/07/02707 and the
fact that the letter is for OBJECTION (eg. subject : Objection to
Application PA/07/02707 - 7-11a Rampart Street)

All the objection letter can be sent to Benson Olaseni, who will
circulate the letter to Simon Ryan the case officer.

Here is the email : benson.olaseni at towerhamlets.gov.uk

You might be interested to know that the solicitors working for the
owner in their claim to have us evicted are Brecher Solicitors who
are at Heron Place, 3 George Street, London (admin at brecher.co.uk,
02075631000) and give that address as the care of address for the co-
claimants, the Rampart Trust Company Ltd (owned by Mr Wolfe) and RMO
Developments Ltd (owned by Rampart Trust Co. Ltd)

>> More info

While they keep their addresses off the claim, an internet search
provides the following info.

RAMPART TRUST CO LIMITED (Registered No. 00394626)
27 NORRICE LEA, LONDON, N2 0RD

Rmo Developments Ltd. (Registration Number: 6183351)
Mowbray House, 58/70 Edgware Way
Edgware Middlesex HA8 8DJ

A little over a year ago, a property company sent somebody called
Richard Selby to visit the buildings with Mr Wolfe, the beneficiary
of the Rampart Trust - apparently to show a financier around for the
purposes of a valuation. Coincidentally this Heritage Group (020
8958 0000 info at heritagegroup.co.uk) actually shares the same address
as RMO Developments Ltd.

The agent acting for the owner in all dealings relating to the
proposed developments is Alan Camp Architects ( +44 (0)20 7593 1000
mail at alancamp.com 88 Union Street London SE1 0NW). They've also had
the involvement of Miller Property Consultants (17 Hogarth Avenue,
Brentwood, Essex CM15 8BE 01277 233 100 / 07957 544 007
advice at millerproperty.co.uk).

I'm sure that in some countries there would be hordes of angry direct
action anarchist types and cyber hackers causing obstruction and
disruption to the evil ones but here things are usually done
differently.

>> We are making a call out for the following

Mobile phone numbers of those willing to drop everything to come
defend the space.

Offers of vans and drivers for transport when we have to move out.

Ideas and offers of storage space for the resources in the rampART

Notification of empties for future new social centres

Volunteers for people to reccy and access shortlisted buildings

Mobile numbers of people up for initially holding down a newly opened
building.

A signup sheet of those up for helping clean up and fix up such a
building.

A list of those people either wanting to act as live in 'care takers'
or those up for being on an occupation rota.

.. get in touch

>> More Social Centres

We are also organising a meeting which aims to breath new life into
opening not just one new space to replace the rampART but initiate a
london social centres collective which would try to ensure that there
are plenty of social centres, preferable throughout London on an
ongoing basis.

It will hopefully take place at the rampART, 2pm Sunday 6th Jan 08
please pass the word and come along if this interests you.

A LUCHA CONTINUA