Southwark Council claimed they don’t control the arches. We found that to be false.

Southwark Council said they don’t control the arches. They lied. We found the proof. Tomorrow, we bring it public.

When we asked Southwark Council for one empty arch to create a private, safeguarding-based lesbian space, they said no.

Then they said something worse:
“Southwark Council does not own or manage the railway arches in question.”

That line wasn’t a technicality. It was a tactic to avoid triggering their legal duty to respond properly under the Equality Act.

They counted on that false claim to shut us down.

It didn’t.

We’ve reviewed their planning documents.
We’ve traced their regeneration strategy.
We’ve pulled the policy trails they hoped no one would look at.

They control the arches. They have for years. And they’re still refusing to act.

The Proof They Didn’t Expect Us to Find

1. They Took Control - Then Pretended They Didn’t (Article 4 Direction)

In 2016, Southwark issued an Article 4 Direction to restrict permitted development rights on railway arches. This gave the council direct oversight of what the arches could be used for - and who could use them.

They didn’t just control it.
They fought for the right to control it.

2. They’re the Lead Partner Driving the Arch Regeneration (The Low Line Project)

Southwark is a core delivery partner in the Low Line - a publicly funded regeneration project to repurpose underused railway arches across the borough.
They literally market it as “unlocking the potential” of the arches.

Their website says:
“The railway arches are being repurposed for local needs and cultural life.”

Unless you’re a lesbian, apparently.

3. They Wrote the Rules - Then Denied Responsibility (Southwark’s 2022 Planning Strategy)

Southwark’s most recent borough-wide planning policy makes this explicit: the railway arches are part of a strategic regeneration corridor, with planning control, development authority, and commercial partnership oversight held by the council.

If they didn’t control the arches, they wouldn’t be writing the rules for them.

£3.14 Million for Drag, Trans, and Men - Zero for Lesbians

Southwark has awarded over £3.14 million in LGBTQ+ grants since 2020.

This includes:

1. Drag shows

2. Trans events

3. Male-only recovery centres

But when 14,000 same-sex attracted women asked for one single arch - they got nothing.
£3.14 million for everyone else. Not one pound for lesbians.

We didn’t ask for money.
We didn’t ask for visibility.
We asked for 0.25% of their disused estate for a lawful, private space.

They said no.

Then they lied.

Why Southwark Had to Lie

Because if they admitted they controlled the arches, they’d have to admit the refusal was a choice.

And they’d be forced to justify it-legally, publicly, and politically.

They didn’t want that.

They didn’t want to be seen approving a female-only lesbian space in 2025. Not in a borough run by people who’ve collapsed “LGBTQ+” into one ideology. Not while their allies quietly push the idea that same-sex attraction is exclusionary.

Southwark wasn’t afraid of breaking the law.
They were afraid of the headline:
“Council Approves Female-Only Lesbian Space.”

So they issued a falsehood - and we proved it.

They chose their reputation over your rights.

What Southwark Offered Instead: A Venue with Men

A mixed-sex LGBTQ+ venue, not opening until 2026.

No safeguarding.
No sex-based protection.
No privacy.
No respect.

It wasn’t a solution.
It was a stalling tactic.

What Happens Next: Legal Action, Public Reckoning

The case is under review by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

We’ve formally submitted:

1. The request

2. The legal basis (Schedule 3 and Public Sector Equality Duty)

3. The public lie

4. The internal planning proof

And tomorrow, we go public.

Saturday 18th May - 1:30PM

Southwark Council, 160 Tooley Street

This isn’t a protest.

It’s a reckoning.

We asked for one safeguarding-based lesbian space.
They chose spin.
We chose truth.

They thought we wouldn’t notice.
We noticed.

And we’re not going anywhere.

-
Jenny Watson
Founder, L Community
thelcommunity.com