Moves to evict a protest group camping on the green by Tidemill garden in Deptford have been temporarily stymied after a judge adjourned the possession hearing.

Protestors have been staying on the green to protest development plans between the council and housing association Peabody which include the demolition of the garden and 16 council flats in Reginald House.

They were served possession orders last week, with a court hearing taking place in Bromley last Friday.

But a judge granted an adjournment to the hearing after the campaign, represented by Franck Magennis of Garden Court Chambers, argued they should be allowed to file a defence, a Save Tidemill Save Reginald spokesperson explained.

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The judge also “expressed her concerns that Lewisham Council had provided no evidence of considering protestors’ human rights before making the decision to evict,” they said.

This is the latest incident in a long dispute between the council and campaigners, who had pushed for plans for the 209-home development to be redrawn to keep the community garden.

Campaigners occupied the garden for several months before they were evicted by scores of bailiffs last October, with a local resident and campaigners alleging they were assaulted in the process.

The protest camp sprung up after the eviction, with banners and signs at the camp including: “Deptford needs to breathe” and “Lewisham Council spent £1.4m securing 74 trees then cut them down.”

There has been a security presence at the site since, costing the council £918,090 as of last month.

The eviction itself cost £105,000.

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Lewisham tried to disperse the camp in December, threatening the camp with a public space protection order – a notice which bans a specific activity in an area.

The move was criticised by human right’s charity Liberty, which said such orders should not be used to curtail legitimate protest.

Save Tidemill Save Reginald spokesperson Heather Gilmore said the camp was an important part of the campaign.

“We cannot bring back the trees but securing the protest camp will mean our campaign can continue its work by having a place to meet and by continuing to be visible and accessible to members of the local community,” she explained.

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“As Liberty have stated, it is a flagrant denial of our human rights to be thrown off a piece of land we are using to protest against Lewisham Council’s disgraceful actions in relation to their deeply unpopular Tidemill plans.”

She said the development will have a “detrimental affect” on the health of local people, with air pollution in Deptford recorded to be six times higher than World Health Organisation guidelines.

A Lewisham Council spokesman said the next hearing would take place at the earliest opportunity.

“As legal process is followed, trespassers are being urged to leave the site peacefully and voluntarily to avoid the eviction process and the considerable costs associated with it.”

He said the 117 homes to be let at London affordable rent levels would house those on the council’s social housing waiting list, with the green also a part of development plans.

“Work has already started on the main site and we now need to ensure that work continues to progress. Every day there is a delay to the scheme, a family has to wait even longer for a home of their own. We are determined to tackle the housing crisis by delivering 1,000 new social homes and the Tidemill development is a key part of that commitment.”

Work demolishing the garden began February 27, the same day Lewisham declared a climate emergency.