London's Earls Court venue and council estates to be demolished for luxury homes

A redevelopment scheme in West London will see the demolition of two council estates and the Earls Court exhibition and music venue - host to the BRIT Awards and numerous high-profile concerts – to make way for luxury homes.

Plans for a new 77-acre redevelopment, to be built over twenty years, have been signed off by London Mayor Boris Johnson, with the claim that the creation of four villages and a high street on the site will bring more than 7,000 home and new jobs to the area.

Earls Court currently attracts over 2.5m visitors, employs thousands of people, and provides over £1bn annually in revenue. The current owners of the Exhibition Centre are in advanced talks with local counsellors over a deal to convert the building into flats.

Despite many signing a petition to save the building, the mayor approved the joint planning application from both Hammersmith & Fulham and Kensington & Chelsea Council, explaining that it would provide a “massive boost not just to this part of the capital, but to London’s wider economy as well.”

Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnson responded to the decision: ”By backing this proposal, Boris Johnson is condemning this part of London into a playground for the super rich with mostly extortionately priced homes that will not help the vast majority of ordinary people.”

Campaigning group The West Kensington & Gibbs Green Tenants & Residents Associations have been fighting the decision since it was first proposed.

Find out more about their battle and how to get involved.