Siân Berry, London Assembly member and former Green Party leader, has joined Baroness Hoey in questioning the £1billion Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation (the Foundation) over ‘punishment evictions’ of about 30 charities and small businesses in Waterloo.

The Foundation (a £1bn health charity, not the NHS Trust), backed by secretive US hedge fund Baupost, plans to demolish 130 homes and a Victorian school building to develop 1.7m sq ft of offices on sites close to St Thomas’ Hospital. But when a group representing the charities and small businesses on the site campaigned for the Foundation’s plans to be less damaging to heritage, the environment and the community, they were issued with eviction notices, while the Foundation extended the lease of a neighbouring business that had not objected.

Baroness Hoey, the former MP for the area, reminded Susanne Given (the Foundation’s Chair of Trustees) that, when the Foundation was seeking approval for its planning application (and on other occasions) it gave assurances that the sub-tenants could remain on site until the development could proceed, which is unlikely to be for at least a year. Baroness Hoey said that the Foundation’s premature eviction notice “flatly contradicts” its past assurances and that this action appeared to be “vindictive” against the campaigners.

Now Siân Berry has stepped into the fray, challenging the Foundation’s reversal of its “past assurances”, and querying its compliance with a key condition of its development plans (which, as Baroness Hoey observed, seems unlikely to be fulfilled before 2025). Ms Berry also questioned the Foundation about its decision to prematurely forgo rental income on the site and instead potentially incur security and maintenance costs. In addition, Ms Berry queried what the Foundation has described as a “support package” for the evicted campaigners given that over £25million has been set aside to provide “affordable workspace” yet one campaigner whose small business was pushed to the brink of destruction by the Foundation’s sudden reversal was offered only £700 and no help to find alternative accommodation at very short notice over Christmas 2023.

The small business in question is Act’In Theatre, which offers drama, improvisation and cinema workshops for all in French and English. It’s Founder, Candice Desmet, said “In July 2023, an extension to the lease was being negotiated and Act’In was making plans and commitments for 2024. The Foundation’s sudden reversal and demand that we should vacate over Christmas was a hammer blow. It felt like they were punishing us for our campaign and trying to destroy the business that I’ve spent over a decade building up. I’ve been offered just £700 and no practical help whatsoever to find alternative accommodation. Act’In will survive but it seems clear the Foundation wanted to destroy us: is that any way for a so-called health charity to behave? Those responsible should apologise and pay fair compensation”.

Matthew Demwell, who supports the campaign on behalf of local residents, said “The Foundation’s public statement and Susanne Given’s response to Baroness Hoey are masterpieces of distraction, dissembling and downright deception. The Foundation states that the decision to evict the campaigners was “not influenced by any objections” yet we’ve been told that Emma Davies (Project Director at the Foundation) admitted it was an act of vengeance in a telephone call on 12 September 2023. Similarly, in denying any discriminatory treatment of the campaigners, Ms Given told Baroness Hoey that the neighbouring tenant’s lease (due to expire in July 2023) had not been extended, yet they are still onsite and publicly hiring staff.”

Michael Ball of the Waterloo Community Development Group (which supports the campaign) added “We would also challenge the Foundation’s statement that it is bringing the site “back into permanent use” as we – and they – know that can’t happen until the condition flagged by Siân Berry has been fulfilled. Furthermore, the site in question includes both the evicted campaigners and also the neighbouring tenant, yet only one group has been thrown out while the other (compliant) business is allowed to continue.”

Mr Ball continued “The Foundation has behaved unconscionably in breaking its promises and punishing campaigners for peacefully exercising their democratic rights. Despite being a health charity, it has allowed the development’s proceeds to be funnelled to a Jersey bank account to ensure that the NHS can’t benefit from taxes on the development’s profits.”

Mr Demwell added “There are chilling echoes of the Post Office Horizon scandal. The Foundation has misinformed policymakers and persuaded most of them not to talk to us. Journalists have said they’ve been intimidated. So we really appreciate the support from Baroness Hoey and Siân Berry and we look forward to the Foundation’s response to Ms Berry in the hope that it does not resort to the diversionary tactics employed when responding to Baroness Hoey. At the same time, we’re disappointed to see Susanne Given stating that our MP, Florence Eshalomi, has been taking briefings from the Foundation while declining to review with us the extensive evidence of the Foundation’s misdemeanours that we have compiled. It’s Day 29 since we called on Ms Eshalomi to publish details of her correspondence with the Foundation, so we could fact check what it has told her. We’re still waiting.”