[6] One resident complained about constant noise, crime and threats of violence as a result of the estate being used for temporary housing ahead of its redevelopment.

[13] In an approach later dubbed "magical voluntarism", Southwark Council hired life coaches and "spiritual ministers" to run workshops for the stressed residents about to be displaced, rather than finding real-world solutions for the problems that it had caused.

[15] A council blunder in February 2013 revealed that Southwark had sold the 9-hectare estate to developers Lendlease at a huge loss, for just £50m, having spent £44m emptying the site and £21.5m on planning its redevelopment.

[18] The residents were part of a local group named Better Elephant which proposed alternatives to demolition in its Neighbourhood Plan[19][20] and were supported by Catherine Croft from the Twentieth Century Society who confirmed that the estate could "easily be refurbished".

[21] The Compulsory Purchase Order was confirmed in July 2013 amid reports[22] that the remaining residents were being forced to relocate to the outskirts of London.

[24] Ian Steadman wrote in the New Statesman that "What has happened here is that Southwark Council has lost money on evicting the Heygate Estate for the benefit of Lendlease, with no prospect of getting anything in return for it.

The group of leaseholders said they intended to object to the Order on the grounds that the redevelopment plan proposes no affordable housing and does not have a provision for renewable energy.

[31] October 2012 – local MP Simon Hughes called for the first detailed Heygate planning application to be withdrawn because it proposed just eight social rented homes.

[24] July 2014 – the Council leader was criticised for having accepted gifts from developer Lend Lease; these included a trip to MIPIM, a real estate jamboree in Cannes, and two £1,600 tickets to the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Films and TV productions have included Attack the Block, Shank,[36] Harry Brown,[37] The Veteran,[38] World War Z,[39] Luther (series 1 ep.

[40] High-profile music videos, including "Hung Up" by Madonna and "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" by David Guetta vs The Egg, were also filmed on the estate.