{
  "id": 15872544,
  "title": "Blocking Lewisham Shopping Centre proves Zack Polanski’s Greens are the worst force in UK politics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/blocking-lewisham-shopping-centre-proves-zack-polanskis-greens-are",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-21T10:26:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/blocking-lewisham-shopping-centre-proves-zack-polanskis-greens-are-the-worst-force-in-uk-politics/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lewisham's Green council has compelled Landsec to withdraw from redevelopment plans for the shopping centre, claiming the project lacked sufficient social housing. Alys Denby asserts that this incident serves as a stark illustration of socialism's detrimental impact on economies. The Greens are portrayed as the most extreme force in British politics, not only due to their anti-Israel stance but also their commitment to policies like \"Zionism is racism\" and a single democratic state in historic Palestine. Ashok Kumar, a member of the party, argued that opponents of the motion were anti-Semitic for conflating Zionism with Judaism. Critics point out that despite fewer than one percent of Green Party members voting for this racist motion, the leadership did not even cast a vote on it. Zack Polanski, the council leader, expresses willingness to amend the policy but not reject it entirely, stating that \"it is for Israel and Palestine to decide.\" However, it is noted that even if the Greens attain power in a coalition government, their influence on the Middle East would be negligible. In Lewisham, Landsec has abandoned the £1.5bn redevelopment project due to the Green mayor's opposition, opting not to construct the 98 social homes originally planned. The original proposal included a music venue, 661 student rooms, 445 co-living spaces, new public spaces, and a rooftop meadow. With no social housing provision, developers like Berkeley Homes are reconsidering investments in new sites, following Southwark's Green and Liberal Democrat council's rejection of its Aylesham Centre plans. This development highlights the perilous consequences of socialism on economic growth, as the party's proposals have historically failed to deliver positive outcomes.",
  "summary": "Lewisham’s Green council has forced Landsec to pull out of shovel-ready plans to redevelop the shopping centre after objecting that it did not contain enough social homes. This is real-time evidence of the damage socialism does to an economy, says Alys Denby The Greens are the worst extremists in British politics. It’s not only their [...]",
  "key_points": [
    "Lewisham Green council forces Landsec to drop shopping centre redevelopment plans",
    "Party advocates anti-Israel policies including \"Zionism is racism\"",
    "Council leader Zack Polanski may amend policy but not reject it"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}