Dismantling of London tent village sparks fears over what happened to people who lived there

Back in December, Big Issue covered the long-standing homeless encampment at Adelphi Terrace in Westminster – now this photo from documentary photographer Marc Davenant (above) shows all that remains of it.

Davenant visited the tent village last November and took portraits of 11 people living there to hear their stories of why they ended up in the improvised community on the street.

He heard that 16 people were sheltering in 30 tents near the Grade-II listed Adelphi Theatre on the Strand after being kicked out of homes through no-fault evictions, being released from prison into homelessness or falling through the cracks in the care system.

Fearing for their safety, Davenant set up a meeting with Westminster City Council on 23 December to discuss plans for the site after hearing from residents they were expecting the encampment to be cleared on 1 January. 

But he was stunned to learn that it had already been cleared the previous week.

“I tried to track down people from the encampment and found some at The Connection and one sleeping rough on the Embankment,” said Davenant. “Two of the most vulnerable members were nowhere to be seen and appear to have fallen through the gaps.”

Westminster is England’s rough sleeping hotspot and the council told the Big Issue that they acted over safety fears.

A council spokesperson added that local authority outreach teams have worked with everyone living at the site and “encourage individuals who are still rough sleeping to take up the offer” of accommodation.

“The council obtained the necessary court order to clear the encampment at Adelphi Terrace, which is not a safe place to live and is disruptive to local people,” a council spokesperson said. 

“We will continue to offer people support they need whether this is with housing, addiction, mental health problems to help them move away from homelessness.”

Read more:

• Rough sleeping in London hits record high amid warnings of benefit cuts making things worse
• Sadiq Khan reveals new plan to end rough sleeping in London for good – with prevention at its heart
• Rough sleepers left ‘scared and disgusted’ after homeless tents destroyed near London hospital

The case highlights the difficulty of handling rising rough sleeping compassionately.

A record 13,231 people were seen sleeping rough in London in 2024-25, according to official Chain figures, while mayor of London Sadiq Khan has pledged to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2030.

Ultimately, no one is safe on the streets but how homeless people are brought indoors and supported is a tricky problem to solve as rough sleeping numbers grow.

Davenant said: “This is exactly what has been happening in San Francisco since Trump was elected and we are seeing a creeping ‘Americanisation’ of the treatment of homeless people in the UK recently with a move towards criminalisation which solves nothing.”

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