Thousands of local residents, the MP and Southwark council all agree that the scheme is not suitable for the area, which is one of the most ethnically and demographically diverse in the country. After Berkeley slashed the amount of affordable housing in the project from the 35% then required to just 12%, the council rejected the scheme. Undeterred, Berkeley bypassed the council and appealed directly to the government’s national planning inspectorate for a decision, circumventing the local decision-making process. A public inquiry run by the inspectorate ahead of its final decision, and which opens today (Tuesday), is seen by campaigners as a test case for the government’s ability to push forward with its planning reforms.