Consortium leader Mace appointed the practice last month in a bid to persuade residents of the benefits of the key brownfield scheme, which will see 2000 houses demolished on the 24 ha 1970s high-rise estate.
A similar scheme was rejected by tenants last September after a two-year consultation. The failure of Project Vauxhall, a £440m redevelopment of two estates in Lambeth, south London, was seen as throwing the future of housing regeneration into doubt.
Team members HTA Architects and urban design consultant EDAW stood down in January.
A source at joint client South London Family Housing Association said the involvement of HTA and EDAW could resume at a later date.
The source said: "The masterplanning and consultation process is phased. Different members of the consortium are dealing with different phases of the programme." A Mace source said Alsop's role would be to "illustrate and interpret" proposals for the scheme for residents. The source added: "Alsop Architects was employed to provide communication skills in terms of visualisation for the master programme." A Southwark council source said Alsop Architects had been appointed to allay scepticism from residents.
The source said: "Residents were disappointed that individuals they interviewed during the competition process had not worked on the project." The Mace-led consortium was selected last July by residents and representatives of Southwark council as master programmer for the 10-year redevelopment.
Under consortium proposals, 2000 homes will be demolished, 674 refurbished for rent, 1000 built for rent and 900 built for sale.
Architect Cartwright Pickard is designing a new school and Maccreanor Lavington is architect for the live–work element of the proposed scheme.
Residents will choose from a range of draft master programme options at the end of March. Mace will then work up a final master strategy for presentation to residents in September.
HTA and EDAW declined to comment, although sources pointed to lack of funds slowing the project.
Prime minister Tony Blair used a visit to the estate to launch his campaign against social exclusion in his second week in office.
