Elephant and Castle - The Future

Published in February 2004, the Elephant and Castle framework for development outlines a ten-year, £1.5bn, 170-acre redevelopment programme broadly consisting of:

5,300 new homes
75,000 metres of new shopping space
five new open spaces
a series of landmark buildings
a new civic square
more than 4,000 new jobs
improvements to transport links, including a new station, upgraded tube connections, new bus and cycle lanes and better facilities for pedestrians

It also describes six ‘character areas’, brand new spaces that will define Elephant and Castle in future years.

The six character areas:

Walworth Road

Currently cut off from the rest of Elephant and Castle by the railway viaduct and the shopping centre, Walworth Road will be extended as far as the present northern roundabout site, to form a continuous high street. A pedestrian zone north of Heygate Street will feature shops, cafes and hotels in a high rise, high density development reminiscent of Regent Street.

To the south of the railway, the road will be widened for public transport, with cars diverted at Heygate Street. The old Town Hall will be converted into a new science museum called the Southwark Discovery Centre.

Civic Square

On the site of the current northern roundabout, a new civic square will be built, creating a user-friendly transport hub that will make it easy to switch between train, bus, tube and tram. As well as providing Elephant and Castle with a new civic heart, it will also be a major new square for London, similar in size to Trafalgar Square – a focus for local and London-wide events. The existing subways will be removed and replaced with new overland crossings. Tube stations will be upgraded to provide easy access from the square, and the new Cross River Tram will provide fast links to the West End and north London.

Railway arches and Market Square

The Victorian railway arches will be opened up to create a new area for commercial activity, including workshops, offices and residential space. By demolishing the existing railway station, space for a new street level concourse will be made, with spectacular views across the river to St Paul’s Cathedral.

A new Market Square to the east of the railway arches will provide daytime market space, as well as room for cinemas, theatres, smaller shops, cafes and homes. Similar in feel to Covent Garden and Borough Market, the area will also provide a contrast with the main shopping areas along Walworth Road and Heygate Boulevard.

Town Park

In the heart of the new residential quarter and further east than the main civic, public space, the new Town Park will feature landscaped courtyards intersecting with residential developments. Cars will be kept to a minimum, with residents-only access plus limited basement and street parking for disabled drivers, commercial vehicles and car club members.

Heygate Boulevard

The existing Heygate Street will be transformed into a 40 metre wide, tree lined avenue, with a central zone reserved for buses, trams and cycles. On the street, there will be a mix of shops, cafes and residential space, as well as public amenities like doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries.

St Mary's Churchyard

Historically an important space, St Mary’s Churchyard will be both upgraded and preserved. The London Park Hotel will be demolished and rebuilt, and the park will be improved with new facilities and landscaping.

Improvements to existing spaces

As well as the six new character areas, the development framework sets out plans to upgrade existing open spaces and neighbourhoods, working with other local organisations and agencies. Some improvements have already been made, for example the multi-million pound refurbishment of the London College of Communications by award winning architects Allies and Morrison.