The demolition of Elephant and Castle shopping centre

Who are the winners and losers when you lose a vital part of the community?

The Elephant and Castle shopping centre is over 60 years old and often referred to as the central ‘hub’ of the local community.

It is home to over 60 retail spaces, the majority of which are owned by independent traders and family-run businesses. It has undoubtedly seen better days, and plans to demolish it and redevelop the site were approved in December 2018 by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Elephant and Castle shopping centre was the first covered shopping centre to open in the UK, built on the site of housing bombed during World War Two. The original idea was to keep shoppers away from the busy roundabout and provide them with everything they needed under one roof.

The land has been purchased by property company Delancey, which is responsible for multiple major redevelopment projects across London and south east England. Plans for the site include a new home for London College of Communication, currently housed in 1960s buildings across the road from the shopping centre.

Delancey claims it wants to redevelop it into a new town centre that serves as “the hub and focal point of the local community.” As well as a new campus for LCC, the scheme will include apartments and a variety for retail and leisure outlets.

Numerous objections and protests about these plans have been aired since they were made public, with many local people uneasy about losing what is – despite its externally dilapidated condition – still an integral part of the Elephant and Castle community.

Student Sofia González said: “I’ve lived in the area for nearly three years, and it is such a shame to see such a vital part of the local community [on the verge of being] torn down.”

The run-down shopping centre is not much to look at, with the flaking paint, broken signs, missing letters and crumbling architecture. However, its bingo hall is still a popular venue for the area’s older residents, having been part of their life and routine for decades.

For many, it is likely to be the only regular social contact they have, especially for those who live alone, and it begs the question – should they be relocated, too?

On the other hand, some see the demolition of the shopping centre and its associated office block as the final piece of the puzzle in a much-needed rejuvenation of Elephant and Castle, which has already seen its infamous roundabout remodelled and a host of new apartment buildings springing up, sold in part on the strength of the area’s proximity to Central London.

The vocal protests and planning objections to the shopping centre’s demise have seemingly almost run their course, and it is now just a matter of time before its shops are vacated and the demolition teams move in to do their work.

Anybody with fond memories of centre should visit its eclectic mix of chain stores and independent traders soon – whilst it is still there. Its passing will mark the end of an era in this corner of south London.