Transforming Elephant and Castle

After the Blitz of 1940-41, Elephant and Castle was left in ruins. Its rubble-strewn streets became a playground for the children of the area for more than a decade, and it remained essentially unchanged until the 1960s.

Plans for its post-war redevelopment were first announced in 1956 by the London County Council, which stated: “The Council regards Elephant and Castle as one of its most important comprehensive reconstruction projects. A unique opportunity is presented for creating a new shopping, business and recreational centre for south London, for effecting major traffic improvement and for realising fine, civic design.”

The damage done during the the Blitz that was widespread across London, and created the opportunity to redevelop many of its poorest areas, with the aim of improving both housing and infrastructure. Many of London’s worst slums were cleared to make way for new social housing during the 1960s and 70s, including Elephant and Castle’s 1,200-home Heygate Estate

Over the subsequent years, an area once seen a beacon of modernism in the capital, known for the UK’s first-ever indoor shopping centre, become run down and blighted by crime and social problems.

One thing that remained was a strong sense of community spirit, and it still had plenty going for it, including two universities and cultural institutions including the Imperial War Museum. However, the maze of underpasses beneath its busy roads gained an unsavoury reputation, the shopping centre did not age gracefully, and the area as a whole felt down at heel.

Elephant and Castle’s second major redevelopment began in 2014, with the Heygate Estate earmarked for demolition and eventually replaced by Elephant Park, a mixture of green spaces and new housing. However, the transformation of the area has not been without controversy.

Whilst the aim of Southwark Council is to modernise, upgrade and generally bring wealth into Elephant & Castle, existing and long-standing residents have felt threatened by its plans.

A number of protests over ‘gentrification’ have delayed certain aspects of the redevelopment, including the replacement of the shopping centre and its associated tower block with a new campus for London College of Communication.

The council has claimed that “the central driving force behind the regeneration is London’s need for new housing, for people of all income groups. Housing is at the heart of almost every development being built in Elephant and Castle”.

‘Since the 1960’s the area has been defined and dominated by a road system that marginalised the local population and put their needs second to the movement of vehicles. This is now changing. The vision for elephant is to create a fantastic town centre that actually feels like its been planned for people: a place that’s enjoyable to walk around and spend time in, rather than simply a place to pass through on the way to somewhere else’  

This is in response to projections that by 2030 there will be 10 million people living in London. The key question, however, is how much of the new housing in areas such as Elephant and Castle is designated as ‘affordable’ – and even then, is it really within the reach of average wage earners?

Another vital aspect to the redevelopment plan is to make big changes to the current infrastructure of the area with regards to the transport links, roads and walkways.

The council said: “Plans during the post war development placed heavy importance on the motor vehicle, which has meant that pedestrians and walkways have been neglected.’ This has meant that the area is heavily pollution, with poor air quality, and the constant noise and flow of traffic.”

Breakdown of Statistics for the Redevelopment from elephantandcastle.org.uk

• £ 4 billion invested into the regeneration of Elephant & Castle 
• By 2025 more than 5,000 new and replacement homes will have been built in the neighbourhood of which at least 2,050 will be affordable homes. 
• Will be home to the largest new park created in central London in 70 years as well as three new public squares.
• Developer Lendlease has already delivered 235 homes and they’re set to deliver some 2,500 more across Elephant Park of which 25% will be affordable 
• The regeneration is expect to create over 10,000 new jobs 
• £3m has gone into training and apprenticeships 
• Education and culture in the area is being boosted by a £240m investment 
• Atleast £150m is being invested in transport, including roads, cycling, walking routes and the public areas around them 

While the statistics that the council have provided may seem promising for the area overall, what they fails to mention is the effects on local residents with the increase in living costs, and the expansion of unaffordable housing in the area.

Whilst it may bring affluence and modernity to Elephant and Castle, it may also put local merchants out of business, as rents rise and the area becomes more upmarket.

If this re-development is to continue as planned – what will this mean for Elephant and Castle’s history and its post-war legacy, and how much of the current culture and community spirit of the area will survive?