As London’s Elephant and Castle is in the midst of a regeneration project to create a new town centre, Retail Week finds out more about the plans set to transform the area.
South London’s retail scene has undergone a makeover in recent years. Southside shopping centre in Wandsworth has invested millions into the site, Croydon’s Whitgift and Centrale centre has improved its offer and is expecting further development, and the bustling Battersea Power Station has welcomed nearly 30 million visitors since it opened in late 2022.
Next on the list is Elephant and Castle. Previously home to a shopping centre built on post-war rubble in 1965, it was able to stand for 55 years before closing in late 2020.
It was a decision that split Londoners as some found it run down, vacant and an eyesore, while others found it an essential community hub that served the multicultural, diverse and working class population.
The zone one destination will soon be home to a completely different site, as real estate company Get Living is pumping £500m into the redevelopment for 485 rental homes, offices and 135,000 sq ft of retail and leisure.
Retail Week speaks to Get Living to find out more about what the town centre will bring to South London.
Destination South London
Set to open in Spring 2026, the project marks the biggest new shopping centre development in London since Battersea, and likely one of the last for many years.
Get Living’s asset director Richard Allen explains that the public can soon expect over 50 shops, restaurants, bars and leisure space.
“The ground floor will be home to some retail units, predominantly best in high street retail, grab-and-go food, coffee shops and a section somewhere for fashion and beauty to elevate the offer a bit more.”
“There’ll also be a second floor cinema space and we’re talking to market leaders about that. There’s been a considerable amount of interest in this anchor.”
He keeps schtum on any potential occupiers that are in the running to enter the mixed-use centre, but does discuss a bit more about what it is doing to keep the local community satisfied.
“In agreement with planners, we have to bring in 10% of affordable retail and the plan is to bring in interesting, authentic, local brands,” he says.
“There’s a fantastic Latin American community here, so we want to bring in brands and food from these locals.”
“We have to carefully curate and balance the needs of the local community in terms of bringing back some of that convenience they lost from the old shopping centre, so we have to bring some of that food and convenience.”
He adds that in trying to keep the residents of Elephant and Castle happy while attracting visitors from beyond the postcode, he wishes they had more floor space to play with.
The new centre will have 135,000 sq ft of retail and leisure which mirrors the space from the former shopping centre, but Allen says research recently showed the area could have taken around 500,000 sq ft of floor space.
“We would have loved more to play with and it would have been easier to balance the needs of everyone.”
An elevated offer
Part of appealing to the masses means creating a destination that offers pretty much everything.
Alongside the offer of local brands, food, retail, a rooftop bar and a cinema, a new campus building is being constructed for 5,500 students and staff of UAL.
There will be over 55,000 sq ft of workspace too, as well as 485 rented homes with 172 being affordable, and a new tube station with an integrated ticket hall to support the proposed Bakerloo line extension.
Allen says the new station is a “complete game changer in terms of how people arrive in the future” and that the four buildings containing the mixed-use development have been connected by pedestrianised streets to move around easily.
A central court will be open to the public, which Allen likens to a new town square to become “the heart of Elephant and Castle in the future”.
“We have created streets, access areas and the route through the arches connects the town centre with the tube station, with the back of the rail station and into Elephant Park which is the softer, greener side.
With the university, nightclubs Ministry of Sound and Corsica Studios, the Imperial War Museum and Southwark Playhouse encompassing the new development, Allen says its “important to find a jumping-off point for people to explore the area”.
“We have to make Elephant and Castle a destination,” he says.
“We can bring something very special and unique that people will want to travel to experience.”
As the scheme aims to provide convenience for everyday shoppers and repeat visits while elevating the area and bringing a more “aspirational mix”, it will be intriguing to see if the new shopping centre will be as successful as it looks to be.
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