London's Great Outdoors: Elephant and Castle, Southwark

Programme: TfL

A new town centre is being created at Elephant and Castle. There’ll be 5,000 new jobs, 4,000 new homes, a new shopping centre, a new Tube station and a new leisure centre. The interchange, and the public spaces that support it, must support the people who live there today and the people who’ll be moving in over the next decade.

The public space must balance the needs of many different groups of people, businesses and institutions. This project will improve the area for all, by making it more accessible and inviting, while retaining the unique character of the Elephant. The northern roundabout will be turned into Elephant Square. This will provide a safer environment for people travelling through, and create a large, flexible public space in one of London’s biggest regeneration areas. The changes will reduce the impact of traffic. It will make the area feel cleaner and greener, and create a fairer balance between the needs of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.