The £500m redevelopment of Elephant and Castle in south London has reached a major milestone with the opening of its first commercial tenant, Blank Street Coffee. But as shiny new shops, restaurants, and bars replace the old 1965 shopping mall, claims are emerging that promises made to displaced local businesses have been broken – fuelling fears of gentrification.
Diana Sach, who ran a popular Latin American restaurant and delicatessen employing over 30 people in the old shopping centre, is one of those feeling left behind. Her business was renowned for its Peruvian empanadas, and she came to the UK from Colombia three decades ago. Ms Sach expressed her disappointment: "I hoped to be part of it. But there has been delay after delay and now I can’t see how it will happen for me." She claims that developers, Get Living, and Southwark Council have failed to provide the promised new home for her restaurant.
The redevelopment includes around 40 shops, restaurants, and bars, an Everyman cinema, a gym, a new home for the London College of Communication, 55,000 sq ft of offices, and hundreds of flats. While residents are set to move into the new homes later this summer, concerns about the commercial impact on existing businesses remain.
Some 90 Latin American businesses contributed to the area's vibrant character before being displaced by construction. They were reportedly assured of temporary accommodation and then permanent, low-cost sites in the new development. However, many struggled to find viable locations during the pandemic, with some closing due to compounded difficulties. Now, it is understood that fewer than half of these small businesses are being offered new premises in the neighbourhood – and only five of the 40 commercial sites will be set aside for local businesses at affordable rents.
Oli Mould, a professor of social, cultural, and historical geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, describes Elephant and Castle as almost "‘patient zero’ of London’s gentrification." He suggests that this process often manifests fiercely and quickly in London before spreading across the country. Mould argues that the new development risks creating an "identikit homogeneous gentrified place," potentially destroying the very thing that makes a community thriving and beautiful.