A major milestone in the £4 billion regeneration of Elephant and Castle has been announced by developers.
A key stage in the building of a new Tube station entrance has been completed – potentially paving the way for the long-awaited Bakerloo line extension.
The subterranean concrete “box” that will form the new link to the Northern line platforms is ready to be handed over to Transport for London.
TfL is now due to start tunnelling work in September to dig the 50m of tunnels that will connect the Northern line with the step-free exit, which sits in the heart of the redevelopment of the former Elephant and Castle shopping centre.
The hope is that the new Northern line access will open in “late 2029, early 2030” – and be followed about a decade later by the Bakerloo line extension from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham, and eventually on to Hayes.
At present, despite a campaign that appears to be slowly gathering momentum, the Bakerloo line extension remains unfunded.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves chose not to allocate cash to the TfL-backed scheme – which would need about half of its estimated £10 billion cost to come from the UK taxpayer – in her comprehensive spending review last week.
However, there are hopes that last week’s £2.2 billion four-ear settlement for TfL could pave the way to an order being placed for a new fleet of Bakerloo line trains.
The Tube station’s new Northern line access – located three floors under UAL’s (University of the Arts London) new building - will create an interchange between the London Underground and Thameslink services that call at the high-level Elephant and Castle train station.
The potential extension for the Bakerloo line lies five floors below ground.
Developers first applied to demolish and rebuild the shopping centre – now rebranded as The Elephant – in 2013.
Planning permission was secured in 2021 after a five-year battle, and construction has taken a similar amount of time.
The £1.5 billion development has been led by Get Living, a major operator of large rental neighbourhoods, in partnership with Delancey and Multiplex.
The target date is to open the new shopping centre in September 2026. UAL’s London College of Communication will open in 2027, with 5,500 students and staff.
The pedestrianised area, adjacent to the remodelled Elephant and Castle gyratory, will include an upmarket supermarket, cinema, 55 shops, restaurants and three tower blocks consisting only of flats to rent – of which 35 per cent (172 of 485 flats) will be “affordable”.
Richard Palmer, development director at Delancey, told The Standard that with a “fair wind” – and funding - the Bakerloo line extension could open by 2038.
Mr Palmer said: “The primary aim is to get the Northern line station open. Then this is designed to connect into the Bakerloo line extension once that comes through.
“With a fair wind, that would be 2038, but there is a lot to do before then. Obviously, we need to get funding, which is the point we are at now.
“A lot of the early design work has already been done, and the safeguarding of the route. Given all the benefits that it brings – the 107,000 homes, the 150,000 jobs – the economic case really is overwhelming.”
Kieron Williams, the Labour leader of Southwark council, said the redevelopment was transforming a key part of south London and strengthening the case for the Bakerloo line extension.
He said: “The station is going to be transformed. No longer those creaking old lifts but a dramatic entrance down to a ticket hall, ready for you to board Northern line trains as soon as the station opens and [eventually] the extended Bakerloo line as well.”
“This is a vital first step for the Bakerloo line [extension]. It’s the first ‘shovels in the ground’ that you can literally see.
“You can see the physical spaces where the escalators will take you in to a Bakerloo line platform to head out towards Lewisham and on towards Hayes.
“It’s a project that’s just got to happen for our city and the transport needs of Londoners.”
Alex Williams, TfL’s chief customer and strategy officer, said: “The proposed changes to Elephant and Castle Tube station will make the experience of those using the station significantly better.
“The new entrance will offer step-free access and increase capacity by over 30 per cent.
“The work will also safeguard the plans for the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham.”
The existing London College of Communication, on the opposite side of the Elephant gyratory, will be transformed to provide 507 new residential homes, a 452-bed student accommodation and a world-class cultural venue.
Rick de Blaby, chief executive at Get Living, said: “The renewed Tube station entrance will be a crucial part of delivering the fundamental infrastructure that this growing neighbourhood needs to continue thriving in the future, paving the way for the proposed Bakerloo line extension that would bring huge benefits to Elephant and Castle, London and beyond.”
The pink Elephant statue that once sat on top of the old shopping centre has been restored to its original red colour.
The proposed Bakerloo line extension would include two new stations at Burgess Park and Old Kent Road.
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