Elephant and Castle

In 2002 the Greater London Authority (GLA) began work on the first London Plan. This identified Elephant and Castle as an opportunity area for growth. 

In 2004 we prepared supplementary planning guidance (SPG) to guide the redevelopment. Central to this was the intention to: 

• restore much of the old street pattern which was lost when the Heygate estate was built
• create affordable homes across the whole area, not in another large housing estate

Our arrangement with the developers

In 2007, we selected Lendlease to redevelop the estate in a joint-venture arrangement. We remain the freeholder for the land. Lendlease hold a long lease on it to complete the regeneration.

The joint-venture deal included:

• a guarantee that 25% of the housing is affordable (negotiated up from 11%) 
• a payment to the council upfront
• an ‘overage’ arrangement, meaning we receive a share of any profit made from the scheme, over and above the original forecast