Get Living’s £500m Elephant and Castle town centre opens
The Elephant, a £500m town centre development from Get Living in London’s Elephant and Castle, has opened to the public.
The development is one of the last of its kind to be delivered this decade, and brings 135,000 sq ft of new shops, dining, and leisure space to the area.
Of the 116,459 sq ft of commercial space available at launch, 93% is already let or currently under offer.
The destination is also home to Elephant Quarter, a residential development of 485 homes, ranging from studios to three bedroom apartments. Residents will benefit from a range of amenities, including rooftop terraces, dedicated fitness facilities, and social spaces.
Alongside the new homes and commercial space, The Elephant also delivers enhanced public spaces, including a new town square and an additional 50,000 sq ft of workspace. A new campus for UAL’s London College of Communication and an improved Northern Line ticket hall entrance are also set to open in 2027 and 2030, respectively.
Tenants at The Elephant that have already opened their doors include M&S Food, Mango, Oliver Bonas, Søstrene Grene, Superdrug, Blank Street, Starbucks, and Pret A Manger.
The Elephant Kitchen, a food hall comprising 14 independent kitchens, will open at the destination later this year, along with aesthetics clinic Injectual and nail and brow bar Rawr.
Stores and leisure venues set to open in 2027 at The Elephant include Everyman Cinema, Office, DistriAndina, Heytea, Bird & Blens, Jungle Berry, and Hi Bowl.
Kate Freer, CEO of Get Living, said: “Today’s opening is the culmination of 10 years of planning, refining and building, and it is a moment we are immensely proud of. Very few companies get the chance to deliver a major new town centre, and we are delighted to see The Elephant welcome its first visitors.
“Elephant and Castle’s rich and diverse community has always been a place where worlds meet. Now it has a new town centre that reflects that, built for the people who live, work, study and visit here. With the foundations for the Bakerloo line extension already in place, it is also a town centre built for the future.”
Councillor Victor Chamberlain, executive member for neighbourhoods, strategic planning and wellbeing at Southwark Council, added: “The re-development at Elephant and Castle has been a long process, but now the opening of the town centre marks an exciting new chapter for the area, creating more opportunities for residents to socialise and enjoy everything this historic part of Southwark has to offer.
“It will also bring new people to Elephant and Castle, boosting the local economy, presenting new job and training opportunities, helping make our borough more affordable, safe and green.
“Alongside the promising direction the Bakerloo Line extension is traveling in following the government’s budget announcement last week, it’s a really exciting time for Elephant and Castle.”
P-Three and Time Retail Partners advised Get Living on retail leasing for The Elephant.