Elephant and Castle is one of the largest opportunity areas in Southwark. It’s been identified as offering the chance for up to 5,000 homes and as many as 10,000 jobs. Borough Triangle is the northern gateway to the area. It could see redevelopment to create housing, community amenities, commercial space, and more. However, the project is at risk of stalling. Let’s have a closer look, then you can speak to us if you want block management in Southwark, guaranteed rent, and more.

The site

Borough Triangle is a great redevelopment site because it doesn’t have any potential limitations such as conservation or townscape views. At the same time many of the buildings on the site are not fully optimised. While the Mercato Metropolitano is popular, it is only for meanwhile use. In addition, the site is very well-connected, ideal for new homes.

In the past there have been a number of proposals to redevelop the site. Peabody did a planning application in 2014, but chose to withdraw it two years later. Berkeley bought the site in 2020, spending the next few years drawing up plans, including engaging with local stakeholders. Interestingly, they narrowly got planning permission in 2025.

Revising the plans

It’s been tricky for projects in the last few years because there have been several changes in building regulations, particularly around fire safety. As a result, many developers have had no choice but to revise their designs. Berkeley has done just that for Borough Triangle, submitting an application to amend their plans. However, there has been a backlash to the amendments. Speak to us if you need help with block management in Southwark and more.

Berkeley’s original plan was to build four new tower blocks on Borough Triangle. The largest would be 44 storeys. Significantly, this would create 892 new homes as well as commercial space (including food and drink in a food hall to replace Mercato Metropolitano, a cinema, and a live performance venue), a public square, a community centre, and more.

While much of the initial plan remains, including the number of homes and additional spaces, the new plans massively reduce the amount of affordable homes. The plans that got approval would deliver 230 units (35%). However, the new version has just 60 (10%). Berkeley said they hope to increase this to 20% if they can secure funding.

There has been a lot of opposition to the changes. Critics are angered by the reduction in affordable housing and the lack of family size homes. In addition, there are concerns about the heights of the new blocks (just like during the original planning application). Southwark planning officers are actually recommending the council reject the new proposal.

Flexible block management in Southwark and more

It will be interesting to see what happens next with Borough Triangle. It’s always a good idea to look at big projects like this, especially if you’re an investor. It can help to gauge attitudes towards different types of plans. Plus, it can provide fantastic opportunities to buy new assets in great locations.

Finefair Ltd is a company you can rely on to help you with portfolios. We’re one of the best providers of guaranteed rent in London. On top of that, we can manage different assets effectively, including blocks and HMOs.

So, get in touch today if you need block management in Southwark or solutions in other parts of the city.