Southwark

This is Planning       

Southwark has the developments that are redefining the London skyline. Investors are pouring into Southwark, the borough at the heart of the capital, transforming it into a vibrant and exciting place, where more people want to live, work and play.

The renaissance of Southwark as London's new south central quarter is continuing to gather momentum, as a comprehensive programme of regeneration rolls south from the successful projects already witnessed on the Thames's southern bank, including Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe and the Millennium Bridge.

London's tallest building, the Shard, will be an iconic world landmark. It is just one of the many innovative and hugely significant projects planned as part of Southwark's ambitious regeneration agenda. The Tate Modern extension, Bankside 4, Beetham Tower and the inspired regeneration of the Elephant and Castle are all examples of the kind of groundbreaking work Southwark Council actively encourages.

Businesses large and small are keen to capitalise on the central location and diverse environment found in Southwark; and it is now recognised as a creative hotspot with the ambition (and plans) to match.

London's most exciting and dynamic borough      

Developments large and small are transforming the area and improving Southwark's economy and the aspirations of local people. Planning is a corporate priority and we are driving forward some of the capital's largest regeneration projects including

• Canada Water
• Peckham area action plan
• Aylesbury estate regeneration
• Bermondsey Spa.

Southwark's planners forward thinking approach ensures we continue to focus on place-making; delivering high profile, innovative developments. One of our most stringent planning criteria is innovative high quality design and recently approved schemes along the River Thames demonstrate this commitment to good design.

These new developments redefine the London skyline to the rest of the world and have been described by Southwark Council's leader, Cllr Nick Stanton, as "fantastic" (Renzo Piano's Shard of Glass), "funky and cool" (Herzog and de Meuron's Tate Modern extension) and "stunning" (Zaha Hadid's Architecture Foundation building).

Councillor Stanton comments "When London Bridge Tower (the Shard of Glass) got planning approval it was a local authority putting its hands up and nailing the lie that we are all NIMBYS who know nothing about architecture."

Over the next ten years Elephant and Castle will be completely redeveloped. The 1960's Heygate Estate and shopping centre will be demolished and replaced by a new town centre. This will create a new civic heart for Southwark with the £1.5 billion 170 acre development including 75,000m2 of retail space and 5,300 new and replacement homes. The results have been well received; the first scheme at Wansey Street was recently named Best Public Housing in the Building Design Architect of the Year 2006 awards.

Next to Elephant and Castle is the system built Aylesbury Estate, a huge and fairly featureless complex of grey concrete flats. This has been called many things: an eyesore, crime-ridden, iconic, depressing, unfixable and poorly designed to mention just a few. For its 7,500 residents, the Aylesbury is, however, simply home; and it's a home that will change for the better over coming years.

Paul Evans, director of regeneration and neighbourhoods, explains, "Late in 2005 Southwark Council's executive committee voted to demolish the estates 2,700 homes and create a new, mixed use mixed tenure community. Redevelopment on this scale (285,000sq metres), combined with rehousing thousands of residents, is a long and complicated process. To do this we are developing a team with the ability to work in an exciting and challenging environment."

Gary Rice, head of development control for Southwark Council, adds, "Stretching from the banks of the River Thames to leafy Dulwich, Southwark really is London's premier location. With 40% of the borough now undergoing regeneration and developments valued at around £4 billion, this is the place to be."

With the planning division move to purpose built offices adjacent to MORE London at London Bridge in 2009, providing excellent working conditions including

• Flexible working hours
• Family friendly policies
• Exceptional holiday entitlement and
• Continual professional development

The opportunities for ambitious planning and regeneration professionals are second to none.