Bright future for Old Kent Road with new bridge mural

A vibrant new mural has adorned Old Kent Road bridge as major plans for the area’s growth move ahead.

The artwork features places of worship, restaurants and community halls in Old Kent Road to offer a sense of ‘a home from home’, as part of Southwark councils race equality programme Southwark Stands Together.

The statement work was developed with residents, businesses and the Southwark Young Advisors. 

The team also worked with children from Kender primary school in Kender Street, Peckham, on the designs, with the school’s art specialist Nicola McCaffrey playing a key role in the process.

Ms McCaffrey said: “The project offered our Year 6 children the opportunity to experience first-hand the process of taking an initial design brief through to completion and seeing their designs interpreted on the bridge. 

“This real-life experience gave the children confidence and I am sure will have a lasting impact as they move on to secondary school”.

The mural is one part of the wider transformation of Old Kent Road. The plans marked a major development at full Council Assembly yesterday where it was agreed that the proposed Old Kent Road Area Action Plan was ready to go to final statutory consultation before being submitted to the Planning Inspector.

Cllr Helen Dennis, cabinet member for new homes and sustainable development, said: “It is so fitting that Old Kent Road’s beautiful new mural centres on the theme of ‘home’. It’s part of our renewal of the area which is bringing thousands of much-needed new homes to Old Kent Road.”

Since the council began consultations in 2016, thousands of residents and businesses have offered feedback on different versions of the plan, helping inform the final submission version. 

The proposals include the delivery of the Bakerloo line extension, 20,000 homes, of which at least 7,000 would be ‘affordable’, 10,000 new jobs and a network of youth facilities at locations including 231 Old Kent Road, Leyton Square, Frensham Street Park and the Tustin estate.

Old Kent Road is the busiest Opportunity Area in London in respect of new housing. 

Since 2018, Southwark council has approved 9,500 homes – an average of 1,500 approvals per year. More than 3,000 homes have either been built, are under construction or are about to start on site, of which 51 per cent are affordable and 30 per cent are set at social rent.

Cllr Dennis said: “We are greenlighting more new home planning consents in Old Kent Road than any other opportunity area in London, strengthening the case for funding of the Bakerloo line extension.

“The adoption of the plan will be a huge step towards realising our ambition to make the Old Kent Road area a truly sustainable and family-friendly community, while delivering on all six Southwark 2030 goals.”

Now approved, the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan will undergo a further six-week period of consultation. 

Subject to there being no further significant changes, this will be the version that undergoes an Examination in Public (EiP) by the Secretary of State’s Planning Inspectors in the summer of 2025.

Pictured top: A Home from Home mural on Old Kent Road Bridge (Picture: Lawless Studio)