Skyscrapers for food hall not a trade-off everyone is happy with

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A proposal to demolish a popular food hall and build almost 900 homes in skyscrapers have divided local residents and traders.

The Borough Triangle development in Elephant and Castle, which includes two giant 44-storey and 38-storey skyscrapers, will go before Southwark council’s planning committee tonight.

A slew of buildings across an area the size of one and a half football pitches will be bulldozed to make way for the tower blocks, including the 100 year-old locally listed Institute of Optometry and a former papermaking factory home to the Mercato Metropolitano food court for the last nine years.

Nina Wessel, who lives streets away from the planned development, said the buildings were too tall and would result in the destruction of the area’s only tourist attraction.

She said: “Our main concern is the shadowing: it’s the height of the buildings. It’s 44 and 38 floors. It’s really overpowering. You have tourists coming to the market [The Mercato Metropolitano]. It’s the only tourist attraction we have in Elephant and Castle. There’s nothing else.”

Developer Berkeley Homes has confirmed there will be the opportunity for 12 traders in the food court to relocate to a temporary nearby location when Mercato Metropolitano vacates the current premises in 2026.

According to Southwark council planning documents, Berkeley has committed to providing the remaining stall holders with a relocation package.

But Andy Ng, who runs Mauritian takeaway Mazavaroo Club in Mercarto Metropolitano with his wife Sophie, said to date he had received no information about how the 12 traders who could remain would be selected.

Despite this Mr Ng said he wasn’t opposed to Berkeley’s plans. He said: “I understand people are opposed to having a tall building, but this place is not historic. Normally I’m not pro kicking people out but nobody lives here.

“I’m fine with the development as long as it’s safe and there’s a courtyard and playground for me and my kid to play. There’s nothing around here where we can go and play.”

Mr Ng added that the current food hall wasn’t ideal, noting that the former paper mill became uncomfortably cold in winter and sometimes suffered power cuts during busy times like Saturday evenings.

Berkeley’s scheme includes a new community centre, which planning documents say the ‘Latin American cultural community’ will be given first dibs to operate.

The development would also create 1,780sq metres of public space across the site. Buildings that would escape the bulldozer include a locally listed former Baptist church at 82 Borough Road and the facade of next door 83 Borough Road.

Of the planned 892 flats, 230 will be affordable and 153 will be social rent. Southwark Liberal Democrats have noted that due to the area’s high house prices, the 230 ‘affordable’ properties are likely to cost around £527,000 – 16 times the average salary in the borough.

Victor Chamberlain, the area’s local councillor and leader of Southwark’s Liberal Democrat opposition, said: “Borough Triangle’s affordable housing provision is unacceptably low. When there are 2,853 families on the social housing waiting list in SE1 alone. To provide just 153 genuinely affordable homes is simply not good enough on such a big site.”

Others have raised concerns about the lack of larger homes in the proposed development. Just 13 per cent of the new flats will have three bedrooms or more despite the council’s own policy for the area requiring a minimum 20 per cent.

The Borough Triangle application has been recommended for approval by the council’s planning officials.

Berkeley Homes declined to comment.

Pictured top: The Mercato Metropolitano food hall in Elephant and Castle (Picture: LDRS/Robert Firth)