This is the heart of my community, The Elephant and Castle shopping centre. It just so happens that it is seen as a blot on the landscape, and is due for demolition, assuming that enough money is left over from building the Olympic centre, then the redevelopment of the E&C is due to go ahead. Contractors are nominated in December 05, so some more news soon! The red building is the shopping centre, with a civil service office block above it, behind these buildings is the railway tracks, and just beyond that are three nine storey residential blocks, known as the Haygate, it is the demolition of these residential blocks that will create the most change. Currently grey concrete monstrosities, with concrete pedestrian walkways and subways, and a high level of crime, only matched by the low level of investment over the years, many of the residents have already been re-housed, some outside of the area altogether, and a large portion of what was once social housing will be laid aside for private development. As a confirmed socialist I find this aspect of the redevelopment abhorrent. When we take large strides into the future, it doesn't seem to matter who we step on.
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