An ambitious ten year plan to recreate Vauxhall as a lively riverside town centre that puts people before traffic has been agreed by Lambeth Council.
Published on
September 26, 2012
An ambitious ten year plan to recreate Vauxhall as a lively riverside town centre that puts people before traffic has been agreed by Lambeth Council.
Local residents and businesses have been instrumental in developing the supplementary planning document (SPD) for the area, which will now be subject to a statutory consultation period. The plan was agreed at a meeting of the council’s cabinet (Wednesday 19th September).
Vauxhall is a major part of the Nine Elms on the South Bank regeneration area with excellent transport links and a riverside location. A new cluster of tall buildings is emerging here including the St George Tower which is already nearing completion.
Lambeth’s plans for Vauxhall support change and high quality development in the area whilst insisting that the scale of growth must improve the lives of local people.
Cllr Lib Peck, Cabinet Member for Regeneration on Lambeth Council, said:
“We want to breathe new life into the area by restoring a proper high street with thriving shops and businesses, dominated by people not traffic. We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform this often over-looked area of the city and to tackle long standing issues, such as unemployment, poverty and inequality.”
More than 200 people attended open days in March organised by the council to get input from the community about the future of Vauxhall. From those discussions, the following principles for the future of Vauxhall were agreed:
More jobs – In the next 10 years 3,500 homes are expected to be built in the Vauxhall area. Growth on this scale must benefit the local community and the council expects to see at least 8,000 jobs created.
Retail and start up for businesses – The council is committed to a new district centre in Vauxhall where people can shop, meet, work, live and spend time. This will not be an anonymous high street dominated by national retail brands, and shops units will be priced and sized to attract an eclectic mix of independent retailers. Affordable retail units will encourage start up businesses.
The gyratory – Instead of a congested gyratory system the council wants to see the creation of a high street lined with shops and an environment that puts people and cyclists before motor vehicles.
Green space – The council wants to improve existing green spaces and connect them through new planting and public realm improvements.
The consultation on the draft SPD is expected to run from 12 October to 26 November 2012. All information and full details of how you can have your say can be found at www.lambeth.gov.uk/vauxhallspd
See the cabinet report at http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=225&MId=8106
Lambeth Council is a member of the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership which was created in 2010 to coordinate and drive forward the transformation of this part of London. It also includes Wandsworth Council, the area’s main developers and landowners, the Mayor ofLondon, Transport forLondonand the Greater London Authority.