Build to rent developer Get Living has secured planning approval for the third and final phase of its £1.5bn Elephant and Castle overhaul.

This clears the way for another 959 homes and student rooms at the south London regeneration job.

Southwark council approved revised plans for the West Site, covering the existing London College of Communication plot once the university moves into its new home at The Elephant.

The consented scheme will deliver 507 build-to-rent homes, including 165 affordable and social rent units, alongside 452 student beds.

Plans also include a 20,000 sq ft cultural venue created from retained parts of the old college workshop building.

New venue and shops planned for a retained element of the old London College of Communication building

Construction is expected to start in 2028 once the London College of Communication relocates.

The final phase has been redesigned to reflect policy and regulatory changes, including a second staircase to meet post-Building Safety Act rules and an all-electric low-carbon energy system.

The West Site will sit alongside The Elephant, the second phase of the scheme, which is due to launch 485 rental homes this summer and bring more than 30 shops, restaurants and leisure units on stream later this year.

The wider project began with Elephant Central, which opened in 2017 with 374 rental homes, 278 student rooms and commercial space including a supermarket, gym and nursery. Get Living said that the phase is now more than 95% occupied.

Chief executive Rick de Blaby said the consent marked “the final piece of the jigsaw” for a regeneration project that would deliver homes, student accommodation and cultural space in an area facing a sharp drop in future housing completions.

Development timeline

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• 2017: Elephant Central launched
• Summer 2026: The Elephant homes are due to launch
• Late 2026: retail and leisure units due to open at The Elephant
• 23 March 2026: Southwark approves West Site final phase
• 2028: construction start targeted on West Site

How the completed £1.5bn regeneration scheme will look once finished