Former Nine Elms Royal Mail Depot Demolished As Builders Move In


Two buy-to-rent housing developers partner up to transform the space


The development will be on the edge of the Nine Elms Linear Park. Picture: Embassy Gardens

Developers London Square and Moda Living have teamed up to buy the last plot on the now defunct South London Mail Centre on Ponton Road. Planning has already been granted by Wandsworth Council for a mixed-use 23 storey residential and retail development which will sit on the edges of the new Linear Park in Nine Elms.

Moda Living is a UK-wide developer of buy-to-rent homes, while London Square has recently launched its own affordable housing provider, Square Roots. The deal will result in Moda’s first central London build-to-rent scheme, forming part of its new expansion partnership with private real estate investment outfit Apache Capital. It will also mark a first for London Square, who are currently pursuing a position in the buy-to-rent market.

The large warehouse building on the site – which was no longer being used by the postal service – was recently put to use as an exhibition venue. Now it’s in the process of being demolished. Royal Mail bought the sprawling site in 1973, but has gradually sold off chunks of its site to developers. Mail processing has been transferred to other Royal Mail sites throughout London.

While no images of the new building have been released yet, parts of the Linear Park are already being constructed, forming a new large public green space which, when completed, will snake its way through the high rises of Nine Elms through to Vauxhall.

The old Royal Mail site itself forms part of Nine Elms Parkside, a residential-led, mixed use selection of buildings which are currently being constructed in the space behind Waitrose and Embassy Gardens, stretching from Nine Elms Lane to Ponton Road.


The old Royal Mail depot just before it was recently demolished. Picture: Google Streetview

The Nine Elms Linear Park, which weaves through the new building as part of a joint regenerative initiative between TfL, the Greater London Authority and the boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth, has taken inspiration from New York City’s High Line, the public park built on the old elevated rail line running through the west of Manhattan.

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 

February 25, 2021