England round-up: Elephant and Castle, pub protection, Ebsfleet development

Elephant & Castle roundabout set for revamp

Construction of a new roundabout design in Elephant & Castle in South London will start next year after backing from consultation respondents. Southwark Council said that more than 80 per cent of residents, businesses and other local stakeholders that were consulted backed the plans for the northern roundabout area.

The Planner

MP calls for pub protection

More needs to be done to protect office buildings, pubs and entertainment venues from being turned into housing, Cheltenham’s MP has suggested. Writing in his Echo column, Martin Horwood has called for a “rethink” of the country’s planning system.

Gloucestershire Echo

Bolton community centre shortlisted for English Hertiage award

A £4.8m project to turn a neglected church into a community centre has been shortlisted for an English Heritage award. All Souls Church in Bolton has been transformed by a team led by local resident Inayat Omarji.

BBC News

Ebbsfleet must demonstrate garden city principles, TCPA says 

The TCPA says that the government must demonstrate how the garden city principles will be upheld as the project is delivered. Chief executive Kate Henderson said that unlike the government’s recently published Locally Led Garden Cities prospectus, the consultation on a proposed Urban Development Corporation at Ebbsfleet does not set out the garden city principles. “Without including these principles the government risks failing to build a much needed consensus for high quality growth,” she said.

TCPA