A charity will celebrate its 10 year anniversary this week as it continues its fight to protect the Latin American community in Elephant and Castle.
Latin Elephant was founded in 2014 to improve coordination within ethnic minority groups in the face of proposed regeneration and development of the area.
Their anniversary will be marked this Saturday, 21 September, with a day of events and activities celebrating the diverse history of the community.
Co-Director Santiago Peluffo said: “It’s celebrating the many things that wouldn’t be in place if it wasn’t for Latin Elephant.
These include a walking tour, a pop-up market of South American and Ethiopian food and several documentary screenings, including ELEFAN, a short production exploring Latin American identity in the area.
The event will also mark the fourth anniversary of the demolition of the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre.
First built in 1965, the centre closed in September 2020 after the Mayor of London approved Southwark Council’s plans for a new “town centre” in the area.
Latin Elephant has spent much of the last decade fighting to ensure existing business owners would be protected under the proposals.
Peluffo described the fight as a ‘David v Goliath battle’ and hopes Saturday’s event will highlight the group’s campaign achievements.
He said: “There’s a lot of people who don’t know the behind the scenes, and how much effort we have put as an organisation.”
For Peluffo, these efforts have seen achievements such as guaranteeing more than a half-a-million pound relocation fund for displaced traders from developer Delancey.
The Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre Relocation Fund, totalling nearly £650,000, was made available from Southwark Council in February 2020 to those traders given notice of closure.
The group also takes pride in having helped get first refusal for displaced traders on units at the new Castle Square, and in the future replacement town centre.
However, Peluffo noted that despite some victories, the Latin community has suffered extensively from the closure.
He says that many small businesses have either left the area or closed permanently, and even those offered new premises have struggled with lower footfall and lack of support.
Peluffo’s colleague, Sarah Goldzweig, went further: “It’s been four years of ongoing struggle. We’ve lost some pretty substantial nightlife and community spaces.
She described the community engagement of developer Delancey as “tokenistic”, and highlights the loss of La Bodeguita, a cafe turned salsa club, as particularly devastating.
“It operated as a place where community networking happened,” she said.
“It was a place where people found rooms, found jobs, found people who could help them navigate British bureaucracy.
“There’s now no public indoor meeting space in the area that you don’t have to spend money to be in, and that’s been pretty substantial.
“There are people in the wider community who would spend their entire days at the shopping centre, maybe buy a meal, but that was where they interacted with people.”
For both, Saturday’s event will therefore also be a chance to reflect on what has been lost in the regeneration.
Peluffo said: “Even though traders are struggling, they still acknowledge the anniversary and would like to be a part, because it’s a bit of a family.
“I know it sounds like a cliche, but it is.”
Cllr John Batteson, Southwark Council cabinet member for climate emergency, jobs and business, said: “The community spirit in Elephant and Castle is one of the many reasons it’s such a great place to live, work and visit, thanks to the diverse groups and organisations working in the local area.
“It’s amazing to celebrate 10 years of Latin Elephant and their vital work on behalf the community.”
A spokesperson for the Elephant and Castle Town Centre said: “We are committed to ensuring the successful regeneration of Elephant and Castle for everyone.
“Castle Square was created to support local traders and has evolved into a vibrant community space.
“We remain dedicated to enhancing this experience through ongoing local events, including the recent Urban Elephant Festival, which drew thousands of visitors to the Square.”
Featured image credit: Latin Elephant
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