Arada London has submitted plans to the London Borough of Southwark for a mixed-use development comprising co-living, a hotel and workspace in Elephant & Castle.
Previously the headquarters for The Salvation Army UK & Ireland Territory, the development will be Arada’s first co-living development globally.
Designed by PLP Architecture, the scheme is set across two distinctive buildings that will deliver 720 new co-living homes, with shared amenities including dining, social and well-being spaces, alongside a 404-bed hotel.
Both buildings have been designed with a concrete facade that responds to the industrial character of Elephant & Castle, with the stepped profile in keeping with the area’s emerging skyline. At street level, the co-living building will feature a cafe and a co-working hub of over 9,000 sq ft for local start-ups and freelancers, while the hotel will feature a dynamic open-plan lobby and all-day dining.
The two buildings will be connected by gardens and landscaped spaces and create new pedestrian routes to the Elephant & Castle station and town centre.
The application has been submitted in collaboration with The Salvation Army, with Arada London acquiring the site in December 2025, subject to planning consent.
Steve Harrington, Planning Director of Arada London, said: “Our proposed plans for the site at 101 Newington Causeway will deliver high-quality homes, a hotel and range of workspaces, cafes and meeting places for residents, visitors and Elephant & Castle’s thriving community of start-ups and independent workers.”
“This will be Arada’s first co-living scheme globally as we continue to evolve how we deliver dynamic and connected neighbourhoods that respond to local need and modern lifestyles. London as a city has embraced new types of living and we look forward to working with local stakeholders, the community and our partners to bring this cutting-edge project forward.”
Andrei Martin, Partner at PLP Architecture, said: “101 Newington Causeway brings together a set of urban ingredients that are often kept separate – living, working, hospitality, landscape and public life – to create an ecosystem for contemporary city life. The ambition is for these different uses to overlap and reinforce one another, creating a place that feels active and connected throughout the day. At street level, we open the ground floor to create a generous green public realm, while above, the buildings are configured as a family of slender volumes, creating spaces for terraces and shared spaces and bringing life into the skyline. This will create a connected, varied and engaging way of living in the city.”
