London

Built originally as part of a 1960s lifestyle vision, The Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre came with high hopes of beginning a trend that would revolutionise the British shopping experience.

By the early 1970s, those hopes had been dashed in various ways and the area, in many minds, became associated with multi-storey estate housing, crime and its busy central roundabout.

On the eve of the many years of regeneration planning being put into practice, this audio slideshow looks at the area's present day personality and its promise of development.

The trip is lead by the voice and views of shopping centre tenant Betty Adjaye, owner of Lonnie's Hair Salon.

Betty says life has changed a lot at the shopping centre over the years, with management changing hands a couple of times and, as a result, tenants' meetings are no longer held.

James Stockdale, development manager at St. Modwen, the current landlord, said:

"St. Modwen plays an active role in managing Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and helping it to thrive. We operate an open-door policy and all our tenants can contact our Centre Manager or the St. Modwen team at any time; we hold quarterly tenant meetings that are open to everyone and also provide regular written updates."

Audio slideshow created by Erdal Redjep