The ambitious £500 million plan for the construction of six new towers in the regeneration scheme of South London’s Elephant and Castle, known as ‘Toblerone Towers’ has been approved by planners.

The project is so called because of its triangular shape which bears a likeness to the famous chocolate bar, with the main blocks ranging from eight to 40 floors in height.

The buildings were designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and will provide 400 homes and 500,000 sq ft of office space.

However, first of all, the scheme’s developer London & Regional Properties must demolish the offices of the Department of Health which were constructed in 1993, along with the Keyworth Street Hostel for the homeless, London South Bank University’s Perry Library and Skipton House.

London & Regional Properties has also pledged to build affordable housing on various sites close to Toblerone towers with a value up to £16.8 million.

Norman Disney & Young will deliver the M&E design, while the primary structural and façade engineer will be Arup.

The London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, will have the final say on the construction of the towers due to the large scale of the proposed scheme.

London & Regional’s Head of Development, Geoffrey Springer, said that the developer is proposing a considerable investment in the Elephant and Castle regeneration scheme, which will celebrate the cultural heritage of the area.

Springer added: “This will be an iconic development, providing new cultural and community space and, most importantly, new jobs and homes.

“The development will also deliver new open space and a vastly improved public realm, strengthening the ongoing regeneration of Elephant and Castle.”

The new scheme is located across the road from the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, which is currently at the heart of a huge regeneration project in South London.

Other development in the area include the 486ft Strata tower and a 41ft skyscraper.