South London

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South London is the southern part of London, England.

Two criteria are used to determine whether a district is in South London: whether it is south of the River Thames and whether it falls within the South London postal code areas (SE or SW). Districts that satisfy both criteria are universally considered as 'South London'. Districts that satisfy only one criterion are judged on a case-by-case basis.

Boundary Commission definition

South London as defined by the Boundary Commission

The Boundary Commission for England defines South London as the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sutton and Wandsworth.^[1]

The Boundary Commission was established in 1986, for the purposes of determining the boundaries of constituencies for elections to the UK Parliament. The commission defined South London as consisting of every borough south of the River Thames.

The commission paired together boroughs with similar interests, which included Bexley with Greenwich, Lewisham with Bromley, Lambeth with Southwark, and Kingston with Richmond. It is for this reason that the Boundary Commission defines Richmond solely as a South London borough, even though it straddles both sides of the River Thames.

London Plan definition

South London as defined by the London Plan

The London Plan defines South East London as the boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Bromley and Southwark, and South West London as the boroughs of Croydon, Kingston, Lambeth, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth.^[2] The South East and South West London areas are contained entirely within the Boundary Commission's definition of South London.

The sub-regions were created to aid the growth and development of London, overseen by the Mayor of London. The plan describes sub-regions as a flexible concept, with the aim to develop the strategic policies in the London Plan and to provide the focus for implementation.^[3] The South London area was split into two sub-regions, the South East and the South West, each with its own Sub Regional Implementation Framework.

The South West has a population of 1.6 million. It provides 730,000 jobs, and is one of the wealthiest sub-regions in London. In contrast, the South East has a population of 1.3 million, the lowest of any sub-region. Additionally, the South East provides 500,000 jobs, which is also the lowest for any sub-region. It is for this reason that he London Plan singles out the South East region for including part of a national priority regeneration corridor, the Thames Gateway, as well as and part of the Central Activities Zone.^[4]

Colloquial use

Aside from the official definitions, South London refers to areas south of Central London and the River Thames. This area overlaps the informal Central, South East and South West London areas. Some of these districts are included in the South Eastern and South Western postcode areas. This area is included in all or part of the following boroughs, listed with postcode areas, direction from Charing Cross (the nominal centre of London), sub-region they are part of for planning purposes, and London Assembly constituencies:

London borough		Postcode areas	Charing Cross	Sub-region	London Assembly[5]
	Bexley	DA, SE	east south-east	South East	Bexley and Bromley
	Bromley	BR, SE	south east	South East	Bexley and Bromley
	Croydon	CR, SE, SW	south	South West	Croydon and Sutton
	Greenwich	SE, DA, BR	east south-east	South East	Greenwich and Lewisham
	Kingston	KT, SW	south west	South West	South West
	Lambeth	SE, SW	south	South West	Lambeth and Southwark
	Lewisham	SE, BR	south east	South East	Greenwich and Lewisham
	Merton	CR, KT, SM, SW	south west	South West	Merton and Wandsworth
	Richmond	SW, TW	south west	South West	South West
	Southwark	SE	south	South East	Lambeth and Southwark
	Sutton	SM	south west	South West	Croydon and Sutton
	Wandsworth	SW	south west	South West	Merton and Wandsworth

Gallery

The Globe Theatre, Southwark	Eel & Pie House, Peckham	Peckham Library	Crystal Palace transmitter, Sydenham Hill
Aylesbury Estate, Walworth	Southwark Cathedral	Brixton	Clapham Common tube
The Oval, Kennington	MI6 HQ, Vauxhall	Greenwich Naval College	Hampton Court Palace

Associated organisations

• South London Gallery
• South London Line
• South London Botanical Institute
• South London Press
• South London Radio
• South London Theatre

References

Coordinates: 51°26′N 0°5′W / 51.433°N 0.083°W / 51.433; -0.083

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