Historically the area has been one of the poorest in London, and before the arrival of the Tate Modern and Millennium Bridge in 2000,
was seen to face away from the river. Cllr Nick Stanton discusses how a number of new large scale developments including the Shard of Glass, NEO Bankside, Thameslink, London Bridge Station and the Tate Modern extension are creating a new cultural quarter for central London and improving the quality of life for local people.