From the 1790s, the "New Town" of Battersea started to emerge just west of Nine Elms, with the aim of developing an urban but middle-class district here, amidst the fields. But progress was fragmented due to the various landowners and builders. Working-class terraces gradually filled the gaps between industrial sites.

In the Victorian era, major railway stations and works were constructed in Nine Elms by companies like the London & Southampton Railway. This stimulated some residential expansion, but also led to increasing degradation of the environment and living conditions.