NEWS
Major regeneration of London’s South Bank announced
30-10-2012
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Global alternative investment manager The Carlyle Group, said that it will submitting a detailed planning application for the regeneration project to create a new urban town centre on the south of the River Thames between the South Bank and Bankside.
It said that the landmark development would mark a significant step forward in the ongoing renaissance of this part of Southwark by providing a destination neighbourhood with 492 new homes for those working in the area and the City.
It will also almost double the number of permanent jobs in the area to over 3,700 and deliver 35,000 square feet of new public open spaces, 25,000 square feet of retail and 18,500 square feet for cultural use. In addition, over 750 construction jobs will be created during the construction phase.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to truly regenerate and reinvigorate a large, important and extremely well located, but underutilised, site right on the River Thames. Our aim is to create a new and vibrant destination area through a phased, deliverable regeneration project that will deliver many new, and much needed, homes for London’s workforce, and bring thousands of jobs to the area,’ said Mark Harris, managing director at The Carlyle Group.
‘Carlyle is known internationally for its ability to deliver successful and high quality schemes, and is ideally placed to undertake the redevelopment in consultation with local stakeholders. We plan to replace the existing impermeable block structures with a new, highly accessible urban quarter complete with new residential, retail and office facilities, as well as cultural centres and large new public spaces right on the riverbank,’ he explained.
‘We are also very excited by the prospect of reopening east-west access by reinstating historic walkways, while at the same time helping to create a landmark physical gateway into Southwark,’ he added.
The site has been identified as an Opportunity Area in the Mayor of London’s London Plan and The Carlyle Group believes that, by developing both sites either side of the railway viaduct, its proposals provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to remove the highly impermeable and overbearing barrier created by the current structures and create a new, thriving and sustainable riverside quarter with much improved employment and retail facilities.
This new urban quarter, which has been designed by PLP Architecture, will comprise nine new buildings of between five and 48 storeys in height and open up the arches under the railway viaduct to create pedestrian access and additional cultural, retail and restaurant space to breathe new life into the street frontages, while retaining the character of historic streets such as Hopton Street.
This part of Central London lacks open areas, and the scheme proposes the creation of 35,000 square feet of new public space including a central square, new gardens and children’s areas, as well as the planting of over 60 trees. Furthermore, it connects with adjacent open areas and links the South Bank cultural facilities with the Tate Modern and Borough Market.
The development will comprise 1,400,000 square feet of total floor space, including 940,000 square feet of residential, 450,000 square feet of new offices, 25,000 square feet of retail and 18,500 square feet of cultural space, including a cultural pavilion on the river’s edge.
Three of the new buildings will be on the western side of the site, where the current Ludgate House office stands, with the remaining six constructed on the eastern location where the Sampson House block currently stands.
Residential buildings will be positioned towards the north end of the site to capitalise on the riverside location and spectacular views of London, whilst office buildings will be located on the southern edge. The offices will offer space arranged over flexible floor plates from 2,500 square feet to 13,500 square feet in size, to suit a wide range of business from multi-national organisations to local firms. All buildings will be built to the highest levels of sustainability and energy efficiency.
At 48 storeys the tallest tower will stand opposite the proposed One Blackfriars development to form a new physical ‘gateway’, on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge, connecting the City and Southwark. Furthermore, the project will dramatically improve the footpath along the River Thames and re-open parts of the Upper Ground thoroughfare for the first time in 150 years.
The design will help to create much stronger pedestrian links between Bankside and the Tate Modern and the rest of the South Bank’s Cultural Quarter, while achieving the key aim of establishing a porous urban layout based on accessibility and lines of sight.
The firm said that a further priority was to ensure that the overall master plan delivered large areas of new open space for residents and their families, as well visitors to this new South Bank destination. The most prominent of these will be a new 16,250 square foot square with new trees, water features, planting areas and public seating, all bordered by retail, leisure and cultural offerings in the lower floors of the new buildings.
The plans also include the creation of a 4,300 square foot Children’s Square, an extension to the current Rennie Garden, as well as a Residential Garden which includes a further play area for children. Once completed, all retail and leisure units will receive deliveries via underground access routes, minimising the impact on residents and further ensuring a high quality living environment.
The site is extremely well connected, being just a short walk across the river to the City, adjacent to the newly redeveloped Blackfriars station and in close proximity to Waterloo and Southwark Stations.
The application follows extensive liaison with the London Borough of Southwark’s planning officers, the GLA, local councillors and politicians, residents’ organisations, neighbouring boroughs and other interested bodies. Two public consultations took place, as well as an online consultation which, in aggregate showed that almost 90% of respondents welcome a redevelopment of the site.
The project will be delivered in multiple phases which are dictated by both existing lease structures and the desire to minimise the impact of the works on the local community. It is anticipated that works will completed between the middle of 2020 and early 2023.
