Southwark greenlights scheme to deliver 433 homes and £11.8 million towards workspace

Southwark Council’s planning committee unanimously approved plans to turn an empty site near Blackfriars Bridge into a £1 billion development with offices, residential blocks and a central plaza.

Three new towers will be built next to existing landmark, 1 Blackfriars: a 195m office block (reduced in height following consultation with Heritage England), and two residential blocks at 155m and 95m.

The scheme will deliver 433 new homes on site, of which 40.5 per cent are affordable (104 social rent and 56 intermediate homes). This is an increase on previous plans that had 26 per cent affordable homes on site. year, but less than one in 10 people survive. Defibrillators are key to improving this statistic.

The council secured £11.8 million towards affordable workspace which they will build and manage in the borough. They also raised £40 million on the scheme to be spent in the borough through what is known as the Community Infrastructure Levy.

“We have defibrillators in many of our schools, across our train stations, on our streets, and now in all 12 of our libraries. Seven of our library defibrillators are also available 24 hours a day.”

Councillor Evelyn Akoto, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Our defibrillators are designed to be used by anybody – with no need for training.

“The first thing to do if you believe somebody is suffering from a cardiac arrest is to dial 999, and the operator will help guide you. The quicker help is given, the greater the chance of survival.

“We are proud to have reached this milestone with our rollout to help improve the chances of survival from cardiac arrest across our borough.”

While the defibrillators installed do not require any training, the council is supporting frontline staff to access emergency first aid training through the British Heart Foundation. For more information on where to find your nearest device, visit www.defibfinder.uk

Nearby Christchurch Gardens will be relandscaped and at the bottom of the buildings, there will be shops, bars, restaurants, and performance space. These will be linked by three interconnected public spaces – the Rotunda, Hatters Yard and a children’s playground.

The scheme aims to minimise embodied carbon as much as possible, targeting a 20 per cent to 30 per cent improvement against the Greater London Authority benchmark.

Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development, said: “This is a huge win for our borough, both in terms of job creation and new homes where two in five will be affordable. I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to secure nearly £12 million towards our plans to build and manage affordable workspace across the borough, aimed at a range of businesses from different industries. It’s really exciting that so many benefits will come forward for residents, new and existing businesses, and the local economy thanks to what was agreed during the planning process.”