A mammoth £1bn scheme for three tower blocks near Blackfriars Bridge has been approved by a south London council.
The approved scheme for 18 Blackfriars Road means a 195m office block, alongside two residential towers at 155m and 95m high respectively, are set to join the London skyline.
The office tower would be even taller than distinctive nearby landmark, 1 Blackfriars.
The planning committee at Southwark Council unanimously greenlit the proposals on Monday night after hearing how they would create 433 new homes, of which 40.5 per cent are ‘affordable’, and generate £11m in social housing funding.
The approval comes despite formal objections from Westminster City Council that the new towers will “significantly” harm views from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and from St James’s Park.
Residents of Waterloo’s Roupell Street, known for its picturesque nineteenth century houses featured in episodes of popular TV shows such as Call the Midwife and Doctor Who, had also objected over the “unprecedented size of the proposed towers.”
However, councillors were told the scheme by developer Hines would accentuate the character of Roupell Street’s two-storey homes by highlighting the contrast between them and the modern skyscrapers.
The site currently consists of a cleared brownfield site, which used to house Sainsbury’s former headquarters, and two Grade II-listed buildings, the Mad Hatter Pub and No1 Stamford Street.
Both will be retained with alterations, but the pub will lose its status as a hotel.
Also included in the scheme are assembly rooms for use by the local community and children’s play areas.
Ross Blair, of developer Hines UK, said: “Our plans will transform an undeveloped piece of land, most of which has lain empty for over 20 years, into much needed new homes and first class, sustainable and tech-enabled offices, built around a central hub which we hope will become a brand new convening space for the local community.”
As is routine with large schemes, the plans will be referred to the Mayor of London to decide whether to intervene.
