The project to construct student accommodations atop Southwark Tube station has received approval once again following a procedural issue that necessitated its reassessment.
The planning committee of Southwark Council has greenlighted the construction on the Southwark Tube station after it recently achieved Grade II-listed designation.
Earlier this year, Southwark councillors initially sanctioned plans for a 15-story student tower situated above the Jubilee Line station, along with 44 council homes in an adjacent block.
According to reports during the meeting, the proposals were created with careful consideration of the station’s integrity, anticipating that it might obtain listing status.
Planning officials indicated in Tuesday’s meeting that the project would not adversely affect the setting or intrinsic significance of the newly designated Grade II listed station, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Opened in 1999 as part of the Jubilee line extension, the station has been lauded as an exemplary representation of late 20th Century architecture.
The proposed student residence, rising 15 stories above the station, will contain 429 en-suite student rooms.
Next to it, the nine-story council building will provide 44 residential units, comprising 15 one-bedroom flats, 13 two-bedroom flats, 15 three-bedroom flats, and one four-bedroom flat.
In conjunction with the project, over £15.6 million will be allocated for creating additional affordable housing in different areas of the borough and for establishing a new community hall at Styles House estate.
The development will also incorporate retail and café spaces on the ground floor of the student housing, along with a communal garden and a playground adjacent to the new council residences.
Moreover, the student housing will feature amenities such as a gym, an indoor event space, and a rooftop garden, among other shared facilities.
This initiative represents a collaborative effort between Transport for London’s property division, Places for London, and the developer, Helical.
The approved project has superseded TfL’s prior office development plan and the council’s earlier intention to build 25 new council homes near Styles House, which was put on hold in 2023 due to updates in fire safety regulations.
