Green light for 14-storey student block off Newington Causeway
Plans for a 14-storey block of student accommodation with 219 bedrooms next to the Inner London Crown Court on Newington Causeway have been approved by Southwark Council's planning committee.
Tribe Student Housing says it will start work next year on the redevelopment of the former Avonmouth House conference centre in Avonmouth Street.
Presenting the application to councillors at Tuesday night's planning committee meeting, planning officer Dipesh Patel said: "We feel that the height is appropriate for this location, and the site allocation [in the Southwark Plan] does anticipate taller buildings on this site."
Mr Patel said the scheme offered "a real enhancement to the public realm on Avonmouth Street and Tiverton Street" although he did acknowledge that the development would affect daylight and sunlight to two blocks on the Rockingham Estate: Telford House and Stephenson House.
Nick Lawrence of Tribe Student Housing told councillors that the firm expected to sign a nomination agreement for the accommodation with either London South Bank University or the University of London.
He also said that LSBU was interested in occupying the proposed educational / office space on the lower floors of the proposed development.
The council received a last-minute objection to the scheme from the owners of Coburg House, the building that houses the London Bridge Jobcentre on Newington Causeway.
Coburg House's owners are concerned that the Tribe scheme will fetter their ability to develop their own adjacent site.
The site lies on the course of a Roman road (Stane Street) and the committee was advised in the officers' report that "there is the potential of significant remains" to be found during archaeological works prior to construction of the new block.
The committee unanimously endorsed the planning officers' recommendation that permission for the 14-storey scheme be granted.
An earlier 16-storey version of the same development is currently the subject of an appeal against Southwark Council's failure to determine the planning application within the allocated timescale.
Earlier this month Southwark's planning committee agreed a set of reasons for refusing the 16-storey scheme to be used in the council's evidence at the inquiry.
It remains to be seen if Tribe will withdraw its appeal now it has secured a resolution to grant permission for the smaller scheme.
