Key principles and considerations

As set out in the previous ‘An update on our design progress’ blog, our emerging design approach seeks to optimise the potential of the site through the delivery of new homes and attractive public open space, in line with the Council’s aspirations and the feedback we have received from the local community to date.

Our design approach has been informed by discussions with planning officers at Southwark Council and the GLA, as well as feedback received from the community. We have considered a number of factors, including:

• The site allocation under the Southwark Plan (NSP44 Newington Triangle), which designates the site as being suitable for tall buildings
• The context of existing and emerging developments nearby, including in the Elephant and Castle cluster
• The need to deliver as many high-quality new homes as possible – including affordable and family sized homes
• The need to include a significant amount of public open space, responding to the site allocation and community feedback to date
• Impacts on local views and on neighbouring residents and businesses

Our priority is to design a high-quality, sustainable development delivering exciting benefits for the community, while acknowledging the needs and priorities of our neighbours.

Aerial CGI view of the proposal looking south-west from Borough High Street – with nearby consented developments shown in blue

Approach to building heights

Our emerging proposals include four new buildings varying in height. The tallest of these (Block A and Block B, on the western side of the site, closer to the railway and Elephant & Castle) are proposed to be 46 and 42 storeys tall, respectively. These respond to the height of nearby tall buildings in the Elephant & Castle cluster.

Block D, on the corner of Borough Road and Newington Causeway, will be 18 storeys tall.. Block C, facing onto Newington Causeway, will respond to the height of nearby mid-rise buildings, with a ‘shoulder height’ of 10 storeys.

Plan showing location of proposed buildings

This approach allows us to deliver a significant number of new homes on the site, as well as substantial public open space – responding to the Council’s priorities as set out in the site allocation, as well as feedback we have received from the community.

We are conscious of the important issues around the impacts of tall buildings in the area and are continuing to engage with interested residents and stakeholders to discuss their concerns.

We are preparing detailed assessments of the impacts of our proposals in terms of daylight and sunlight; overlooking and overshadowing; wind; and sustainability. These will all be published as part of the documentation supporting the planning application we submit to the Council.

Share your views

We’re keen to hear your feedback on our developed proposals in terms of height and massing. Please complete the survey below and get in touch with us at contact@boroughtriangle.com if you have any questions or comments at this stage.