British Land’s plans to redevelop the Printworks building in its £3.5bn Canada Water scheme have been recommended for approval by Southwark Council’s planning committee.
The reserved matters application for the building – a former printworks that has operated as a nightclub and events venue for some six years – is the sole item on the agenda at next week’s committee meeting.
British Land plans some 490,000 sq ft of commercial space at the scheme, including office, flexible workspace and retail. The development would span two buildings linked with an internal bridge on the first floors.
The council planning officer’s report on the scheme noted “a significant number of objections” over the fact the site will no longer be used as a music venue, but added: “The events use was initiated as a short-term interim/meanwhile use in 2016 pending development of the building within the masterplan. It was never intended to be a permanent use of the site.”
Of 687 public comments on the development, 678 were objections, many to the choice of replacing a cultural venue with offices.
“If this trend continues there won’t be much left of the live electronic music scene for which London is renowned,” said one objector. “I applaud the masterplan as a whole, as it improves the public realm and breathes life into a derelict part of London, but surely there is a way to achieve this without losing arguably one of the best new live music venues in the UK.”
The 53-acre Canada Water site is being brought forward by British Land and, since earlier this year, Australian pension fund AustralianSuper. Outline planning consent for the broader scheme was given in May 2020. Work on phase 1 is underway on site and expected to complete in the third quarter of 2024.
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