600 new homes will be built and 14 railway arches will be restored as part of a new development next to Tate Modern.
Work has just begun on constructing Bankside Yards, a £1billion development located between the art gallery and Blackfriars Bridge, on the south side of the Thames.
The development straddles the railway to the south of Blackfriars station, replacing Sampson House and Ludgate House to the east of Blackfriars Road, covering 5.5 acres, and encompassing homes, offices, restaurants and shops.
The development is split into two parts; Western Yards and Eastern Yards. Western Yards is the first phase to be built, and will provide 257 homes, across two residential buildings, one of which will be 40 storeys high — for context, the nearby One Blackfriars — AKA the Boomerang — is 52 storeys. The second apartment block will be a mere 13 storeys.
An abundance of office space across 18 floors of a building called Arbor, due to open in September 2021, is also part of the first phase. Restaurants, shops and other cultural venues will take over 14 railway arches, which will be restored as part of the project, and a sweeping staircase provides access to the riverside.
Little information has been released about the Eastern Yards phase of the development, but it should contain the rest of those 600 new homes, plus a hotel. Bankside Yards says it will make a financial contribution of at least £65 million to Southwark Council to deliver new affordable housing across the borough.
Find out more about Bankside Yards.
