38-storey skyscraper planned for Old Kent Road as part of new development

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A run down London road will get a huge 38-storey skyscraper under plans to revamp the area.

Hundreds of new homes will be created across three giant tower blocks as part of plans to transform the Old Kent Road in Southwark.

A former civic centre decorated with a Grade-II listed mural will be demolished to make way for the new development.

But the 1965 artwork – which tells the history of the Old Kent Road from the medieval times to the swinging 60s – will be cut down before the building goes under the wrecking ball.

The mural by Adam Kossowski will be stored away while the development is built, before being put on display by the road again after the tower blocks are complete.

A Topp Tiles store will also be demolished to make space for 372 homes planned for the site.

The civic centre is currently home to pentacostal church, The Everlasting Arms Ministries.

It will get a new place of worship as part of the revamp of the site. New offices and shops are also planned.

A total of 108 of the 372 homes proposed will be affordable – with 78 of them available at council rents. Planning permission for the development was granted on February 17.

Planning documents read: “The proposed development seeks to demolish all the existing buildings and structures on site to enable the delivery of a mixed-use development comprising of 372 new homes, including affordable housing, an uplift in employment space to create jobs, retail provision to serve the local catchment, and a new church facility designed to meet the needs of The Everlasting Arms Ministries.

“The proposed development will facilitate improvements to the public realm and overall environmental quality of the area, making a significant contribution towards meeting the aims and aspirations of the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area.”

The development is one of several huge tower block projects given the greenlight in the Old Kent Road area recently.

A giant 48 floor skyscraper will be built on the Southernwood Retail Park as part of a 541 home project.

Earlier in February, Southwark council approved plans for over 100 homes in a tower block on a street off the Old Kent Road.

Southwark council plans to more than double the number of homes around the Old Kent Road as part of its Old Kent Road Area Action Plan. There are currently 35,000 people living in 14,500 homes in the area.

Southwark believes the Old Kent Road can accommodate 20,000 new homes. The local authority has ambitions to create 10,000 extra jobs in the area and make the Old Kent Road home to a university.