‘Oasis in central London’ to be demolished in plans to build 11-floor Waterloo tower block

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Businesses have hit out at plans to build an 11-floor tower block in their ‘central London oasis’ – claiming the proposals will endanger the area’s community spirit.

Developers want to bulldoze the Old Paradise Yard workspace in Waterloo and nearby buildings as part of huge plans to turn the area into a science and medical technology hub. 

Plans submitted to Lambeth council would also see two blocks of flats and a city farm flattened to make way for the development. 

The project would create 10,000 jobs for the area and add £1.1bn to the economy, according to developer Stanhope and landowner Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation.

About 160,000sqms of office and lab space would be created – 9,000sqms of which would be affordable – more than currently provided at Old Paradise Yard. 

A total of 133 homes, 35 per cent affordable, would also be built.

But businesses whose offices are under threat by the proposals fear the development will kill the area’s character. The developer, Stanhope, declined to comment. 

Awa Jaram, from design studio GW+Co, whose 19th century offices would be destroyed to make way for the development, said she feared the neighbourhood would end up looking like the rest of London.

She said: “I think it would be a real loss to make this area look like the rest of London. It would be a real shame to lose Old Paradise Yard too. It’s an oasis in central London.

“We’ve got to know people over the years. People open their doors and sit out the back in summer. You will lose the sense of community.”

GW+Co moved into the building in 2014 when it was “derelict with concrete floors” according to Ms Jaram. The design studio spent months carrying out a complete refit of the building to turn it into the stylish offices it is today. 

Ms Jaram added: “We love being here. It’s great for us. We like the market nearby, being able to get food. It’s very well connected and we have staff coming in from outside of London and the area has great transport connections.”

Behind the design studio in Old Paradise Yard – a former Tibetan Buddhist Centre – architect Elin Keyser from architecture firm Outpost said she was concerned the development was too big. 

She said: “I think the scale of the development is far too big. I think it encroaches on Archbishop’s Park. They suggest that they will maintain the tree line but I’m not convinced that they would be able to do that with all the work they want to do.

“Also Old Paradise Yard creates quite a lot of affordable and flexible workspace and I don’t think that will be replaced in the new development. There’s a real community here and I don’t think they’ve considered it.” 

A Change.org petition against the plans has racked up 1,775 signatures in a month. 

A spokesperson for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation said: “While working on our plans to develop Royal Street we engaged extensively with local residents and businesses, while also making the land available for meanwhile uses to ensure that it was benefiting the community, rather than sitting empty.

“These meanwhile uses were always intended to be temporary and the site will be brought into more permanent use should our planning application be approved by Lambeth council later this year.

“Our proposals will bring a major Life Sciences centre to Lambeth, resulting in thousands of new jobs, as well as bringing much-needed affordable homes to this site for the first time, alongside more affordable workspaces, commercial uses and new public realm.”

Pictured top: Awa Jaram from GW+Co, right, with co-worker at Old Paradise Yard (Picture: Robert Firth)