Plans to build the UK's second-tallest residential building in London have been approved after a close vote by councillors. The £2bn development at Vauxhall Square from Bmor, Cedarstone Capitial Partners and Cheyne Capital includes 25% affordable housing and student accommodation. Seven buildings will be constructed in total, ranging from two to 69 storeys.
The tallest will be 756ft (230.5m) tall. Canary Wharf's Landmark Pinnacle, which has a 784ft (239m) tower, is the tallest residential building in the UK. The development was approved by Lambeth Council with four in favour and three against.
Stockwell East councillor Kevin Brown told the committee that the towers would be visible from Stockwell and Brixton. Mike Kane, an architect and university lecturer specialising in carbon in construction, said the development was "the worst example of unremitting hostility to the planet" in terms of its carbon emissions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service . He said the site averaged almost double the Greater London Authority's benchmark target in the London Plan, and said it was "very poorly designed and will be expensive to heat and run over the 60-year lifetime".
During the consultation, the plans faced opposition from Historic England, Wandsworth Council and Westminster Council. Historic England said the development would cause "incremental harm" to the Westminster World Heritage Site, which is recognised by UNESCO and includes the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey. Jason Tracy, founder of Bmor, said the scheme would "complete the regeneration of this part of Vauxhall on an extraordinary scale".
The site will also include offices, a hotel, cinema, retail space, and community facilities. A publicly accessible gym and swimming pool within one of the buildings is also planned. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook , external , X , external and Instagram , external .
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Source: BBC