Southwark Council has unanimously approved plans for a 21-storey tower block on Abbey Street in Bermondsey, delivering 152 affordable homes exclusively for key workers. The development, proposed by Bouygues UK, will replace the former Beormund Community Centre, which was demolished in 2024. All flats will be offered at Key Worker Living Rent levels, below average market rates in the area.
Eligible Professions and Rent Criteria
Homes will be allocated to teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, doctors, social workers, and occupational therapists specifically employed by Southwark Council. To qualify, applicants must not be existing homeowners, with a single household income cap of £75,000 per year, or a combined income of £100,000 for multiple sharers. The unit mix includes 19 studios, 19 one-bed wheelchair-accessible flats, 57 one-beds, and 57 'two-dios'—each with two private en-suite bedrooms and a shared living room and kitchen.
Community and Infrastructure Benefits
The development includes a new 279 sqm community centre on the ground and first floors, replacing the lost Beormund Centre. It also provides 712 sqm of publicly accessible open space, 202 cycle parking spaces, and three wheelchair car parking spaces. A planning officer noted the borough's difficulty retaining key workers, stating: "This scheme would go a long way to retaining some of these professions within the borough which in turn would have a positive impact on the residents of the borough by improving the supply of these professions." The project pilots the council's commitment to 500 affordable key worker homes.
Objections and Concerns Raised
Objectors raised concerns during the planning committee meeting on July 7. Millie Glennon, representing the Arnold Estate Tenants and Residents Association, requested priority access to the new community centre and an independent structural survey of nearby buildings due to cracks from previous demolition. She said: "This is a 21-storey tower being built immediately next to an occupied estate within 15 metres of a strategic sewer and above the Jubilee line, our residents need a baseline survey so that any damage can be identified and the developer held to account." Another objector from Lupin Point and Queens Court highlighted severe daylight impacts, with over 100 homes on the Arnold Estate, Lupin Point, and Neckinger Mills affected, and Loveland Court losing 100 per cent of daylight in winter. Councillors David Noakes and Sam Dalton welcomed key worker housing but noted the site is not designated for tall buildings in council policies. They requested conditions including developer-funded repairs, railings repainting, and antisocial behaviour measures. The committee incorporated community space demands into the Section 106 agreement and other requests into the estate improvement plan.
