The Planning Committee (Major Applications) B of Southwark Council met on 9 December 2025, to consider planning applications for the Former Blackfriars Crown Court and Southwark Underground Station. The committee was also scheduled to approve the minutes from their previous meeting.

Development Management

The committee was scheduled to consider reports relating to the determination of planning applications, formal observations and comments, and the instigation of enforcement action.

Former Blackfriars Crown Court, 1 Pocock Street

The committee was scheduled to review an application for the redevelopment of the Former Blackfriars Crown Court, located at 1 Pocock Street, London, SE1 0BT. The proposed development included demolishing the existing building and constructing two new buildings. One building was planned as purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), and the other as residential (Class C3¹), with flexible commercial space (Class E) and a café (Class E(a)) on the ground floor. The plans also incorporated associated public realm and landscaping, including a new pedestrian route.

Key details of the proposal:

• PBSA building: part 6 and part 9 storeys, plus basement
• Residential building: part 4, part 5, and part 6 storeys, plus basement
• 347 sqm GEA/310sqm GIA of flexible commercial space (Use Class E)
• 200 sqm GEA/ 176 sqm GIA publicly accessible café (Use Class E(a))
• 71 social rent residential units
• 600 student bedrooms

The report pack noted that the site is within the Bankside, Borough and London Bridge Opportunity Area.

Key issues for consideration included:

• Land use
• Affordable workspace
• Environmental impact
• Housing mix, density and residential quality
• Affordable housing and development viability
• Amenity and play space
• Design
• Heritage
• Archaeology
• Impact on neighbouring amenity
• Transport
• Environmental matters
• Energy and sustainability
• Ecology and biodiversity
• Planning obligations
• Community infrastructure levy
• Consultation responses
• Community impact, equalities assessment and human rights

Southwark Underground Station, The Cut, London Southwark SE1 8JZ

The committee was scheduled to consider an application for the demolition and redevelopment of the site at Southwark Underground Station, The Cut, London Southwark SE1 8JZ. The proposal was for a 15-storey purpose-built student accommodation building (plus basement and rooftop plant) with retail and/or café uses (Use Class E) on the ground floor, and a 9-storey residential building (plus rooftop plant) with 44 affordable residential homes (Use Class C3) and community uses (Use Class F1) on the ground floor. The application also included cycle parking, refuse/recycling storage, servicing, improvements to Joan Street, landscaping and other works.

The report pack included a supplementary report noting that Historic England were assessing Southwark Underground Station for listing².

Key issues for consideration included:

• Land use
• Affordable workspace
• Environmental impact assessment
• Quality of office accommodation
• Design, including layout, building heights, designing out crime and fire safety
• Heritage considerations
• Public realm, landscaping and trees
• Green infrastructure, ecology and biodiversity
• Archaeology
• Impact on neighbouring amenity
• Transport
• Environmental matters
• Energy and sustainability
• TV, radio and telecoms networks
• Digital connectivity infrastructure
• Aviation
• Planning obligations
• Mayoral and borough community infrastructure levy
• Other matters
• Planning balance
• Consultation responses
• Community impact, equalities assessment and human rights

Minutes

The committee was scheduled to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2025. At that meeting, the committee discussed the release of £250,000 from Section 106 agreements³ for the delivery of cycle infrastructure on Mandela Way, and an application for the demolition of the existing building and erection of a new building at Coburg House, 63-67 Newington Causeway.