The Planning Committee (Major Applications) A was scheduled to meet on 14 October 2025, to discuss several planning and development matters. The agenda included approving minutes from a prior meeting, considering the release of funds for park improvements, and reviewing development management reports for two major applications concerning the Snowsfields Quarter and New City Court.

Guy Streets Park Funding

The committee was to consider a recommendation to release £742,188 from Section 106 agreements¹ to fund landscape improvements at Guy Streets Park. The report pack noted that the proposed Snowsfields Quarter development, application 25/AP/0772, was expected to increase the park's usage, necessitating financial mitigation. The report pack included an illustrative masterplan for park improvements prepared by Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST). The report pack stated that the applicant had committed £400,000 to improve Guy Street Park, working with Southwark Council and Bankside Open Spaces Trust. The report pack noted that the Southwark Open Space Strategy (2013) assessed the availability of open space throughout the borough, and highlighted the need for more open areas. The report pack also noted that the Southwark Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, North-West Southwark Multi-Ward profile 2023, highlighted that London Bridge and West Bermondsey ward had some of the highest crime rates in the borough. The report pack stated that improvements to Guy Street Park would contribute towards meeting several goals in the Southwark 2030 strategy, including goals relating to providing a good start to life, creating a safer Southwark, and creating a healthy environment.

Snowsfields Quarter Development

The committee was scheduled to consider planning application 25/AP/0772 for the Snowsfields Quarter, encompassing 92-95 Snowsfields, 96 Snowsfields (The Miller Pub), the NCP London Bridge Car Park, and 111 Snowsfields (the Former Margaret House), London, SE1 3SS.

The proposal included the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of three new buildings, to provide flexible commercial floorspace (Class E (g)), ground floor retail (Class E (a-b)), science on display (Class E(g)/F1), community performance floorspace (Class E/F1), and a public house (Sui Generis). The application also included associated landscaping, new public realm, highway improvements, and other related works.

The site is located within the London Bridge and West Bermondsey ward, and is subject to several policy designations, including Area Vision AV.11 London Bridge, Team London Bridge Business Improvement District, Neighbourhood Plan Area Old Bermondsey Village, and Site allocation NSP52 London Bridge Health Cluster.

The report pack stated that the development must provide health, research and education facilities or otherwise support the functioning of London Bridge Health Cluster, and improve pedestrian movement and permeability through the site.

The report pack noted that the development may provide for the needs of visitors, pedestrians and the surrounding workforce through the provision of ancillary uses, which would complement the health cluster, including town centre (Class E uses), residential institutions (such as care homes, hospitals, nursing homes, residential colleges and training centres (C2)), and student housing (sui generis) where this is directly linked to nominations from the hospital.

The report pack stated that the development could include taller buildings subject to consideration of impacts on existing character, heritage and townscape, and that the scale of any new buildings should step down towards the site boundaries.

The report pack stated that the development would result in a net increase of 32,909 sqm GIA of office and other employment spaces from the existing situation, and anet increase of 745 jobs on the site supporting the delivery of the employment target in the Southwark Plan.

The report pack noted that the development was required to deliver at least 10% of the proposed gross employment floorspace as affordable workspace on site at discount to market rents for a period of at least 30 years.

The report pack stated that the applicant had provided a business relocation strategy, and that the council's Local Employment Team considered the strategy acceptable.

The report pack stated that the site was located within the North Southwark and Roman Roads Archaeological Priority Area (APA1), which indicated high archaeological potential.

New City Court

The committee was also scheduled to consider planning application 24/AP/3803 and listed building consent 24/AP/3804 for New City Court, 4-26 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RS.

The proposal included the redevelopment of the site, including the redevelopment of the existing 1980s office building with partial demolition, the construction of side extensions and an upward extension to add 5 storeys and create a 10-storey office building plus plant, balconies and roof terraces, the redevelopment of Keats House (nos. 24-26 St Thomas Street) with retention of the historic frontage and construction of a roof extension to add one storey of office floorspace, the restoration and refurbishment of the listed Georgian terrace (nos. 4-16 St Thomas Street) to create level front entrances to the offices, internal alterations and a new glazed roof to the rear courtyard, and associated public realm and highway works to St Thomas Street and King's Head Yard, cycle parking and all ancillary works.

The listed building consent was for the restoration, rebuilding and refurbishment of the listed terraces for office use (nos. 4-16 St Thomas Street) including making good of atrium roof, entrance building and link building interface, internal alterations within the terrace to reinstate the plan form and reconfiguration of circulation space on each floor, and reinstatement of front doors along St Thomas Street.

The supplemental agenda included an addendum report, which stated that the applications had been deferred at the previous meeting to allow for further negotiations to address the heritage impacts of the proposal. The addendum report noted that since the previous meeting, the applicant had amended the design of the proposed scheme at the eastern end of the building, which reduced the massing visible from within Guy's Hospital and in one view along St Thomas Street, and had also improved one of the public benefits of the scheme by increasing the amount of affordable workspace to be provided in the Georgian terrace.

The addendum report noted that Historic England considered that the changes had been modest, and so the reduction in harm was minimal, and that the scheme would still fail to respond to the character and appearance of the Borough High Street Conservation Area through its overbearing scale, massing, and acontextual design.

The addendum report stated that the council's Conservation Area Advisory Group maintained its objection as the revisions were tokenistic and modest, and due to the significant heritage harm to the conservation area and Guy's Hospital, with no on balance benefit.

The addendum report noted that Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust commented on matters of detail and asked for conditions to protect the Hospital's privacy, amenity and operation, and that King's College London had written in support of the proposal, particularly the affordable workspace.

The addendum report stated that the