The Planning Committee (Major Applications) B met on 5 November 2025, and approved the release of £250,000 for cycling infrastructure improvements on Mandela Way, and approved the demolition of Coburg House and erection of a new building comprising commercial floorspace and purpose built student accommodation. Councillor Richard Livingstone, Chair of the Planning Committee (Major Applications) B, informed the meeting that an addendum report and members' pack had been circulated.

Mandela Way Cycle Infrastructure

The committee approved the release of £250,000 for the Mandela Way cycle infrastructure scheme. The funds, derived from a section 106 agreement dated 8 February 2024 related to planning application 23/AP/0950, will be used for the scheme.

The officer presenting the report was asked to:

• provide a briefing note explaining which funds will be used to pay for the public consultation on this scheme
• capture the baseline data regarding cycling in the area which will help with the consultation
• explore whether there are any safety implications for cyclists of having a bidirectional scheme and to mitigate these with signage, if required.

The Mandela Way scheme aims to improve road safety for cyclists, particularly at junctions with Pages Walk, Dunton Road and Rolls Road, and future-proof the area for increased cycling. The scheme aligns with Southwark's strategic objectives, as outlined in the Streets for People strategy, Cycling Plan, Southwark Council Delivery Plan, Southwark Plan 2022, and Climate Change Strategy. The scheme also aims to deliver Healthy Streets upgrades, including new planting and improved pavements, and will act as a key 'Town Centre Link', providing direct access to Old Kent Road.

The committee was told that because the scheme is still in the early stages of design, no public consultation has taken place yet, but that approval of funding will enable community engagement to help shape the design, and that once the design has been finalised, further statutory consultation will be undertaken by Highways.

Coburg House, 63-67 Newington Causeway

The committee approved planning application 24/AP/3621 for the demolition of the existing building at Coburg House, 63-67 Newington Causeway and the erection of a new building comprising commercial floorspace and purpose-built student accommodation.

The approval is subject to conditions, referral to the Mayor of London, and the applicant entering into a satisfactory legal agreement. The committee also noted the potential equalities impacts outlined in the report. If the requirements are not met by 30 April 2026, the Director of Planning and Growth is authorised to refuse planning permission.

The new building will include commercial floorspace, 243 purpose-built student accommodation bedrooms, amenity space, refuse and bike stores, internal and external plant, and external landscaping. The building will be 19 storeys (61.875m Above Ordnance Datum) facing Newington Causeway and 18 storeys (58.275m AOD) to the rear, with a 3-storey section to the rear where the main entrance to the PBSA is located on Avonmouth Street.

The committee heard objections to the proposal, including concerns about the height and massing of the building, overshadowing, loss of privacy, and the saturation of student accommodation in the area. The applicant's representatives addressed the committee and answered questions.

The committee agreed to a number of additional conditions:

• an amended condition 14 regarding hard and soft landscaping to include the removal of the outside seating near the entrance, revised boundary treatments, and the design of the third-floor terrace
• an additional condition requiring obscure glazing for windows facing the neighbouring properties in Avonmouth Street
• an additional condition requiring the adequate maintenance of the photovoltaic roof system
• an additional condition requiring single-gender floors to be included in the student management plan
• an additional condition requiring that the hours of operation of the third-floor terrace be restricted to 8am to 10pm with no amplified music allowed
• that there be further consultation with residents in Avonmouth Street on the above issues which is to be fed back to officers

The addendum report noted that a revised roof plan showing additional bio-solar roof on the lower top roof (which previously had nothing on there) has been submitted, improving the Urban Greening Factor¹ score to 0.42 from the 0.34 originally reported. This means that a financial contribution of £56,000 towards borough tree planting would not be required. The addendum report also noted that paragraph 112 of the main report should be amended to read: The PIL would be required to be paid 25% on implementation of the scheme, 50% on completion of the scheme and 25% 6 months post on or prior to first occupation of the scheme. and that condition No. 24 Cycle Parking shall include wording to ensure that all doors leading to the cycle parking stores are power-assisted, and that a condition should be added to require provision of e-scooter bays within the courtyard and 'No Parking' hatching, and to control the hours of the roof terrace.

The supplemental agenda no.1 also noted that since the preparation of the committee report, further comments have been received objecting to the proposal, including confusion over the determination date, overshadowing, and errors in the cumulative daylight and sunlight analysis report. Officers responded that the impacts on daylight and sunlight are discussed within the main report, that the additional data that has been submitted are further clarifications on the cumulative scenario requested by the Officer, that the scheme has not changed in height or massing, and that the objection does not specify exactly what the errors are in the report and therefore Officers cannot address them.