Urbanest has secured planning approval for a major new purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development in Vauxhall, South London. The project, endorsed by Lambeth Council’s Planning Applications Committee, will see the redevelopment of land at 36-46 Albert Embankment into two connected towers of 30 and 27 storeys, creating a total of 897 bedrooms within 769 student rooms.

The design, by Hopkins Architects for Urbanest and Hotchkiss Ltd, replaces a former Texaco garage and includes refurbishing and extending Vintage House, a four-storey office building on the site. The development will feature not only student bedrooms but also a publicly accessible café and a cultural space aimed at benefiting both residents and the local community. The towers will contribute to a growing strip of tall buildings designed by prominent architects along the embankment, complementing structures such as The Corniche by Foster & Partners.

This planning approval comes amid an acute shortage of student accommodation in London, with University College London recently withdrawing its guarantee of accommodation for first-year students due to limited availability. Urbanest’s Chief Investment Officer, Johnny Manns, highlighted that the scheme’s 769 student bedrooms would help alleviate this shortage. Nevertheless, the affordable accommodation element has been reduced from an initial 35% to 20%, with Urbanest agreeing to make a financial contribution of over £8 million towards affordable housing within Lambeth, compensating for the shortfall in affordable student rooms.

The project has received support in principle from City Hall, which notes that London requires the creation of at least 3,500 new student bed spaces annually to meet demand. The proposed development is expected to generate new jobs and encourage increased visitor numbers, thereby supporting local businesses in the vicinity.

This new approval marks another chapter for the site, which has seen multiple proposals over the years. Previous plans included a hotel component and designs by various architects that did not come to fruition. The current iteration focuses solely on student accommodation, aligning with Lambeth Council’s planning officers’ recommendation, who praised the scheme for its high-quality design suitable to the Albert Embankment area.

Urbanest is no stranger to large-scale student housing developments in Vauxhall, with a prior project completed in 2018 at Nine Elms featuring 454 student rooms across a striking 32-storey brick-clad building. That development, acknowledged as the UK’s first brick-clad high-rise over 90 metres tall, included extensive communal facilities and sustainable design features such as photovoltaic panels and a green roof. The experience gained from this previous success likely informs the ambitions for the new development.

The Vauxhall scheme is thus part of a broader regeneration momentum in the area, which includes office and residential developments, as well as amenities such as a hotel and cinema complex. Urbanest has signalled readiness to begin construction soon, with the detailed design phase well underway and main contractor partnerships established.

In summary, the new Urbanest student accommodation in Vauxhall represents a significant addition to the capital’s efforts to address the persistent shortage of quality student housing, whilst also contributing to the ongoing regeneration of one of London’s key urban districts.

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Source: Noah Wire Services