Architecture firm Howells, part of the AJ100 practices, has submitted comprehensive development plans to Southwark Council for a mixed-use project featuring 600 student housing units and 71 social rent homes in London's Blackfriars area. The ambitious proposal, filed earlier this month on behalf of developer iQ Student Accommodation, would completely replace an existing modernist building with two distinct residential blocks.
The proposed development consists of two separate structures rising six and eight stories respectively. Working alongside landscape architect Planit, Howells has designed one block specifically for student accommodation with associated services, while the second block will house the social rent residential units. The student housing block, positioned on the western portion of the site, features an innovative design organized around four central cores, with most floors containing eight cluster units comprising both five-person and seven-person apartments equipped with shared kitchen, living, and dining spaces that overlook the street.
Beyond the cluster-style accommodations, the student block will include numerous self-contained studio units and specially designed wheelchair-accessible rooms to ensure inclusive housing options. All residents will have access to approximately 486 square meters of shared amenities and public spaces, including a public café, flexible commercial rooms, a fully equipped gym, and various shared student facilities located on the ground floor. The building will feature a main entrance on Loman Street and an internal courtyard, with a rooftop terrace providing additional outdoor recreational space for residents.
The social rent housing component, strategically located on the eastern section of the site, has been designed with 100 percent dual-aspect units to maximize natural light and ventilation. According to the planning documents submitted to the council, these new homes have been carefully crafted to promote resident wellbeing, foster community connections, and provide long-term flexibility for various housing needs. Howells emphasizes in their documentation that the architectural form and façade design establishes two distinct yet harmonious buildings that maintain a familiar scale and urban grain with the surrounding neighborhood.
The architectural approach includes terrace-style residential blocks along Sawyer Street, complemented by a taller, more contemporary student housing element positioned on Pocock and Loman Streets. This student accommodation-focused proposal emerges five years after Studio RHE's designs for an innovative office building featuring an urban forest rooftop, dubbed "Roots in the Sky," received approval from Southwark Council for developer Fabrix. That previously approved scheme would have delivered 36,000 square meters of office, commercial, and community space, crowned by a 0.4-hectare rooftop forest featuring more than 100 trees and 10,000 plants.
However, the Studio RHE project was never realized, leading to iQ Student Accommodation's decision to appoint Howells to develop alternative proposals for the valuable site. The current building occupying the location is the former Blackfriars Crown Court, a three-story steel and concrete structure completed in the early 1990s that has remained vacant since 2019. Howells noted in their planning documentation that the existing building's layout, access arrangements, and structural design present significant challenges for adaptation to modern residential or commercial uses, justifying the complete redevelopment approach.
The development timeline for both planning approval and construction completion remains undetermined at this stage. The project represents a significant investment in London's student housing market while simultaneously addressing the city's critical need for affordable social rent accommodation in the rapidly developing Blackfriars district.
