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PLP Architecture has submitted revised plans for a taller residential tower at Bankside Yards, increasing height to 170 metres and boosting affordable housing as part of London’s ambitious South Bank regeneration project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
PLP Architecture has submitted revised plans for a residential tower within Native Land\u2019s Bankside Yards masterplan, located near the Tate Modern on London’s South Bank. The updated proposal for plot BY6 involves adding two storeys to the previously approved 32-storey building, increasing its height to 170 metres. This adjustment accommodates new building safety regulations that came into effect in April last year, requiring residential buildings over 18 metres tall to have two stair cores to enhance fire safety. To fit the larger stair core, the tower’s footprint will be widened by three metres, and the podium will gain an additional storey as floor-to-ceiling heights are marginally reduced from 3.2 to 3.1 metres.<\/p>\n
The Bankside Yards masterplan itself is a major \u00a32.5 billion mixed-use development comprising eight buildings, with heights reaching up to 50 storeys. The tower in question forms part of an emerging cluster of high-rises that complement Simpson Haugh\u2019s One Blackfriars building and forthcoming towers designed by Foster & Partners for US developer Hines. PLP has argued in their submission that the revised tower will have a near-identical appearance on the skyline compared to the original design, preserving the character and heritage of the townscape. They also highlighted the positive transformation of the visual environment around the site.<\/p>\n
The redesign has a notable effect on housing provision within the tower, increasing the number of market units from 165 to 173. Additionally, the social housing mix improves with the number of social rented units rising from 15 shared ownership units to 26 social rented ones, reflecting a strengthened commitment to affordable housing within the scheme.<\/p>\n
This tower is part of a wider transformative vision for Bankside Yards, which is set to include Opus, the first residential building launching sales, a towering 50-storey structure designed by PLP Architecture. Opus is planned to be the tallest residential building in prime central London when completed, offering 249 apartments with expansive city views and contributing to the UK’s first major fossil fuel-free mixed-use development powered by an innovative energy-sharing network. Construction is progressing well, with the topping out of Opus recently celebrated, marking a significant milestone in the neighbourhood\u2019s all-electric, fossil-fuel-free ethos.<\/p>\n
Further cementing the development\u2019s status as a landmark regeneration project, plans include other significant components such as a 50-storey Building 2 and the upcoming Mandarin Oriental Bankside, a luxury hotel and branded residences scheduled to open in 2028, which also aligns with the fossil fuel-free agenda of Bankside Yards.<\/p>\n
Overall, PLP\u2019s amendments to plot BY6 reflect both regulatory compliance and a strategic enhancement of housing capacity while maintaining the masterplan\u2019s architectural and environmental ambitions for this rapidly evolving area of the capital.<\/p>\n