Popular south London venue Pop Brixton could be demolished

Pop Brixton, a popular eating, drinking and dancing spot in south London that supports local vendors, could be demolished under new plans. 

The community initiative, which is run in partnership with Lambeth Council, is home to a variety of food vendors, bars and grassroots music events. But soon that could all come to an end, as plans to build two high-rise towers along Station Road could see Pop Brixton knocked down. 

Proposals to build a 20-storey and 17-storey tower along the road were revealed as part of a public consultation about the redevelopment of the area, which could also see the workspace International House extended upwards to become a 14-storey block of flats. The whole development proposes around 280 new homes, with a workspace replacing Pop Brixton. At least 40 percent of the homes are promised to be affordable. It also promises to provide 4,750 square metres of public realm improvements, including ‘rain garden planting’ and play areas. 

Pop Brixton was never designed to be a permanent destination, instead intended by the council to be a temporary pop-up, housed in shipping containers. 

Locals in Brixton have a reputation for fiercely opposing high-rise developments, as was seen in 2023 when the 20-storey Hondo Tower, owned by Texan millionaire DJ and landlord Taylor McWilliams, was axed after local opposition. It’s likely there will be resistance to the proposed developments which will provide new housing for the area. 

A public consultation is currently open and due to run until late 2025 – locals can give feedback to the plans online here. A formal planning application is expected to come in 2026, with completion pencilled in for 2030. 

Lambeth Council said in a statement: ‘The council and its development partner, London Square, are currently engaging with local people about these proposals.

‘Our long-standing ambition for these council owned sites is to create hundreds of new homes, particularly desperately needed affordable homes, affordable workspace for local entrepreneurs, new facilities for street traders, shops and street improvements.

‘Pop Brixton was always intended as a valuable but temporary use of the site, and the recycled shipping containers which were used in its construction are now coming to the end of their natural life. 

‘Our teams are out in Brixton, and running online platforms, encouraging local people to feed into this exciting scheme.’

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