[title]
A plot of undeveloped land next to Vauxhall station is about to get one hell of a makeover.
Plans for a £2 billion regeneration of Vauxhall Square have officially been given the green light by Lambeth Council. They include three soaring skyscrapers, one of which will reach 230.5 metres (69 storeys) and be the second-tallest residential building in the UK, after the Landmark Pinnacle at Canary Wharf.
The largest of the towers will provide 1,097 new homes that will go up for private sale or rent. A quarter of them will be ‘affordable’ homes: 122 will be social rent and 120 will be Discount Market Rent. There will also be 1,164 co-living studios in a smaller 61-storey building and 699 rooms for students in a 45-storey building.
On the project’s website, developers say that Vauxhall Square will be ‘a genuinely mixed and inclusive community where people at every stage of life can thrive’.
Besides the towers, the newly-approved proposals feature offices, a 250-room hotel, a cinema, flexible retail, and community facilities like a gym, a swimming pool and a play area.
Prior to planning permission being granted, Historic England said that the development would cause ‘incremental harm’ to the Westminster World Heritage Site. It argued that the height of the towers would have an impact on several protected London sightlines. Lambeth planning officers disagreed.
Now that the scheme has been given the go-ahead, construction is expected to start in January 2027 and be complete by February 2032.
ICYMI: 14 years after the Olympics, Stratford’s regeneration is finally near completion.
Plus: This major London borough is about to drop its speed limit to 20mph almost everywhere.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.