The London Borough of Southwark unanimously approved planning permission for our scheme Roots in the Sky in November 2020. The planning application for the scheme can be viewed here (Ref: 20/AP/1537).
Roots in the Sky is a world-class community and workspace built to address the challenges of post-pandemic urban life.
1. An exceptional quality office-led space with a mix of uses and publicly accessible spaces
2. 10% affordable workspace for Southwark SMEs and start-ups
3. A Community Garden Terrace at roof level including a Barn for educational and local community use
4. A Community Auditorium operating seven days a week for charities, cultural activities, and other non-profits
5. A new public route through the ground floor from Pocock Street to Loman Street
6. Retail enterprise spaces for young entrepreneurs or SMEs funded by Enterprise Grants
7. An extensively landscaped roofscape
Since the Application’s original consent last November, significant enhancements to Roots in the Sky have been made. This includes:
Enhanced sustainability targets
Improved layout and increased flexibility of office space
Enhanced roof garden – now qualifying as an “Urban Forest” with 21% tree coverage
Enhanced focus on natural and more sustainable material palettes for interiors
Since the consent of our original application in May 2021, following the committee in November 2020, we have continued to enhance the scheme by creating more planting, surpassing sustainability targets, and improving the strategy for basement layout and construction.
Following approval by Southwark Council, we are now looking at additional improvements and are proposing to make some refinements to parts of the proposed façade and internal layouts.
The proposed refinements do not fundamentally alter the principles of the permitted development. Whilst a series of minor changes are proposed, this is a function of the scale and complexity of the building to be delivered and evolution of the scheme through the design stages and contractor involvement ahead of delivery early next year.
We remain committed to engaging with the community throughout this process, and we take the construction process very seriously. Therefore, we would like to hear your views on these proposed changes.
Southwark Planning Committee unanimously approved our planning application for Blackfriars Crown Court 20/AP/1537: Roots in the Sky
Detailed analysis evaluating the foundations of Blackfriars Crown Court in preparation for construction
Letter distributed to local residents detailing the erection of scaffolding for inspection purposes
Community consultation on an S73 planning application for Blackfriars Crown Court
S73 planning application was granted planning permission under delegated powers (with the application receiving no objections)
Community consultation on further minor refinements for Blackfriars Crown Court
