Landsec lodges plans for Lewisham Shopping Centre redevelopment
Landsec has submitted a hybrid planning application to redevelop the 1970s shopping centre in Lewisham, south-east London.
The proposals, made by the REIT’s LandsecU+I arm, map out a 17-acre masterplan that includes 1,700 homes, 445 co-living residences, 660 student beds, shops, cafes and bars, a live music venue and eight acres of public realm, including an urban meadow on top of the centre.
Landsec has owned the Lewisham Shopping Centre for more than 20 years. In an interview with EG earlier this year, development director Jon Watson described the project as “the most complex thing I’ve worked on”.
Landsec has submitted a hybrid planning application to redevelop the 1970s shopping centre in Lewisham, south-east London.
The proposals, made by the REIT’s LandsecU+I arm, map out a 17-acre masterplan that includes 1,700 homes, 445 co-living residences, 660 student beds, shops, cafes and bars, a live music venue and eight acres of public realm, including an urban meadow on top of the centre.
Landsec has owned the Lewisham Shopping Centre for more than 20 years. In an interview with EG earlier this year, development director Jon Watson described the project as “the most complex thing I’ve worked on”.
“Two and a half years ago, if we had proceeded with a planning application or if another developer had come in with an application for this site, it would have been very binary,” said Watson.
“You would have had us or another developer wanting as much resi as possible, or as little retail as possible, because that tends to be how investment works.
“A big early message from the community was they really didn’t want to lose their shopping centre. It’s a super important community asset.
“People were nervous about losing that as part of a big development. But people also wanted change, and the main change they wanted was green space.”
If the SEW-designed plans are approved, the work will be staggered so that the centre can remain open during development. Landsec said that reinventing the existing structure will be less carbon-intensive.
Mike Hood, chief executive of LandsecU+I, said: “This submission marks an important milestone to create a new green centre for Lewisham. A place that people will love, that brings immense social and economic benefits, thousands of much-needed homes, and a beautiful green meadow on top of a revived shopping centre.”
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