DTZ Investors plan 48-storey tower on Old Kent Road

DTZ Investors has submitted plans to Southwark Council for a major residential scheme on Old Kent Road, south-east London. The EIA application reveals an 800-home scheme of up to 48 storeys, including a 16-storey, 250-room hotel, and retail space. The scheme is planned for a big-box retail park site, the Southernwood retail park (pictured), which is managed by DTZ Investors on behalf of owners Strathclyde Pension Fund and Glasgow City Council. The 48-storey ceiling along Old Kent Road Further down Old Kent Road, Galliard is soon to submit plans for the Cantium retail park. Galliard and joint venture partner Aviva plan to build around 1,200 homes, in a block of up to 48 storeys, along with new retail, leisure and food and beverage space. And Avanton submitted plans for a 1,165-home scheme, again in a block of up to 48 storeys, at its Old Kent Road site the Ruby Triangle. The changing landscape of big-box retail Much of the retail landscape is in a state of change. E-commerce is making much of the big-box, out-of-town stores redundant – Toys ‘R’ us and Maplin recently went to administration – or forcing them to adapt. Earlier this month, think-tank Policy Exchange published its ‘Better Brownfield’ report. Its author, Susan Emmett, formerly of Savills, wrote: “There are too many plots in London that are currently dominated by industrial and retail uses in the shape of big box, single-storey sheds. We have dubbed this ‘Boxland’. “Boxland could be used more efficiently by combining commercial and residential uses in traditional street patterns. “By using OpenStreetMap, we estimate that there are 1,220 relevant sites with a total area of 6,122 ha on which there are single-storey, big-box sheds accommodating a range of commercial uses. “These could be redeveloped as mixed-use, retaining all existing commercial uses (and perhaps adding more) while accommodating between 250,000 to 300,000 new homes, forming an urban pattern of largely medium-rise ‘London-like neighbourhoods’.” To send feedback e-mail paul.wellman@egi.co.uk or tweet @paulwellman eg or @estatesgazette