Native Land gains consent for Bankside Yards affordable office

Native Land has been granted approval for a new 110,000 sq ft office at its 1.4m sq ft Bankside Yards development in Southwark, SE1. The eighth building on the site, which is part of PLP Architecture’s Bankside Yards masterplan, will comprise 13 storeys of grade-A workspace. Once complete, the building will offer a 68% increase in affordable workspace at the scheme to 10,763 sq ft, including 7,000 sq ft of flexible Class E space on the ground floor, aimed at SME creative, media and technology businesses. Plans for the office, which is part of the UK’s first major mixed-use fossil fuel-free development, include all-electric building systems with the power supplied from a renewable energy source, which means Building 8 will be net zero carbon in operation. Other green features in the sustainability-focused building, which has a target of BREEAM Outstanding, include a solid facade to reduce solar gain and heat loss and a post-tensioned concrete structure to minimise embodied carbon. It will also feature terraces on the sixth and tenth floors. The basement levels of the block will provide 300 cycle spaces and the building will be fully integrated into landscaped green space, as part of Bankside Yards’ 3.3 acres of riverside public realm. The project will increase biodiversity by turning the previously inaccessible area into around 4,300 sq ft of public realm, as well as a park. Jay Squier, executive director at Native Land, said: “Building 8 will meet undersupplied demand in the Southwark market for workspaces that are high-quality as well as highly sustainable with outdoor spaces, flexibility and affordability designed in from the beginning. “Having worked in Bankside for more than a decade, we have seen the increased presence of media, creative, technology and professional businesses. Building 8’s offer to smaller businesses will complement our nearby Arbor building and recently approved Building 1, which are both designed for larger corporate users.” Arbor, the first office to complete at Bankside Yards, has secured tenants including law firm Lewis Silkin and the Carbon Trust, which will make Arbor its global headquarters. To send feedback, e-mail chante.bohitige@eg.co.uk or tweet @bohitige or @EGPropertyNews See which agents are doing the most deals in the London submarkets with our On-Demand Rankings >> Compare and explore the Southern fringe office market >> Photo courtesy of ING Media