Lambeth Council Approves Vauxhall Square Regeneration with UK's Second-Tallest Tower

Lambeth Council has approved a £2 billion regeneration plan for Vauxhall Square featuring seven new towers, including a 69-storey residential skyscraper that will rank as the UK’s second-tallest. The decision passed by a narrow 4-3 vote on September 8 following sharp divisions over carbon emissions, heritage views, and affordable housing provision.

A long-stalled riverside regeneration scheme in south London cleared its most critical planning hurdle this week, setting the stage for a dramatic transformation next to Vauxhall station. Lambeth’s Planning Applications Committee voted four to three on September 8 to approve the masterplan for Vauxhall Square, backing a trio of towering skyscrapers alongside co-living spaces, student accommodation, and public amenities. The decision brings fresh momentum to a 3.8-acre site that has remained undeveloped for years.

Narrow Committee Vote Pushes the Masterplan Forward

The proposal won approval after Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors combined to outvote the committee’s three Green members.

The project is backed by GFH Financial Group, with development management led by Bmor and Trigon. Cedarstone Capital Partners and Cheyne Capital acquired the stalled land from Chinese developer R&F Properties in May 2024 and subsequently assembled a new project team to redesign the site. The approved masterplan replaces an earlier proposal by Allies and Morrison that had secured consent in 2012 but was never fully realized.

Scale and Composition of the Vauxhall Square Towers

Designed by Pilbrow & Partners, the mixed-tenure development spans seven distinct plots with buildings ranging from two to 69 storeys. Once completed, the scheme will deliver more than two million square feet of living and amenity space.

The centerpiece of the development is a 69-storey skyscraper rising to approximately 230.5 metres or 756 feet. It will become the UK’s second-tallest residential building, standing just shy of Canary Wharf’s Landmark Pinnacle, which measures 239 metres. This tallest tower will house 500 homes designated for private sale.

Two companion skyscrapers will each reach 61 storeys. One is slated for build-to-rent units, incorporating 120 discounted market rent properties, while the other provides co-living and co-working spaces. Additionally, a 45-storey building will accommodate 699 student bedrooms.

Controversy Over Social Housing Provisions and Carbon Footprint

While an initial version of the project promised 35 percent affordable housing, the newly approved scheme includes 122 social-rent homes on-site—representing about six percent of the total residential units—housed in a separate lower-rise block. To offset the lower percentage, the developer agreed to a financial package featuring £79.9 million as a payment in lieu, £15 million dedicated to transport improvements, and £100 million in Community Infrastructure Levy payments.

Environmental opposition was equally vocal. Local architect and university lecturer Mike Kane told the committee that the development’s projected 811,000 tonnes of carbon emissions would exceed benchmark targets by roughly 30 percent.

Kane added that the buildings were very poorly designed and will be expensive to heat and run over the 60-year lifetime.

“We are living through climate breakdown. We cannot simply carry on with the old development-led culture in which ever-taller towers and ever-higher land values are treated as progress, while genuinely affordable homes and our climate commitments come second.”

Jacqueline Bond, councillor for Vauxhall Ward and member of the Planning Committee, via Brixton Buzz

Heritage Objections and Protected Sightlines

The project also encountered stiff resistance from conservation bodies and neighboring local authorities, including Wandsworth Council, Westminster City Council, and the Greater London Authority. Historic England warned that the dramatic height of the towers would trigger incremental harm to the Westminster World Heritage Site, creating visual competition with the architectural pre-eminence of the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey.

Lambeth’s planning officers ultimately disagreed with the heritage warnings, concluding that the architectural detailing and unified cladding palette of metal, glass, and glass-reinforced concrete justified the design without harming protected views. Jason Tracy, founder of development manager Bmor, defended the project as an essential investment that would complete the regeneration of this part of Vauxhall on an extraordinary scale.

Next Steps and Construction Timeline

The council’s resolution to approve remains subject to the finalization of a section 106 agreement and formal referral to the Mayor of London. Historic England also retains the option to request that the Secretary of State call in the application for a public inquiry.

A computer generated aerial image of the proposed buildings in Vauxhall — Photo: BBC

Assuming outstanding planning hurdles are cleared, enabling and construction works are scheduled to unfold on a plot-by-plot basis over a five-year period.

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