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Timber-frame co-living scheme approved in Southwark
Plans for a timber-frame co-living scheme have been approved in Southwark, south London.
Plans for a timber-frame co-living scheme have been approved in Southwark, south London #UKhousingLondon-based developer Bywater has secured planning permission for a scheme in Tanner Street, Bermondsey, containing 112 studio flats.
The six-storey scheme includes communal areas, a rooftop terrace and an urban greening plan to improve biodiversity.
The project was designed by architects Ackroyd Lowrie and has a projected gross development value of £65m. Completion is expected in 2028.
It is Bywater’s first residential project. The developer acquired the site in 2024 from Cetza Trustees. The previous owner received planning permission in 2019 to build an office there.
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Planning documents reveal that Bywater opted to rework the scheme into a co-living development due to the high number of office schemes already under construction in Southwark, and because the site was considered too small to support traditional housing.
The plans will retain the facade of an existing, locally listed Victorian warehouse on the site, which dates to the late 19th century.
Chris Riley, development manager at Bywater, said: “This milestone enables us to bring forward a carefully designed, best in class, low‑carbon scheme that raises the bar for sustainable urban living in Bermondsey.”
He added in a post on LinkedIn that the project was the first of a number of living schemes Bywater is bringing forward in Southwark.
Research published earlier this month found that over 10,000 co-living homes are now in London’s planning pipeline.
A total of 26 applications for co-living schemes of 30 homes or more were submitted to London boroughs in 2025, totalling more than 10,000 co-living homes, according to planning consultants Lichfields.
This equates to over 40% of all co-living applications submitted in the capital since 2018, reflecting a surge in developer interest in the shared living tenure.
Over 75% of London boroughs have now seen at least one co-living application, up from half in June 2024.
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