News
LSE wins planning approval for Bankside student housing scheme
The London School of Economics and Political Science, with partners Equitix and Bouygues UK, has secured planning approval for the redevelopment of Bankside House into a 1,945-bed student residence, delivering affordable, high quality accommodation in central London and helping ease pressure on the wider private rental market.
Designed by competition-winning team Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson, the scheme replaces the mid-century office-turned-residence with three stepped towers of 24, 26 and 28 storeys linked by two low-rise pavilions around generous, landscaped courtyards and extensive public realm integration.
LSE has more than 12,000 full-time students, with around 60% currently living in private accommodation because of a shortage of LSE-managed rooms. Under its 2030 strategy, the School has committed to expanding its accommodation offer to 6,000 bed spaces and guaranteeing a place to every new first-year student.
"We are delighted that Southwark Borough Council has granted planning approval for LSE’s Bankside House. Conceived as three distinct yet connected houses, the project will provide an important new home for the LSE student community while contributing a confident addition to London’s river skyline. At ground level, a series of pavilions open the site to the city, strengthening the public realm and creating a welcoming threshold between LSE, the Bankside and the wider urban context.
"On a student scale, we wanted every room—both spatially and climatically—to be a genuinely good room, meeting Passivhaus standards and setting a new benchmark for sustainable design. We look forward to progressing the project in close collaboration with our partners, Bouygues UK, Equitix and LSE." — Rupert Goddard, Partner at Sheppard Robson and Rowan Seaford, Director at Carmody Groarke
Works are expected to begin in 2027, with the new Bankside House scheduled to open before September 2032.