SITE | Colechurch House

Colechurch House was built in the late 1960s in the Brutalist style by architect E G Chandler for the City of London. It sits at the southern end of London Bridge, set back from the River Thames and sandwiched between Duke Street Hill and Tooley Street. It is named after Peter of Colechurch who designed the first stone bridge across the Thames here.

CIT acquired a long lease on the site from the City of London in October 2019 and has assembled a project team, led by architects Foster + Partners.

The current building covers 0.69 acres and comprises just over 36,000 sq ft of offices, shops and ancillary accommodation, including a basement carpark.

It includes a covered walkway that connects to a footbridge across Tooley Street, leading into London Bridge Station. The building is old, tired and in a poor state of repair.

The £1bn upgrade of London Bridge Station has increased its capacity from 50 million to over 90 million people a year.

A stone’s throw away lies Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, a half dozen theatres, HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge and a host of other historic and cultural attractions.

Colechurch House is the front door to the station on the northern side, and the gateway to these attractions, but at street level it currently offers only narrow and cluttered pavements, blank walls, little greenery and only a few shops or amenities.

During rush hour it is overwhelmed by commuters. Outside of rush hour it is largely deserted. Compared to other buildings nearby it generates few jobs, limited economic activity and offers very little to Southwark’s communities.

Constraints And Opportunities

We have undertaken an analysis of the site to identify the key constraints and main opportunities.

Constraints

Current footbridge is dark, uninviting and feels unsafe, it contributes to poor air quality in the area and blocks historic views of Southwark Cathedral.

An old and tired building in a poor state of repair that does not meet the needs of modern occupiers, with a big and increasing repair bill

A busy site and important pedestrian route for commuters coming out of London Bridge Station

Deserted outside of rush hour with blank walls and poor public spaces that attracts graffiti and anti-social behaviour

A need to protect and enhance views of the Shard and Southwark Cathedral

Managing the environmental impact of a new, larger building on the area including on daylight and wind conditions

Opportunities

A new lightweight and minimalist footbridge will be significantly more safer and will come with a pair of public escalators and staircase alongside a public life making it accessible to wheelchair users.

London Bridge is already an international commercial destination with an established cluster of healthcare, creative and tech businesses

Southwark Council has identified the site as appropriate for a taller building

A highly accessible location where new occupiers can rely on public transport to get to and from the site

A new building can be designed to much higher sustainability standards than the current building

A bigger and more commercially successful building can deliver more social and economic benefits for local residents

Bring back uses to the site that deliver real value for residents in Bermondsey and across Southwark

We can make the public space bigger, better, greener and safer for everyone

Increase pedestrian capacity and connectivity between the station and London Bridge itself

Improve the setting of nearby heritage buildings like Southwark Cathedral. St Olaf House and London Bridge Hospital

Give local people and groups a real say and involvement in the development of our plans