Plans for a new 37-storey building have been approved in Vauxhall

Lambeth Council has approved the plans of tp bennett for a mixed-use development in Vauxhall’s growing skyscraper cluster, which features a 37-storey student tower and a six-storey office block.

The scheme, developed by Downing and amounting to £200m, for the site at Rudolf Place, Miles Street, has received 171 objections but was recommended for approval by the borough’s planning officers and approved by the borough’s planning committee this month.

Architects’ Journal spoke to Downing’s development and acquisition manager Ian Harrison, who said: “The scheme has been carefully considered and designed to sit harmoniously within the existing Vauxhall landscape.

“[It] provides outstanding student accommodation alongside contemporary, open-plan office space that will reinvigorate the surrounding area.”

The main skyscraper will house 841 student beds and a 201m² ground-floor café and reception area, while its lower neighbour will feature 3,583m² of commercial office space and a multi-use games area.

The scheme is the student housing specialist’s second in the burgeoning south London area. It is already delivering the nearby 32-storey development at 30-60 South Lambeth Road by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, which is set to be completed in 2018.

Tp bennett’s principal director, Nenad Manasijevic, added: “Our aim is to create an attractive, dynamic and affordable environment for students to live in 21st-century accommodation and alongside the wider community of Lambeth.”

Work is expected to start on the site in 2018 and to be finished in 2021.