Green light – The Collective’s newest development...

The Collective, a leading co-living brand which launched its first London development in 2016, has received a resolution to grant planning permission from the London Borough of Southwark for a new site on Borough High Street.

The planning permission will allow The Collective to transform the underused site into a co-living scheme that will include subsidised workspace for local people.

The development will include a 14,000 sq ft community and employment incubator that will incorporate the aforementioned subsidised workspace, community space (free of charge) and subsidised creative space.

Plans for The Collective Borough High Street come after extensive consultation and the creation of a ‘Shared Vision’ for the project, which worked closely with the local community around Borough High Street and the Elephant and Castle area. Once complete, it will join the other co-living schemes that are part of an emerging trend in the UK and Europe.

The brand will develop, manage and operate the scheme in partnership with the landowner Southwark Homes Limited. Construction is expected to commence in summer 2020 and is due to complete in summer 2022.

Designed by Southwark-based architectural practice Allies and Morrison, The Collective Borough High Street comprises a 175,000 sq ft ground-up development, including short stay accommodation for creatives, entrepreneurs and business travellers.

The project includes a new public destination for the area in the form of a 14,000 sq ft community and employment incubator space across the ground, lower ground and basement levels, inspired by Makeshift’s Peckham Levels project in Peckham town centre. The space will include:

4,198 sq ft free-to-use community and flexible events space for local residents
3,336 sq ft of small and medium enterprise business units available at subsidised rental levels for local start-ups and businesses
1,453 sq ft of artist studios and maker space available at subsidised rental levels
4,305 sq ft of co-working and shared workspace

The development also comprises 20 new homes (of which 50% will be affordable), and each apartment will be accessed through its own entrance. Amenity spaces for residents, including a garden and children’s play area, will also be included.

To further support the local community, The Collective Borough High Street will offer an accelerator programme which will upskill local young people through a digital and entrepreneurial skills programme and provide five financial grants of £10,000 a year to new local businesses.

In addition, three students per year from the nearby Rockingham and Tabard estates will be offered financial grants of £9,250 per annum as part of the Southwark Scholarship Scheme for the next eight years. The Collective Borough High Street will also host regular support and study space for local university students aspiring to start a business.

Forming a new community hub for the neighbourhood, The Collective Borough High Street will be centred around a 3,200 sq ft landscaped public plaza, with regular events and activities organised by The Collective Foundation. The scheme will also benefit from a publicly accessible rooftop terrace and adjoining café and bar.

James Penfold, global planning and communications director at The Collective, comments: “The Collective Borough High Street is a great example of how we are adopting a ground-breaking approach to urban planning in city centres across the globe. By engaging meaningfully with the local community and integrating their views and needs into the project, we unlocked an underutilised site in Borough High Street with a challenging local context.”

“This project is an exciting opportunity for The Collective as we plan to create a new, innovative and dynamic destination which supports the community and local businesses through the shared economy, as well as delivering affordable housing.”

With the approval of The Collective Borough High Street, the firm has now secured planning consent for four purpose-designed co-living schemes in London, as well as further approval for a scheme in Chicago. in Chicago in the United States.