Blackpool Road
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Contents
Introduction
Do you live in a street, run a business or use a business near BLACKPOOL ROAD? Streets nearby are: Atwell Estate, Copeland Road, Bournemouth Road, Consort Rd, Brayards Road, Gordon Road, Pilkington Road, Sandlings Close, Godman Road, Heaton Road. For more background introduction click here. If you would like to take part in thinking about the future of this redevelopment site, please contact us through: info@peckhamvision.org . You should also get on to the mailing list for the developers of the BuildBase part of the site - email: feedback@buildbase-peckham.co.uk
2026
August 2026 Planning application
Build Base redevelopment in Blackpool Road between Consort Road and Copeland Road is a mixed residential and commercial development, replacing Build Base on Blackpool Road.
- This site is only about a third of the whole Blackpool Road site. The development is for about 550 students plus social housing residents. In the planning system 2.5 student bedspaces are equal to 1 conventional residential unit.
- The Developer’s plan is for the equivalent of over 300 residential units for their smaller part of the Blackpool Road site, compared with 250 residential units for the whole site allocation in the Council’s Southwark Plan see pages 452-454.
- The site allocation says that taller buildings should be concentrated towards the north of the site. Arada’s plan places them all on their own smaller part at the south of the site, towering over housing which is much less than half their height.
- The number of equivalent residential units on the Arada part of the site should be much less, possibly under 100, not over 300.
- Planning application case number: 26/AP/2347 The details of the plans and where to see other comments and to make comments are here.
- Developer's proposals in the consultations before the planning application can be seen on their link.
- Local residents have set up the Copeland Community Campaign because of their concerns, several of which are the result of exceeding the site allocation. See their concerns below.
- Follow the local campaign on Instagram @copelandcommunitycampaign
- To join the campaign, email communitycopeland@gmail.com
Details of the concerns:
- Two tall blocks, one of ten storeys, are completely out of keeping with the surrounding area and buildings, they will dwarf neighbouring residential accommodation, and be fully imposing - blocking light, views, overlooking etc. For context, the Bussey Building on the neighbouring site has 4 storeys.
- Up to 1000 (516 students plus social residents) additional people in a small condensed area
- No consideration to increased demand on already stretched public services: - GPs services; - Peckham Rye station; Water capacity/pressure
- 3 years of construction and disruption in an area with many night/shift worker residents
- Shutting down Buildbase which many local construction businesses rely on
- Temporary nature of student accommodation - dangerous traffic levels on move in/out dates, parking, flytipping
- Noise - especially from the rooftop
- Increased antisocial behaviour, ebike dumping
- Questionable need for student accommodation
- Adjacent to a conservation area which has not been discussed in any of the public meetings
The Campaign says: We recognise the acute need for social housing, but this development would cause substantial harm to the existing residents surrounding the Blackpool Road site. It should be reduced in scale to comply with the allocation in the Southwark Plan.
March - BuildBase 2nd consultation
Developer Arada consultation on the plans at The Green, Nunhead Community Centre, 5 Nunhead Green
- Thursday 19th March 2026, from 4pm to 8pm
- Saturday 21st March 2026, from 10am to 1pm
2025
BuildBase redevelopment
Redevelopment plans: Click here for the exhibition boards displayed at the 3 December consultation.
Wednesday 3rd December 2025 at 4pm-7pm in Copeland Gallery Copeland Park at 133 Copeland Road: - Arada/Regal developers exhibition on their plans to redevelop the BuildBase site. This is just 1/3 of the Blackpool Rd site which is NSP75 site in the Southwark Plan. Questions to raise:
- How many housing units are they planning when this is just 1/3 of the site which is allocated 250 housing units for the whole site?
- Is there any need in Peckham for more student accommodation compared with residential housing need?
- how does the workspace/employment provision compare with the allocation?
- what is the impact on the surrounding houses of the mass and height of the new buildings?
- what are the benefits conveyed by this development on the surrounding area?
- how are the traffic problems eased?
10th September 2025 Southwark News. ‘Peckham industrial park to be redeveloped into student flats and affordable housing. Developer Regal has purchased the 1.41 acre site near Rye Lane.’
2021-22 EiP concludes and Southwark Plan adopted
The Inspector listened politely as usual to many community representations at the EiP, but rarely concluded that the New Southwark Plan should be amended. For Blackpool Road we managed to get some corrections made in the errors describing what was on the site, and the Inspector endorsed the change the Council had agreed to mention the heritage value of the Old Mill Building. The cards are stacked against rational discussion of what is best for a neighbourhood when it is dominated by rigid policies about numbers imposed by the Government and then by the London Plan. The Southwark Plan was adopted on 23 February 2022. The Blackpool Road site NSP 75 is on pages 452-454.
2021
Tuesday 27th April 2021 Blackpool Rd at the EiP
The Examination in Public (EiP) is now under way - 23rd March to 30th April - via zoom links in the Covid-19 era. Part One ended on 11th March. Part Two which will focus on the hearings about development sites in different neighbourhoods will start on 19th or 20th April. The Peckham sites, including Blackpool Road, will be heard on 27th April 2021 (timetable to be confirmed). Further information about the EiP is here.
2020
Saturday 14th March 2020 Community Open Studio
The Open Studio is a successful venue for discussion on all things Peckham and especially planning, redevelopment, climate change and sustainability in all forms. Information and discussions is available about the forthcoming Public Hearings of the New Southwark Plan including Blackpool Road redevelopment site.
4th March 2020 Local meeting
This is an informal meeting in Peckham Palms for people who live or work close to Blackpool Road as an introduction to the planning news and to give their views about the neighbourhood. Also especially welcome anyone who uses Buildbase which is located on the site.
Sunday 19th January 2020 Community Open Studio
Peckham Vision Community Open Studio for discussions about all planning and other matters affecting Peckham, including Blackpool Road and forthcoming Public hearings.
8th January 2020 Local meeting
This is an informal meeting in the design studio on the corner of Consort Rd and Brayards Rd one of the businesses affected by the plans. It is for people who live or work close to Blackpool Road as an introduction to the planning news and to give their views about the neighbourhood.
2019
December 2019 Latest news
The Public Hearings of the New Southwark Plan (NSP) in the EiP (Examination in Public) are expected to begin in May 2020. The detailed timetable and arrangements are expected to emerge in March 2020. Peckham Vision is working to connect with local residents and businesses in the Blackpool Road area to inform them of the hearings and to gather written statements that we hope can be presented to the EiP for people who did not make written representations in the consultation process in 2017 and 2018. The Council's proposals in the NSP for this site can be seen here. If you wish to take part in the current local discussions arranged by Peckham Vision please email info@peckhamvision.org
6th November 2019 Public Meeting
This is a local community meeting especially for those who live or work around the Blackpool Road area between Consort Road and Copeland Road, and also open to anyone interested in Peckham. The meeting is part of Peckham Vision's preparation for the Public Hearings into the New Southwark Plan expected in early 2020.
May 2019 New ideas for Blackpool Rd
LOcal residents working together continue to rethink the Council's plan for total demolition and rebuild of the land on both sides of Blackpool Road.
January 2019 Old Mill Building campaign
Latest information on the campaign to save the Old Mill Building.
2018
9th September 2018 Open for visit
The Old Mill Building 72 Copeland Park, SE15, the home of Communities Outreach Ministries, a Pentecostal church will be open between 12pm – 1pm on Sunday 9th September for the start of the Southwark Inter Faith walk. There will be a talk about the Pentecostal church Communities Outreach Ministries and their work to restore the historic building, and then the walk will visit other faith places in Peckham and on to Bermondsey and Burgess Park. To book a place register on eventbrite here. Click here to print a copy of the poster with the map of the walk.
February 2018 an unsound plan
The proposals for the Blackpool Road site in the NSP are unsound and will be subject to examination in public at the hearings expected in February 2020. The reasons for unsoundness are: ... because the existing uses and other alternatives for the site’s development have not been discussed with business or community stakeholders. It therefore does not take into account the benefits of retaining existing uses or potential alternative uses that might be developed on this site to meet the needs of the local economy and community.
More information here.
23rd February 2018 Submitting comments
Comments on the Council’s consultation on the redevelopment plans for the Blackpool Road site have to be sent to -planningpolicy@southwark.gov.uk- by 27th February 2018. It is important to get emails in:
- to support the preservation of the Old Mill Building, on the Blackpool Road site, as a heritage and community asset, See here for a short video about the building,
- to say you value BuildBase being there if you use it, and
- for the whole site redevelopment proposals to be revised following real discussion with local people and users of the businesses on the site.
The Council will present all the comments to the Government for the public hearings to be conducted by an independent Planning Inspector in 2019. The more comments there are about a particular site the more likely that site will be examined at the public hearings.
- For the Council's proposals for the site, click here. This is an extract from Pages 315 to 316 for site NSP76 Blackpool Rd. Look at the map of the site, the 'site vision' text and the 'design and accessibility guidance' text. That is all that is said and it is an inadequate guide for the redevelopment, as well as ignoring the current viable businesses and uses of the site. It also does nothing to show how the traffic issues around it need to be resolved.
This is a suggested format for comments.
The text in that can be copied and pasted into an email (after adding your personal details) and you can add or edit it as you wish. It would be good to tweak it to personalise it, but this is not essential.
Please email info@peckhamvision.org if you have any queries. You could also drop in to the Peckham Vision shop in Holdrons Arcade, 135A Rye Lane on Saturday 24th February 2-5pm. We will be glad to help on this.
Introduction to Blackpool Road site
This is an industrial site with Blackpool Road running across it from east to west (site 4 in the map below). This site is the second half (the other half being Copeland Park, including the Bussey Building) of what 10 years ago was proposed for redevelopment as the tram depot. The site is still occupied as it was then in the north part by the bus garage, Council streetworks base, a large Victorian industrial building (now restored by and occupied by a church), and a small block of flats; and in the south half by Buildbase a large builders’ merchants.
The council propose to turn both halves of this into a site for a mixed development of housing and small office type business. A key issue here is that London is losing small industrial sites like this for housing at a very alarming rate and much faster than envisaged in the London Plan. It is alarming as the London economy and social structures need land like this all over London for necessary functions. So there is a case for saying that this land should continue to be allocated as light industrial space and not given over to housing and office type uses. This is about land use designation preserving it for light industrial uses into the future. Local people are exploring ideas about the way the building merchants use of the land could be linked with horticultural uses so encouraging more environmentally friendly construction. There is also a case for keeping the Victorian mill building as it is part of Peckham’s industrial heritage and a good solid building with potential for many uses in the future. Here is a short video about the building, which is entered from Copeland Road opposite Bournemouth Road.
2017
18th November 2017 Community Outreach Ministries community event
This was a boot sale and event for the local community in the lovely spacious Old Mill Building which is part of our local Victorian industrial heritage, near the Bussey Building across Copeland Road. It has been restored by the Community Outreach Ministries church over the last few years. Peckham Vision had a stall at the event to give information to Church members and local residents about the Council’s redevelopment plans and the local efforts to save the building from demolition.
Photos from the community event:
8th October 2017 The Old Mill Building
The Old Mill Building is thought to have been a wood mill when first built over 100 years ago. It is one of the few remaining parts of Peckham's industrial heritage along with the neighbouring Bussey Building and the former Holdrons warehouses in Copeland Park across the road. The building has been restored over the last 10 years by a church of the Community Outreach Ministries. On 8th October 2017 the Peckham Vision team met the congregation to share their mutual interests in saving the building from demolition.
May 2017 submissions on Peckham 4 sites
The Council’s consultation on the NSP Preferred Options for site allocations and Area Visions originally ended on 28th April, but has now been extended until 7th July. Here is a copy of the submissions from Peckham Vision's coordinator from the collation of the comments and discussion facilitated during the consultation for the following Peckham sites:
April 2017 4 sites walk
On 1st April, Peckham Vision facilitated a walk around the 4 Peckham sites. allocated in the New Southwark Plan for re-development in Peckham. Around 40 joined us for the walk on a busy Saturday morning. Here are some brief Facebook reports and pictures from the event:
April 2017 comments on the NSP
Over the last several weeks our Peckham Vision community team has facilitated a number of discussions through meetings, site walks and email exchanges about the proposals, and helped many people to engage with the planning policy documents and processes. We have brought together in four pdfs, one for each of the 4 sites, the basic facts about each site, and some of the comments that have been made in this process together with the Council's own NSP text. These 4 pdfs can be used as a checklist to consider what comments to make on any of the sites. This is the pdf for Blackpool Road:
- NSP57 Copeland Road Industrial site: this is the industrial land on both sides of Blackpool Road which houses several businesses including BuildBase and the bus garage. Pdf here.