Following a public inquiry, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, has approved Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB) proposals for a public swimming, indoor leisure centre and residential development.

The plans also include a 43-storey tower, on London's South Bank.

Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners (NLP) provided planning advice for the scheme and gave evidence at the public inquiry.

Iain Rhind, a Director at NLP said: "The proposals by CSCB provide a broad range of uses on this key central London site and have been supported now by local, strategic and central government decisions. There are major and long term community benefits in providing a state of the art public swimming pool and leisure centre here. This is an area targeted for sports-led regeneration and the site was allocated for this use in the Lambeth UDP. The Secretary of State has essentially agreed with the case put forward by CSCB that any harm to heritage assets was at worst limited and would be more than off-set by the public benefits of allowing the development to proceed."


CSCB's architect for the scheme is the award winning practice Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands. Heritage and townscape advice was provided by Montagu Evans and specialist evidence on visual effects from Hayes Davidson.

(CD/JM)