182–202 Walworth Road approved

Our retrofit-led project at 182-202 Walworth Road will breathe new life into a neglected stretch of high street, providing homes and community-led amenities that are a site-specific response to the neighbourhood’s social and urban context.

On a site currently occupied by a prominent, derelict 1980s office building, our housing-led, mixed-use scheme puts the area’s diverse communities first, offering shared gardens and community space that are designed to encourage interaction between the existing and new resident communities of Walworth Road.

Alongside the mix of ground floor uses, the development will deliver 283 student beds and 23 affordable homes for social rent. The project aims to deliver a high-quality living experience for all residents, and the design positively encourages interaction between them and the area's existing diverse communities to foster a shared sense of belonging.

The project comprises a carefully arranged group of buildings around a central courtyard, bringing together the retained and repurposed high street building, with newly constructed side-street blocks to form a coherent whole. The facades use sculpted brickwork details to highlight ‘events’ in the street scene and reflect the internal uses, while responding to the surrounding street character.

Louis Duffield, Partner at Fabrix, said: “Fabrix thrives on tackling complex urban sites where opportunity and value is unlocked by the creation of assets that can be enjoyed by the whole community. Our redevelopment of 182–202 Walworth Road will add density and activity to a stranded office building that has been a blot on the high street for far too long. By bringing life back and identifying a new mix of uses for this redundant asset—and working with our neighbours to create space for them to join us—we’ve been able to put together an ambitious project that will make a positive contribution to the social fabric and economy of Walworth.”

Glenn Howells, Partner at Howells, said: “The project provides a unique opportunity to rectify a poor-quality and inactive stretch of this historically important South London high street. The new buildings will play a key part in the revitalisation of Walworth Road, energising the site with new uses and high-quality architecture that carefully responds to its civic context and directly engages the community, transforming it from a negative to a nature-positive presence on the high street."