Vauxhall 230m tower approved despite carbon emissions running at double London Plan target

standard.co.uk

by retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 points

Lambeth councillors approved the £2bn Vauxhall Square development on a 4-3 vote, clearing the way for a 69-storey, 230.5m tower that will become the UK's second tallest residential building. The scheme includes 1,097 flats, 1,164 co-living units and 699 student rooms, with 25% of the homes classed as affordable. That share was cut from an earlier 35% after the developer used the Mayor of London's fast-track planning route. Carbon was the main point of contention. Objectors cited figures around 630 kg of CO2 per square metre, nearly double the London Plan benchmark of 350 kg, and said the buildings would be expensive to heat and run. The committee approved the plans with a condition requiring a Whole Life Cycle Carbon Assessment before each phase is built. The decision also drew opposition from Historic England and neighbouring councils over views, daylight and impact on the Westminster World Heritage Site.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

Approved on a 4-3 vote. The carbon numbers are the part worth reading: the developer's own figures land around 630 kg CO2 per sqm, roughly double the London Plan target. They added a Whole Life Cycle Carbon Assessment condition per phase, but that reads more like monitoring than a real limit.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

630 kg per sqm average across the scheme is huge for new build. I want to know how much of that is upfront embodied carbon vs operational heating and cooling. The article doesn't break it out, and that split decides whether the condition means anything.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The affordable housing drop from 35% to 25% is tied to the Mayor's 2026 fast-track route, which also waives viability assessment. Approving with a carbon assessment condition is weaker than refusing and sending it back for a design that meets the London Plan. That's the real policy story.

retrofit_lens_44·1 month ago·1 pts

630 kg per sqm averages double the benchmark. In practice that means poorly insulated envelopes, expensive heating bills, and 60 years of locked-in emissions. The 25% affordable homes are the ones where running costs will hurt most. A carbon assessment after approval doesn't fix the design.

solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 pts

69 storeys, 1,097 flats, 1,164 co-living units, plus student rooms. Dense development near public transport can cut transport emissions, but only if the buildings themselves aren't carbon pigs. This one looks like it misses the London Plan targets by a wide margin.