Topping out at Marklake Court

The Leathermarket Community Benefit Society (CBS) team, led by development managers at igloo, is celebrating that Buxton Building Contractors Ltd has reached the highest physical point of construction at Marklake Court, and the 27 high-quality homes are really beginning to take shape.

Marklake Court is a community-led development by Leathermarket CBS, in partnership with Southwark Council in the heart of London Bridge, designed by the award-winning Bell Phillips Architects, in partnership with the local community.

The development has seen local people empowered at every stage of the design process, and on completion the homes will be managed by the tenants themselves, as part of one of the most successful tenant-managed organisations in London, Leathermarket JMB.

Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is a hugely significant development as it epitomises what Southwark Council wants for its council tenants – genuinely affordable, very high-quality homes in a spectacular location that benefit the local community and have a wide-reaching positive effect for others in the borough. Every step of the design of this scheme has seen tenants’ involvement and I am delighted that Leathermarket JMB will be continuing this process with their management.”

John Paul Maytum, resident Chairman of Leathermarket CBS, said: “Involving residents right from a blank sheet of paper at the very start has enabled us to get the very best outcome for this site. Residents are much happier than with the traditional development approach, because they’ve shaped the design – from the size and layout of the building right down to choosing brick colours and the interiors of flats. This allows us to open up sites that the Council couldn’t do on its own and really tackle the pressing need for new council-rent homes in this area. We’re delighted that Southwark Council has given the vision, commitment and practical support to make this scheme a shining example of what new council house building can achieve when it embraces a spirit of true partnership with residents.”

A planning application for a second partnership scheme, on the former Joseph Lancaster Nursery site, has been submitted to the Council this December.