FaulknerBrowns has revised its plans for a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) scheme in Southwark to add a second staircase. Layouts at the eight-storey scheme have been rearranged to accommodate a larger core.
The practice has submitted a non-material amendment for the 31 Amelia Street scheme in Walworth for developer Imperial Land Ltd.
Original plans, approved last year, would have provided 146 student rooms and 726 sqm of commercial space. However, updates to the Building Safety Act due to come into force in September 2026 require all residential developments taller than 18m to include a second staircase, to provide an additional means of escape in the event of a fire.
The revisions to the scheme have cut two student bedrooms and reduced the amount of commercial floorspace to 693 sqm through a rearrangement of internal layouts needed to accommodate the increased size of the building’s core.
Planning consultant Rolfe Judd said the changes have not affected the building footprint or its elevations, and are in keeping with the original character and design intent of the approved scheme.
“This application seeks to make amendments to the consented scheme, principally the introduction of a second staircase and the consequential rearrangement of the internal layout. The changes are deemed to be nonmaterial and reflect the changes to the Building Safety Act.
“It is considered that that the proposed amendment to the approved scheme is ‘non-material’ and subsequently can be approved under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The proposed amendments would remain consistent with the overall scale and nature of the approved development and compliant with both local and regional plan policies.”
Statment, Rolfe Judd Planning Limited
