Bankside Yards

Located between Tate Modern and Blackfriars Bridge, Bankside Yards is a 5.5-acre masterplan by PLP that reimagines a key site on London’s South Bank as a new destination quarter for the city. Replacing two inward-looking buildings with a connected and permeable urban environment, the scheme opens up new pedestrian routes and restores links between Bankside, the South Bank and the River Thames for the first time in over a century. PLP’s role extends beyond the overall masterplan to the design of key buildings across the development, shaping both the wider urban framework and the architectural identity of the district.

Conceived as a true mixed-use neighbourhood, the development brings together residential, workplace, hospitality, cultural and retail programmes within a cohesive masterplan. A series of buildings are arranged around a network of public spaces, including a central square, landscaped streets and a north–south promenade, creating a vibrant and active urban environment that responds to the character and energy of its surroundings. The restored railway arches play a key role in this, introducing new cultural, retail and public uses that help activate the site and strengthen its relationship to the wider city.

Bankside Yards is also conceived as a benchmark for sustainable urban development. Designed as the UK’s first major fossil fuel-free mixed-use development, the district is powered entirely by renewable electricity and supported by a pioneering fifth-generation energy-sharing network. Together, these systems enable the site to operate at net zero carbon in use, setting a new standard for how large-scale urban regeneration can combine environmental performance with everyday city life.

Rather than a singular development, Bankside Yards is designed as a new piece of London — one that brings together architecture, infrastructure, culture and public realm to create a more open, connected and future-facing part of the city.