The site
Bankside House is a catered halls of residence, with 595 student bed spaces. During the summer period (over 13 weeks) it functions as a hotel and caters to summer and language school students, increasing the population to up to 1,200 students. Bankside House also offers commercial conference space, and is infrequently used as a polling station by the local community.
View up Sumner Street looking east
View of the building from Holland Street
The site is located opposite the Tate Modern, and sits in a strategically important part of central London. It is located within the Central Activities Zone and also falls within the London Bridge, Borough and Bankside Opportunity Area.
The site is not within any conservation areas, and while there are no listed buildings adjacent to the site, the site is in close proximity (~90m) to the Tate Modern which can be considered a non-designated heritage asset, and is in the proximity (~210m) of the Globe Theatre, which is considered a scheduled monument.
To the immediate south and west of the site are two office blocks, and to the east a combination of residential low rises, and mixed-use high rises, including the Neo Bankside and Triptych buildings.
Historic aerial view of the local area
Current site plan
Current view from Millennium Bridge looking south
Planning History
1950s
Bankside House is originally built as office space
1994
LSE acquires Bankside House and converts it into student accommodation
2011
The site received planning permission for a two-floor extension, which would have added an additional 104 rooms – this application was not implemented
2024
LSE brings forward new plans for Bankside House