South bank tower at Bankside Yards rising up to 50 storeys

A tower under construction as part of Bankside Yards is now making its mark over the capital.

The £2.5bn project beside Blackfriars Bridge will open up 14 rail arches upon completion and bring 700 flats and additional office space

Opus is the name given for the tower which will reach 50 storeys in height upon completion. A total of nine buildings will be built in all.

Tall buildings on the rise here are creating a mini cluster in the area with the 1972 Southbank tower – extended a decade ago – a short distance away.

In between sits One Blackfriars which completed construction in 2018.

An earlier, shorter building at Blackfriars Yards completed in 2022.

A couple at a nearby block are currently suing the site’s developer claiming the office tower blocks their light.

They live in a 1999 block, which was built closer to already-existing homes than the office block is to the 1999 development. Questions have also been asked as to who moves into a tall building in the middle of a major world city then complains when a block is built nearby.

Emerging clusters

The above render shows other emergent clusters south of the Thames not too far away Waterloo, Battersea and Nine Elms.

Elephant and Castle isn’t too far away either while London Bridge sits shortly to the east and a further two towers are under construction there.

Heading further east and tall blocks are rising in Bermondsey, while Canada Water is also getting in on the act.

Further south and after many years of talk a fair few blocks and developments are now underway along the Old Kent Road.

Add them all together and views across London south of the river will change significantly in coming years.