Council and developers agree to secure new LGBTQ+ cultural space in Bankside Yards

9 January 2020

Southwark Council has announced it has signed an agreement with developers Ludgate House Ltd to identify and secure a space for the local LGBTQ+ community at the forthcoming Bankside Yards development.

The new, signed Memorandum of Understanding shows both parties have agreed to ensure  an LGBTQ+ occupier is offered  space in the arches that form part of the Bankside Yards office, residential, retail and leisure development in Blackfriars. The site had previously been home to Pulse Nightclub that hosted the XXL club night.

The new occupier will be expected to provide a broad range of benefits to the local LGBTQ+ community including a safe and inclusive place to meet and socialise, promoting cultural and wellbeing activities and providing support and advice to the most vulnerable members of the community.

Cllr Johnson Situ, Cabinet Member for Growth, Development and Planning, said: “At Southwark we are incredibly proud of our diverse borough. We always said that we would make sure the new development offered a space for our LGBTQ+ community.

“While the new space will not be a like for like replacement, this agreement ensures it will provide a safe place for people to meet, socialise and celebrate the diverse LGBTQ+ population in our borough. We will continue to work with the LGBT+ community to ensure this space and future spaces meet the needs of the community.”

Night Czar, Amy Lamé, said: “Having worked closely with Southwark Council, I am delighted that this new agreement will secure a much needed dedicated space for the LGBTQ+ community. The Mayor and I are committed to ensuring LGBTQ+ Londoners feel that they have a home in the capital. This includes protecting and encouraging the creation of safe spaces where they are free to be themselves.

“Preserving cultural space in this new development has been a key priority particularly as the area has been such a popular part of the city’s LGBTQ+ life. I look forward to working with the LGBTQ+ community, alongside Southwark Council and Native Land, to identify an operator for the new space which should be inclusive for the whole community.”

Native Land, part of the Bankside Yards consortium, said on behalf of site owners Ludgate House Ltd: “We are keen to work with Southwark Council, the GLA and the community to incorporate this new amenity into the Bankside Yards cultural and community offer, complementing the new riverside neighbourhood we are delivering.”

The space is due to be delivered towards the end of 2022.

Page last updated: 09 January 2020