We are sorry to announce that we have come to the end of the road on the Save Our Southbank campaign to stop one of the ugliest buildings ever proposed for London from being built.

The Waterloo community is grateful for the huge support we have enjoyed from people from London and beyond who recognise the importance of this prominent site on the South Bank. 

For five years we have questioned the validity of proposals which would not only wreck views across central London and some of our greatest listed buildings and the South Bank, but would destroy daylight in social housing adjacent whilst generating a tsunami of carbon emissions in its wasteful construction of office towers, without providing any of the 220 homes previously promised. 

Despite declaring a climate emergency and housing crisis, Lambeth Council nevertheless supported the scheme, as did the Mayor of London, before we managed to persuade the Secretary of State to call the application for a public inquiry. 

Thanks to the generosity of Londoners, we presented a slew of professional witnesses who gave evidence that the scheme was damaging to heritage, daylight, and the climate, whilst being plain ugly. Dozens of local people also gave testimony, along with Florence Eshalomi MP, Lady Hoey, and local councillors.  

In May 2023, Mr Gove received an Inspector’s report recommending approval but did not take a decision for ten months. Mr Gove disagreed with the Inspector about the impact on major heritage assets in the capital, including harm to Grade I listed Somerset House, the Royal National Theatre and finding that the new development “would not provide a positive contribution to the townscape of the South Bank.” 

Despite his significant misgivings, Michael Gove approved the controversial office towers in February 2024 following a letter to Rishi Sunak, then Prime Minister, from the chief executive of Mitsubishi, the developer and one of London’s major landowners. The letter reveals Mr Sunak was lobbied by Mr Atsushi Nakajima and held a “productive conversation” in 2023 when Sunak was in Japan for a G7 summit.

Following Mr Gove’s decision to approve the application, we attempted one final roll of the dice by initiating a legal challenge, which was brought by Save Our South Bank, a coalition of local opponents supported by the Twentieth Century Society and others, who argued that the decision was legally flawed and contradicted local and national priorities regarding both home building and reducing carbon. 

In December 2024, the High Court dismissed the legal challenge to Michael Gove’s decision to approve two towers on the South Bank, known as ‘The Slab’, despite the former Secretary of State’s misgivings about its environmental impact and harm to the character of the South Bank, and other areas of national significance. These misgivings were echoed by the judge in the High Court, Mr Justice Mould, who concluded in his decision:

“It may seem surprising that [Mr Gove] should find that a scheme which would not deliver an attractive development of this very prominent and sensitive site on the South Bank should nevertheless be given planning permission. That, however, is a matter for [Mr Gove’s] judgement as the planning decision maker in this case.” 

The Save Our South Bank petition was signed by you and over 6,000 people and the crowd fund appeal for the campaign legal costs raised many thousands of pounds. 

Michael Ball from Save Our South Bank said: 
“The High Court judgement is a huge disappointment for anyone who loves the River Thames and South Bank. It supports Michael Gove’s wayward approval of a building about which he had great misgivings and acknowledged would harm a string of buildings of national prominence. 

The decision reveals planning protections are flawed and have failed. The site is designated for mixed development including housing, and could provide over two hundred homes, but there is no housing, despite currently including buildings that lend themselves to conversion. The demolition and development will generate huge amounts of carbon, which is completely unnecessary. The Queen’s Walk is not designated for tall buildings but will now get one. And a string of buildings of national prominence will not be protected from harm. 

This is a devastating decision for the community, but it will be a disastrous decision for London if this wretched building is built. Unfortunately, there is nothing more we can do to avert that disaster" 

Catherine Croft, Director, Twentieth Century Society said: 
"This hugely disappointing decision gives the go-ahead to a universally derided development, which will cause irreversible damage to the unique modern heritage and dynamism of London's Southbank. 

 “This includes the fantastic National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, Waterloo Bridge, and IBM Building - all of which are nationally listed and much-loved post-war landmarks, now set to be overshadowed by the hulking monolith that is ‘the Slab.’ If we can’t get a decent, well-designed scheme for the most prominent riverside site on the Thames, then what hope is there for good new architecture anywhere else in the country?" 

Thank you for signing the petition and your continued support - it is much appreciated.

On behalf of the SOS Save Our South Bank action group