Southwark Councils planning committee approved the plans yesterday (5 March) for developer Helical and Transport for Londons (TfLs) property company, Places for London.Submitted in September, AHMMs scheme features a part-nine and part-15-storey building providing affordable homes and student accommodation.It includes 44 affordable units in the shorter block and 429 student bedrooms in the taller building, with retail or caf use on the ground floor facing Blackfriars Road and the Cut.AdvertisementAHMM's student development is two storeys shorter than the 26,500m2 office-led scheme that won planning consent in 2021 but went undelivered. That 17-storey proposal was also backed by Helical and TfL, which retained the practice on the project to rework the scheme last year.Like the 2021 plans, the scheme retains the existing Southwark station entrance, designed in 1999 by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard for the Jubilee Line extension.Historic England has confirmed to the AJ that it has completed its assessment of a listing for the station, which will be sent to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for a final decision. The governments heritage watchdog rejected the ticket hall for statutory listing in 2017. Source:Peter Durant via AJ Buildings LibrarySouthwark Underground Station by MJP Architects (1999)AHMM said in the latest planning documents that the new development would require the station to remain operational, therefore no major changes are involved.Campaigners had raised concerns as early as 2017 about AHMMs early feasibility proposals for a 30-storey building, which would require stronger foundations possibly affecting Richard MacCormacs station design.AdvertisementUnder the previous scheme, Bell Phillips would have delivered new homes on the site of the now-demolished Styles House. However, the AJ reported in December 2023 that, despite consent and clearance work, the scheme had been either paused, delayed or cancelled by Southwark Council.AHMM will instead deliver the affordable units on the same site as the above-station development.AHMM director Philip Turner said: The Southwark over-station development will be a significant new local landmark at a busy junction. Led by our clients Helical and Places for London, and working closely with Heyne Tillett Steel, our design seeks to make the most of this long-standing opportunity site while addressing the complexities of its location above the tube station. Source:Hayes DavidsonAHMM's 2021 consented design for an office on Southwark station, with the white outline of a residential tower by Bell Phillips ArchitectsThis project will deliver student housing, retail space, and public realm improvements, in addition to a significant amount of affordable housing for the local community.Places for London says there are 93,700 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) bedrooms in Greater London, meaning there are two-and-a-half times as many students as PBSA beds.News of a redesign on the above-station development first appeared last summer, when a a report to TfLs land and property committee said project backers had recommended redesigning the scheme as a mixed-use PBSA and affordable housing scheme, rather than the office block.A project timeline has not yet been given.