Leathermarket Street Southwark homes, South London mixed-use development, UK housing architecture images

Leathermarket Street mixed-use development in Southwark

19 February 2026

Architects: dMFK Architects

Location: Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom

images: dMFK Architects

Leathermarket Street in Southwark, South London

Planning permission has been granted for a six-storey mixed-use development at 26 Leathermarket Street in Southwark, delivering 26 new homes, all at 100% social rent, alongside new resident-facing office and community workspace for Leathermarket Joint Management Board (JMB), the borough’s largest resident-managed housing organisation.

Designed by dMFK, the scheme has been brought forward by client Leathermarket Community Benefit Society (CBS) and governed by a resident-led Board of volunteer directors working in close partnership with Leathermarket JMB.

The development will replace existing two-storey office accommodation with approximately 3,000 sqft of new, tenant-focused workspace at ground-floor level, including meeting rooms to support day-to-day engagement with residents. Above, the scheme will deliver a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, all let at social rent levels, to ensure they are genuinely affordable and provide long-term security for families in need.

Located within the Bermondsey Street Conservation Area, the proposals have been developed to respond sensitively to their surroundings while addressing acute local housing need.

Tom Smith, Associate Director at dMFK Architects, said:
“The massing aligns with neighbouring buildings along Leathermarket Street, with a recessed sixth storey designed to reduce visual impact at street level. The architectural approach draws on the language of nearby historic warehouse buildings, using a regular masonry grid, inset balconies, and a restrained palette of brickwork to balance contextual character with contemporary design.”

Accessibility and inclusive design are embedded throughout the scheme, including level access, evacuation lifts for dignified escape, wheelchair-accessible homes and generous private external amenity space.

At its heart, the project reflects the shared resident-led ethos of Leathermarket CBS and Leathermarket JMB, translated into the design by dMFK, with a focus on delivering long-term, genuinely affordable homes and well-designed facilities that support the needs of local residents.

The project team was appointed in 2020 through Southwark Council’s LHC Architecture Design Services Framework following a competitive mini-competition process. Design development has taken place over several years, informed by consultation, technical assessment and planning scrutiny, with strategic oversight provided by the resident-led CBS Board.

Liam McGrath, Director of Leathermarket CBS, said:
“This scheme delivers 26 new homes at 100% social rent, providing genuinely affordable housing that Southwark urgently needs. With more than 20,000 people waiting for a secure home, we welcome the Planning Committee’s careful and considered decision, reached after listening to local concerns and securing planning conditions to address them.”

By combining new social rent housing with enhanced workspace for resident-managed services, the development embodies the resident-led ethos of both organisations, delivering long-term security and high-quality facilities that directly serve the local community.

Leathermarket Street mixed-use development in Southwark – Building Information

Client: Leathermarket CBS
Architect: dMFK Architects – https://dmfk.co.uk/
Planning Advisors: Tibbalds
Heritage & Townscape Consultant: Tibbalds
Highways Consultant: Elliott Wood
Daylight & Sunlight Consultant: Right of Light Consulting
Fire Strategy Consultant: Hoare Lea / Mars
MEP, Energy, Sustainability & Drainage Consultant: XCO2
Quantity Surveyor: Playle and Partners
Landscape Architect: Anna French Associates
Air Quality & Noise Consultant: XCO2

About dMFK Architects
Founded by three friends from architecture school, dMFK has grown over 25 years into a multi-award-winning practice of around 60 architects and interior designers. The AJ100 studio is known for creating beautiful buildings to live, work and gather in – characterful, timeless places that people truly cherish. Every project begins as a conversation, helping to pinpoint the architectural need and ensuring interior design and architecture work in harmony. By considering everything, from the foundations to the perfect door handle, dMFK creates joined-up, human spaces that make moving through your day feel natural, important, spectacular.

Awards include: Architizer A+Awards Commercial Firm of the Year 2025, RIBA London Award 2025 for Chancery House, Civic Trust Award 2025 for Brewers’ Hall, Mix Interiors Design Practice of the Year 2024, Building Design Office Architect of the Year 2024, Mix Awards Project of the Year 2024 for Chancery House, Dezeen Award Workplace Interior of the Year 2024 for Chancery House.

About Leathermarket Community Benefit Society (CBS)
Leathermarket Community Benefit Society is a resident-led organisation established to deliver genuinely affordable homes and community-focused development across the Leathermarket area in Southwark, London. Working closely with Leathermarket JMB, Southwark Council and other local partners, the CBS develops new housing projects that respond directly to the needs of local people. Led by a Board made up primarily of residents, the CBS champions a community-first approach to development and has delivered 67 social rent homes to date across completed schemes at Marklake Court and Joseph Lancaster Terrace, alongside shared amenity and community space.

In addition, the CBS has recently secured planning permission to deliver a further 60 social rent homes across the Leathermarket area, including the 26 homes at Leathermarket Street, supporting long-term neighbourhood sustainability through resident-led, genuinely affordable housing.
For further information see: Home | Leathermarket CBS

About Leathermarket JMB
Leathermarket JMB is a Tenant Management Organisation running 1600 homes over 5 estates between Tower Bridge and London Bridge in South East London.

Run by residents for residents, they are the first self-financed TMO in the country and are constantly trying to push the boundaries of what we can do to deliver better services and a better place to live.
For further information see: https://leathermarketjmb.org.uk

Renders: dMFK Architects

Leathermarket Street, Southwark, London mixed-use development images / information received 190226

Location: Southwark, London, England, United Kingdom