Media & Insights

Urban meadow on top of a shopping centre at the heart of plans for town centre transformation in Lewisham, South London

4 November 2024

Landsec’s regeneration arm, LandsecU+I, has submitted a hybrid planning application to reimagine a 1970s shopping centre into a new town centre district for Lewisham. If consented, the 17-acre masterplan will deliver 1,700 new homes alongside 445 co-living residences and up to 660 student beds, progressing Landsec’s pipeline of residential-led opportunities in the capital. The new district will be set around eight-acres of accessible green space and public realm, including an urban meadow which sits at the heart of the masterplan.

Landsec has been part of Lewisham for over 20 years as the owners of Lewisham Shopping Centre. The proposals have been shaped in collaboration with over 3,000 people living and working in the borough. 

Plans to transform Lewisham Shopping Centre have been designed to prioritise the retention of the existing centre where possible, allowing it to remain open for the local community and for development to be delivered in discrete incremental phases. By reinventing the existing structure, Landsec will also take a less carbon-intensive path to realising Lewisham Town Centre’s potential as a residential-led neighbourhood.

On top of a reimagined shopping centre will be a pedestrianised high street lined with restaurants, cafes and bars, creating more choice for locals and new opportunities for brands. A 500-person live music venue will meet continued demand for best-in-class experiences and support Lewisham’s buzzing cultural scene.

The masterplan, designed by SEW, will enhance access to nature and open public space with over 300 new trees and three new town squares across eight acres. The meadow, a new public park, will sit at the heart of the new district and include wildflower planting to boost biodiversity and meet demand for quality green space across the city.

Mike Hood, CEO of Landsec U+I said: “This submission marks an important milestone to create a new green centre for Lewisham. A place that people will love, that brings immense social and economic change, thousands of much-needed homes, and a beautiful green meadow on top of a revived shopping centre.

“For the last 20 years our team has been embedded within the community and I'm delighted that we were able to create this vision with thousands of people in Lewisham through one of our most extensive public engagement programmes.”

As part of its broader strategy, Landsec is preparing a pipeline of residential-led opportunities that offer flexibility on future commitments. These neighbourhoods are designed to provide an attractive mix of returns through income generation, development upside, and medium-term growth. The balanced risk profile of these mixed-use products, combined with flexible phasing, ensures sustainable and resilient development.