Bouygues UK has secured planning for a near-2,000-bed student tower scheme behind Tate Modern in London.

Approval clears the path for a 2027 start on the LSE Bankside project, with the team now preparing a Gateway 2 submission on one of the capital’s largest student accommodation jobs.

Southwark council has backed plans to redevelop Bankside House at 24 Sumner Street, with Bouygues working alongside LSE and investor Equitix.

The project will replace the existing building with three linked towers rising 24, 26 and 28 storeys, delivering 1,945 rooms set around landscaped courtyards. Ground level will open up with new pedestrian routes, retail space and community uses.

Bouygues has steered the scheme from concept through planning and is now moving into detailed design and Building Safety Regulator approval.

Architects Carmody Groarke and Sheppard Robson are leading the design, with Montagu Evans advising on planning, heritage, viability and socioeconomics.

The development is central to LSE’s plan to grow its accommodation provision to 6,000 bed spaces by 2030, easing pressure on students relying on the private rental market.

It will be delivered as an all-electric scheme targeting BREEAM Excellent, with an aspiration for Outstanding, alongside Passivhaus-level energy performance and WELL-focused design.