Canada Water: Printworks change goes to consultation

Developers British Land and Australian Super have proposed a change to the Canada Water masterplan at the site of old Printworks building.

The building at Harmworth Quays, Rotherhithe opened as a printing works for the Daily Mail in 1989, and continued in use until 2012.

It later became a vast electronic music venue, with capacity for up to 6,000 people.

The building has now been partially demolished, with the frame of the old Press Halls retained.

The developers have applied to change from their former plan of mixed use development of office, retail, and culture and leisure space, into just culture and leisure.

They are undertaking public consultation before submitting the changes to Southwark Council for approval.

The previous proposal was for a mixed use office and cultural buildings spanning the plots H1 and H2.

The revised proposal creates a larger cultural space, but shrinks the overall footprint across the two plots, leaving a ‘future plot H1’ visible in the proposal documents.

The documents note that this could be developed separately in the future, although whether and when is unknown.

Iconic spaces within the building, the Press Halls and Inkwell, are retained, with a new roof terrace and other flexible spaces added.

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A good (and soundproofed) neighbour?

The original cultural use of the Printworks, the eponymous nightlife venue, closed in 2023 for the redevelopment.

The building had capacity for 6,000 people and opened in 2017. At the time of opening, it was surrounded mostly by parking lots and warehouses. The new venue will be surrounded by housing, with the current version of the masterplan set to deliver as many as 3,700 new homes.

The proposal documents note: “The soundproofing of the new building will be significantly upgraded to keep the noise from events contained and minimise any disruption to nearby homes and workspaces. The location of entrances and queues has also been carefully considered to minimise any disruption to neighbouring properties.”

 Music venues near homes have been subject to complaints, and government legislation is planned to make developers responsible for soundproofing new homes near to existing venues.

However, it is unclear to what extent the already built housing surrounding the plot has been built with soundproofing. 

The Music Venue Trust’s 2025 Annual Report stated that 6% venue closures were due to noise abatement orders  and 14% due to eviction and redevelopment.

Noise complaints have been a source of worry for other venues in South East London.

Sister Midnight, who are preparing to launch a music venue in the old Brookdale Club in Catford, requested stronger protections from Lewisham council against complaints from future residents of the new development at Thomas Lane.

Lenny Watson, co-founder of Sister Midnight said: "I have seen venues in the borough decimated by noise complaints being upheld, and then abatements being put in place and they can’t operate and it impacts them severely financially.

"We are not a commercial business, we are a community organisation and we wouldn’t be able to weather a storm like that."

 Delay to return of nightlife

At the time of closing, Broadwick, the operator of the Printworks venue, was optimistic they would return three years later in 2025.

Having initially been granted the use of the space on a temporary basis by British Land, they later negotiated a continued partnership in the new masterplan.

Broadwick has not been left without a venue in Canada Water entirely. Corner Corner opened last year in the now mostly disused Surrey Quays shopping centre, painted a bright green, with Broadwick curating weekend music and cultural events, and another organisation in charge of the food hall.

Around 450 homes have been completed in phase 1 of the masterplan, including 79 social rent homes built for Southwark council.

For Canada Water's new residents, Corner Corner complements the library and leisure centre that have also been built.

A recent look at Corner Corner’s listings show no events after 9 pm.

Reductions in affordable housing

The proposed revisions may come as a relief for neighbours who received a flier through their door saying changes were afoot.

The previous change by the developers to the Canada Water Masterplan was to reduce the amount of affordable housing to 9%, the application was approved by City Hall in March 2026.

Jed Holloway of Southwark Law Centre described the approval as setting a "dangerous precedent" for future regeneration schemes.

Councillor Helen Dennis, Southwark's then Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development said:

"Affordable housing is a priority for Southwark and is a key part of any new development in the borough.

"The ambition at Canada Water is equivalent to that of a ‘New Town’, to create diverse retail, new jobs, excellent facilities for local residents like the new leisure centre, and 3,000 new homes contributing to the housing that Southwark needs.

“The affordable housing proposed in the next phase of Canada Water is a huge disappointment ..

"We intend to maximise the review mechanisms available to us to increase the social rented homes delivered, should viability improve, so that we can deliver the homes that our community deserve.”

Another amended scheme which reduced affordable housing, further south at the Aylesham Centre in Peckham, was rejected by the government's planning inspector this week.

The plans had also seen a sharp reduction in affordable housing since the original application. The developer's appeal was refused on heritage grounds.

You can feedback on the Canada Water Printworks revised proposal here.

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