Huge building site Long Lane

Hi all,

does anyone know what the plans are for this huge building site on the corner Long Lane / Tower Bridge Road?

Thanks
londonmate

That's the Bermondsey Square development.

In a nutshell - flats, offices, a restaurant, a small supermarket, a hotel and a 60-seat digital community cinema set around a market square for the antiques market as well as other events/markets.

This page gives you links to some previous news items and forum discussions that mention Bermondsey Square:
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/venue/224/bermondsey-square

It's yet another huge new building on top of one of the most important archaeological sites in London!

Not quite on top.

The base of one of the towers on the Abbey is higher than the floor level planned for a restaurant. At the open day the archeologists said this would come through the floor into the building!

This was the site of the first parliament in England, I believe, going back to Henry I or II. I have seen tower blocks come and go, hopefully the same will happen to these.

Unfortunately I understand that there is not a huge amount left to see, because the site has been progressively chopped up by Long Lane and various buildings down the years, some of the stone being used elsewhere.

Alan, would you be wishing the original antiques market to disappear if the site had not been re-developed?

I also understand that there was a petrol station on the site which damaged the ruins...

Personally, I welcome the Bermondsey Square development and am excited about the effect it will have on the area.

Chris

Having lived in Bermondsey Square for ten years throughout the eighties I personally would have been very happy if it had returned to the Caledonian Road whence it came. Personally I dont think it right to have ten storey buildings in that location regardless of the Abbey site. However I'm just an old fashioned sort of guy!

In other cities archeological sites are displayed and specially lit. New buildings are either on stilts above or have windows for viewinig the ruins. Why doesn't london do this? Or is it southwark council?

Because the whole city would have to be on stilts!