Institute of Optometry to be demolished to make way for housing development

The Institute of Optometry will be demolished in order to pave the way for a new housing development, it was confirmed this week.

The decision to approve a 44-storey tower block, as part of the mixed-use redevelopment of an area that also includes the Mercato Metropolitano food hall, was made during a Southwark Council Planning Committee meeting on 26 March.

It means the Institute of Optometry, which opened on the site as the London Refraction Hospital in 1922, will need to find a new home in the near future.

A business relocation fund of £200,000 will be provided to support businesses, including the Institute of Optometry, in the transition to a new site.

The fund was originally £137,000, but was increased after engagement meetings with traders at Mercato Metropolitano.

The Borough Triangle Development, a scheme from site owners Berkeley Homes, will provide 892 flats, plus 1780 square metres of public space.

Development of the site will begin within the next three years, although an exact timeline is yet to be confirmed.

Original plans to redevelop the area surrounding Institute of Optometry were submitted in 2022.

Berkeley Homes then purchased the Institute of Optometry building, before a new application covering a larger area was submitted on 3 July 2024.

Labour-controlled Southwark Council approved the plans, with four councillors voting in favour and three voting against.

The Institute of Optometry is a locally listed building, and an objection was previously received from the Southwark Conservation Area Advisory Group on the grounds of heritage and conservation.

“The demolition of locally listed buildings [Institute of Optometry and partial demolition of 83 Borough Road] would cause harm to nearby conservation areas, undermining Southwark’s historic character,” the group noted.

Before the plans were approved, 330 objections had been received, along with 13 in support.

The Institute of Optometry is an independent charity that provides eye care and conducts clinical research. It has offered post-graduate training and education since 1988, including a doctor of optometry programme in conjunction with the neighbouring London Southbank University.

The planning documents estimate that 25 employees work at the site currently.

The plan has been granted subject to legal agreement. Development will begin within the next three years, in accordance with planning and building laws.

The Institute of Optometry has been contacted for comment.