British Land submits plans to open permanent venue at Printworks
British Land, in collaboration with super fund AustralianSuper, has submitted a planning application to open a permanent cultural venue at Printworks within its Canada Water development.
Since opening in 2017, Printworks welcomed over 2.5 million visitors, 300 music concerts, 200 film shoots, and hundreds of cultural events.
The venue closed its doors last summer.
The new application aims to create a flexible leisure and cultural destination within the Canada Water Masterplan, expanding on the success of the meanwhile use venue. The permanent venue is set to occupy one half of the existing building, with the remainder hosting sustainable retail and working spaces – known as The Grand Press.
The designs look to maintain the building’s volume and character whilst also creating a modern and sustainable venue.
The new Printworks – which is scheduled to reopen in 2026 – will feature four new key cultural spaces, including:
- The retention of the world-renowned Press Halls, which will host music events, concerts, art exhibitions, and corporate events
- A rooftop leisure and cultural space, to provide an area for performance, rehearsals, product launches or curated talks
- The Inkwells: A performance space for immersive exhibitions, multi-disciplinary art shows and intimate music events
- New suites with views of the Press Halls, offering spaces for meetings, conferences, events, and corporate hospitality
Emma Cariaga, joint head of Canada Water at British Land, said: “We want to deliver a permanent world-class cultural venue at Printworks that builds on its globally acclaimed legacy. Combining the best of the capital’s culture with next generation workspace at The Grand Press will create an unrivalled experiential destination, which generations will benefit from for years to come.
“Printworks had a tremendous impact on the UK’s cultural landscape, and its popularity over the past six years has demonstrated how important this multi-dimensional venue is to Londoners and visitors from all over the world who were drawn to its cutting-edge programming. We’re extremely proud to be the stewards of this important cultural destination, and we look forward to progressing our plans to deliver the new Printworks as part of our wider Canada Water masterplan.”
AustralianSuper’s head of real assets for Europe, Paul Clark, added: “Printworks will be a cultural centre piece to a major placemaking project that reflects both the long-term nature of AustralianSuper’s capital and our ongoing commitment to London and the UK.
“We believe this strategic project will provide long-term benefits to AustralianSuper members, as well as enhancing the cultural offering at Canada Water and contributing positively to the local community.”