Southwark Council has approved plans to house a set of ancient Roman mosaics and a mausoleum in permanent spaces open to the public.
Construction workers first unearthed the “extremely rare” ancient features in February 2022 while working on the Liberty of Southwark development in Borough.
Developer Landsec now has permission to keep the mosaics and mausoleum on-site, housed in “accessible” spaces.
Experts say the site was once a tomb for wealthy Romans and that the mausoleum is the most intact example ever found in Britain.
Southwark councillors unanimously approved the application at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, January 31.
While the office-led Liberty of Southwark scheme received planning permission in 2020, Landsec needed fresh approval for its latest plans.
Objectors and councillors questioned a host of other changes being made as part of the latest application, including increases to building heights and a loss of housing.
Office-led buildings were already set to have 21,197sqm of floorspace and now three buildings will increase by a storey.
Whereas 15 Southwark Street was going to house the 36 residential units, the building will now be retail-office use.
34 of those residential units will be provided elsewhere on the site – a loss of two units.
However, as two private units have been scrapped, the 50 per cent affordable housing provision remains as planned.
A spokesperson for the Bankside Village Association spoke against the proposals.
She said: “The increase in height will skew and damage the views in and out of this conservation area as well as in this historic borough of Southwark.”
She also said the methods of housing the artefacts were “unimaginative” and highlighted the loss of housing.
Janet Kidner, Development Director at Landsec, said delays caused by the archaeological finds were the reason for increasing buildings’ heights and massing.
She said: “We love the archaeology but it has brought delays to our scheme so we need to look at ways to get a bit more floorspace although recognising the sensitive nature of the area.”
Sophie Jackson from the Museum of London Archaeology addressed concerns about displaying the Roman finds.
She said the mosaics and some of the artefacts would be displayed in a community space “open to community groups”.
Jackson said the “spectacular mausoleum” would be housed in a “pavilion which is fully accessible” and “beautifully lit”.
Kidner said exact details around the accessibility of these spaces would be hammered out at a later stage.
She said the “ambition” was to have it “open”, “accessible” and free for the public to enjoy.