Printworks London: Updated plans to retain ‘cultural’ venue 🏭

London’s much-loved venue, boasting a 6,000-strong capacity, might be gearing up for a grand return to the nightlife scene by 2026, as property developers have laid out their ambitious plans to Southwark council.

British Land, alongside their partners at AustralianSuper,, have laid bare their proposal to transform the Rotherhithe site into a permanent cultural sanctuary, just over a year since the colossal club bid its farewell.

In a move that could herald a new era for the electronic music and arts scene, British Land and AustralianSuper are engaged in exclusive discussions with Broadwick, the driving force behind Printworks during its six-year reign under a temporary permit. 

The vision? A revamped venue, occupying one half of the site’s historic structure, with the other portion slated for offices accommodating a bustling 1,500-strong workforce and vibrant retail spaces.

Printworks is but a cog in British Land and AustralianSuper’s grand £6 billion Canada Water venture, spanning a sprawling 22 hectares south of the Thames’s bend, opposite the towering skyscrapers of Canary Wharf. 

The blueprint includes salvaging relics of the site’s printing past, with plans to integrate original equipment into the venue’s fabric, including a mammoth four-story press and ink lines. Additionally, a rooftop terrace and state-of-the-art meeting spaces will offer panoramic vistas of the revamped Press Halls.

Printworks’ illustrious six-year run under temporary consent saw it play host to a staggering array of events, from concerts to film shoots, even an immersive opera courtesy of the BBC Proms.

Before its curtain call last year, Printworks clinched the title of the world’s second-best music venue, trailing only behind Manchester’s famed Warehouse Project.

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Words: James John / Image Credit: British Land