America Street SE1, a lesser known backstreet that runs between Great Guildford Street and Southwark Bridge Road in London’s Bankside, is set to be transformed through a £500,000 project delivered by local Business Improvement District (BID) Better Bankside in partnership with Southwark Council, with funding support from the Cross River Partnership through the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund.
The small street, currently an underused and overlooked thoroughfare, will be transformed into a beautiful, pocket-sized green space for the local community and businesses when the project launches. Fully pedestrianised and filled with lush, climate-resilient planting, the redesigned street will also welcome new lifestyle businesses into its Victorian railway arches, helping to increase footfall and support the local economy. America Street is expected to become a vibrant new local green hub connecting residents, workers and visitors to independent businesses as they enjoy one of London’s best views of The Shard.
Pedestrianised pocket of climate-resilient green
At the heart of the scheme is the creation of three new climate-resilient rain gardens designed to manage excess surface water, sustainable drainage and support biodiversity. This forms part of Better Bankside’s wider ambition to create greener, healthier and more climate resilient public spaces across the neighbourhood.
Three beautiful rain gardens are planned for the street to capture and absorb the increasing levels of rainfall which pose a flooding risk to urban environments like Bankside.These gardens will be filled with plants that aim to increase biodiversity, encourage pollinating insects and help restore nature in Bankside.
The scheme is being designed around an innovative sustainable drainage system, using a specialist substrate made from crushed concrete mixed with compost, sand and grit to improve water management and encourage deeper, stronger root growth. Influenced by leading ecological planting approaches pioneered by landscape designer Nigel Dunnett, native species will make up more than 50 percent of the planting design, alongwith early-flowering bulbs for pollinators, woven layers of grasses, perennial planting and birch trees that support hundreds of insect species. Habitat creation is central to the project, with integrated habitat structures being explored as part of the planter design to support biodiversity from the outset rather than as an afterthought.
Clean air and healthier streets
America Street is a forerunner to Southwark Council’s “Streets for People” programme, a borough-wide initiative focused on creating cleaner, greener and safer streets between 2025 and 2030.
The project has also received support from the Greater London Authority’s Air Quality Fund through Cross River Partnership’s “Healthy Streets Everyday” programme, which aims to improve air quality by reducing traffic and increasing opportunities for walking and cycling.
As part of the development, air quality monitoring technology will be installed to help Better Bankside and its partners better understand environmental conditions and measure the long-term impact of interventions designed to reduce pollution and encourage active and low-carbon travel. America Street is part of wider incremental, street-level improvements needed to create a healthier and cleaner London.
New businesses to boost trade and footfall
As part of the transformation, several new lifestyle businesses will be joining America Street, breathing new life into the restored Victorian railway arches which form part of the wider Low Line development[1]. It is hoped the renovation of the street will allow these new and existing businesses to thrive by boosting footfall to the area.
These include:
FLAV’R – a bar, street food and nightlife venue
Mustard – bakery and fresh sandwich maker
Franke Coffee – a new store and coffee outlet
Pace Club – a lifestyle-led training destination offering HYROX, cardio and endurance classes alongside open gym sessions
The businesses will join existing commercial tenants already operating on the street, and, alongwith the pedestrianised scheme, are expected to increase footfall and revenue.
Of the project, Nicole Gordon, CEO of Better Bankside said; “The transformation of America Street is a powerful example of how Better Bankside is delivering on our five-year vision to make Bankside stronger, greener and happier for everyone who lives, works and visits here.
“This project will create a greener, more welcoming public space that improves the everyday experience of our neighbourhood. Coinciding with the opening of a diverse mix of businesses, America Street forms a new ‘stop’ on the Low Line, an urban regeneration initiative bringing life to the Victorian railway viaduct.”
Project facts and figures
Total investment: £500,000
Additional support: The Cross River Partnership through the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund and “Healthy Streets Everyday” programme
Total area of new, improved public space: 300 square metres
Greening: 50 Square Metres of new rain garden planting including three new trees
Planting timings: Planting due to be completed in October 2026.
Main contractor: FM Conway
Public realm and landscape design: JA Projects and Southwark Council
Key project outcomes include:
· Improving air quality by removing traffic
Improved walking,cycling and wheeling routes
Increased greening and biodiversity
New seating, landscaping and public realm improvements
Improved drainage and climate resilience
Air quality monitoring
Activation of railway arches and Low Line public space
Support for independent food, beverage and wellness businesses
Creation of a new, welcoming and safe community space
Details of America Street planting:
Top Layer & Evergreen
· Betula pendula (Native)
· Ruscus aculeatus (Native)
Middle Layer
· Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii
· Euphorbia amygdaloides (Native)
· Eupatorium cannabinum (Native)
· Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
Lower Layer
· Heuchera americana
· Achillea ‘Coronation Gold’
· Geranium sanguineum (Native)
· Alchemilla mollis
Native Bulbs
· Narcissus pseudonarcissus
· Allium ursinum
· Fritillaria meleagris
· Galanthus nivalis (not true native)
