Pop Brixton to become flats in proposed plans

Vibey shipping container monstrosity come social hub and street food centre Pop Brixton’s near-field future is in doubt. Plans for the development of the site on which it sits have been submitted.

Developer London Square proposes to turn the site and nearby areas into four tower blocks, up to 20 storeys tall.

Think this is bad news? Pop Brixton has actually lasted far longer than was originally envisioned. It opened in 2015, with the intent to run the space for just three years.

While it has become part of the personality of Brixton’s centre, no space made of upcycled shipping containers is going to stand forever.

A consultation on the initial proposal launched in August, detailing the plan to turn 49 Brixton Station Road — where Pop Brixton is found — and 6 Canterbury Crescent into a series of tower blocks.

Should the plans go ahead, these four towers will include 288 new homes. And 40 per cent, judged by number of bedrooms total, will be social housing.

The blocks will also have room for shops and so on, at ground level, but it’s unlikely we’ll see anything like the personality of Pop Brixton in these leviathans.

However, fans of the space may be surprised to hear Pop Brixton has also been in the red since it launched. Its backers The Collective went into administration in 2021. And the space almost collapsed again in 2024 when the current operators went into administration once more.

And according to a freedom of information request filed by Brixton Buzz, Lambeth council has not received any rent for the site since it opened a decade ago.

Pop Brixton remains open and alive for now, though, with a bunch of events schedule for the next few weeks. These include a JINKY X Cure festival on New Year’s Eve and a From The Jump party on December 27th.

Among Pop Brixton's more recent food spots is Pizzarova, which makes a banging sourdough pizza including a seasonal special inspired by Christmas dinner. Toppings include stuffing crumb, serrano ham, gravy drizzle, truffle manchego, cranberry hot honey and rosemary. Bold.

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