Bermondsey Square development 'topped out'

The completed Bermondsey Square development will include 54 new homes both for sale and for rent or shared ownership. A large public square will be the new home for the Bermondsey Antique Market.

The development by Igloo Regeneration also features a sixty seat arthouse cinema (to be run by Rob Wray of Shortwave Films, founder of Elefest), restaurant and wine bar, boutique hotel, food store and office space.

The 80-room hotel – set to open in autumn 2008 – will be called The Bermondsey Square and will be run by Bespoke Hotels, the firm behind Home House in Portman Square.

The hotel will feature a bar, 'bistroteque' with wine shop and deli, conference facilities, and – say the operators – a "Moroccan roof cum terrace-garden style banqueting area".

"This strengthens the council's commitment to affordable housing, while the cinema is an exciting addition to a flourishing new residential quarter for north Southwark," says Cllr Richard Thomas, executive member for regeneration.

"Providing a new home in the heart of Bermondsey for the antiques market is a key priority, and that, along with the cinema, will further support what is already a great local community."

The Bermondsey Square development stands above the remains of Bermondsey Abbey. Some of the ruins will be visible through a glass floor in the new restaurant unit.

• www.bermondseysquare.co.uk