PATRIZIA and Fabrix launch Sustainable Communities London with GBP 100 million to repurpose urban spaces into housing and social infrastructure

PATRIZIA and Fabrix launch Sustainable Communities London with GBP 100 million to repurpose urban spaces into housing and social infrastructure

(IN BRIEF) PATRIZIA and Fabrix have launched Sustainable Communities London, a joint venture with over GBP 100 million in investment to tackle London’s housing shortages through sustainable and community-focused projects. The first scheme at 182-202 Walworth Road, Elephant & Castle, will repurpose a disused office building into 283 student beds, 23 social rent homes, retail units, a community garden, and a community kitchen. The development, which received planning approval in 2024, is designed to ease housing pressures by freeing up family homes currently occupied by students while delivering inclusive social spaces. The venture forms part of PATRIZIA’s wider Sustainable Communities strategy and expands its successful impact-driven housing model into London, supported by Fabrix’s expertise in adaptive reuse and urban regeneration.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 1-Sept-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — PATRIZIA, a leading investment manager in real assets, and Fabrix, a London-based real estate developer, have announced the launch of Sustainable Communities London (SC London), a joint venture dedicated to addressing London’s pressing housing crisis. Backed by more than GBP 100 million in investment capacity, the partnership aims to repurpose underused urban land and buildings into sustainable, community-driven housing solutions.

The first project under the new venture is already underway at 182-202 Walworth Road in Elephant & Castle, where a disused 1980s office block is being transformed into a mixed-use, student-focused and socially inclusive development. Once complete, the scheme will deliver 283 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) beds, 23 affordable social rent homes, 5,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a 6,200 sq. ft. community garden, and a 2,600 sq. ft. community kitchen designed to bring local residents together through shared food preparation and dining.

With unanimous planning consent granted in November 2024, the development exemplifies how innovative design can unlock wider housing capacity. By providing hundreds of student beds, the scheme could release more than 100 family homes currently occupied by students living in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). This approach directly contributes to easing pressure on London’s strained family housing market.

The joint venture is underpinned by PATRIZIA’s Sustainable Communities platform, which has already delivered impact-driven housing solutions across Ireland, the UK, Belgium, and Spain. This expansion into London marks a significant step in the platform’s mission to create long-term social and environmental value through responsible urban regeneration.

Marleen Bekkers, Fund Manager of PATRIZIA Sustainable Communities, emphasized the partnership’s importance: “This project demonstrates how institutional capital can be aligned with impact goals to provide high-quality homes while tackling acute housing shortages. Working with Fabrix, we are setting new benchmarks for social inclusion and sustainability in London.”

Clive Nichol, CEO and Founder of Fabrix, added: “Collaborating with PATRIZIA gives us the scale to deliver transformative projects like Walworth Road. By focusing on PBSA and Co-Living, we are unlocking opportunities to relieve pressure on family housing while creating vibrant, resilient communities.”

The Elephant & Castle project reflects the area’s ongoing regeneration and illustrates how SC London intends to scale its approach across the capital. Future developments will build on this model, providing affordable homes, alternative living options, and community facilities that deliver tangible benefits for Londoners.

PATRIZIA: Investment manager for international smart real assets

PATRIZIA has been providing investment opportunities in smart real assets for institutional, semi-professional, and private investors for more than 40 years, focusing on real estate and infrastructure. PATRIZIA’s investment solutions are driven by the “DUEL” megatrends – digital, urban, energy and living transitions – and capitalise on the opportunities arising from these transformative global shifts. PATRIZIA currently has approximately EUR 56bn in assets under management (AUM) and employs around 900 professionals across 26 locations worldwide.

PATRIZIA has been committed to making a positive impact since its founding. In 1992, the company began collaborating closely with Bunter Kreis (“Colourful Circle”) in Germany to provide aftercare for children with severe diseases. Since 1999, the PATRIZIA Foundation has provided more than 750,000 children and young people worldwide with access to education, healthcare and a safe home, enabling them to live a better, self-determined live.

Fabrix

Fabrix is a multi-award-winning development and investment partner, specialising in bringing value to underutilised and overlooked urban spaces. Founded in 2016, our pioneering platform creates healthy, desirable places that are future-proofed and economically robust for the ever-changing urban landscape.

Our work is driven by three core strategies – living, workplace and regeneration – applying experience, curiosity and creativity to deliver projects that prioritise reuse, community and sustainability. To date, Fabrix has developed and secured planning permission for over 1m sq. ft. across the UK and Europe, ranging from individual buildings to major mixed-use masterplans, with a 100% planning track record that reflects our distinctive approach to engagement.

Recent schemes include Bromley by Bow Industrial Park, setting a new standard for how ultra-urban industry can integrate with the urban fabric; Bow Bells, the strategic repositioning of a landmark City of London office; and The Bottle Factory, a bold reuse-led transformation breathing new energy into an overlooked building. Other award-winning projects include Atelier Gardens in Berlin, a six-acre impact campus for media and sustainability.

Fabrix is UKREiiF’s Developer of the Year 2023, the recipient of two MIPIM awards in 2023 for Best New Development and Best Urban Regeneration Project, and Property Week’s Commercial Developer of the Year 2022.

https://www.fabrix.london

Media Contact:

Matthew Richards
Phone: +44 7471 999746
Email: Matthew.Richards(at)patrizia.ag

SOURCE: PATRIZIA