Pearl Yard is delivered on a Southwark street where 6.2 percent of residents are out of work. Here is what happens when a developer commits to putting locals first.

Pearl Yard occupies the long-dormant site of the Peek Frean Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey SE16 - a brownfield plot that had been off the map for decades. The name itself is drawn from the first biscuit ever baked on that original site. From the day of acquisition, 1,600 homes rose in three years: a construction pace that placed the scheme among the fastest large-scale build-to-rent completions in London.

The development is owned by the Fizzy Bermondsey consortium and managed on site by Greystar Group. First homes were handed over on 27 November 2025, with the next phase open for residents from January 2026. Alongside the homes, Pearl Yard delivers roughly 150,000 sq ft of non-residential space - including a new secondary school, affordable workspace, and publicly accessible ground-floor areas.

Sustainability and liveability sit at the centre of the design brief. Residents have access to wellness facilities, a pool, co-working lounges, rooftop terraces, and outdoor amenity space, with high-speed connectivity and built-in storage throughout. The public realm is intended to be genuinely open: railway arch routes through the site provide a 24-hour pedestrian and cycle link at no charge.

Of the 1,600 homes, more than 400 are affordable. Around 25 per cent of all properties are offered at social rent - a proportion negotiated with Southwark Council as part of the planning consent.