Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners will design 22-storey tower, in Berkeley鈥檚 latest foray into riverside London property

Berkeley Group has appointed architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners to design a 22-storey tower on the south bank of the Thames, in the group鈥檚 latest foray into riverside London property.

Berkeley chair Tony Pidgley said Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) has been engaged to draw up a planning application for the site of Eastbury House, which it acquired in December.

The development will include at least 50 luxury apartments and is Berkeley鈥檚 second collaboration with Richard Rogers鈥 firm for waterfront living in the capital.

The purchase of the Eastbury site, made by the St James part of the group, follows Berkeley Group鈥檚 purchase of the site of the 拢700m Beetham Tower scheme out of administration in October last year. The group now has at least seven central London Thameside schemes either built or planned, including the RSHP-designed Riverlight scheme near the proposed US Embassy in Nine Elms, the Vauxhall Tower and One Tower Bridge next to the GLA building.

The firm has also been shortlisted by the London Development Agency as a potential purchaser of the 拢1.5bn Silvertown Keys Development.

Pidgley said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e bought the Eastbury site and we鈥檙e hoping to put a planning permission in anytime now.鈥 He added that the firm had also considered purchasing the proposed Hampton House scheme next door, 鈥渂ut we couldn鈥檛 get to the price鈥.