Blue Coast Capital and HUB Partner for Co-Living Schemes London 2026

Key Points

• Strategic Partnership Created: Private Investment company Blue Coast Capital has engaged HUB Development as the developer of two major co-living developments in London with 485 units altogether.
• Strategy Based on Two Boroughs: The developments are to be constructed in Southwark (St Olav’s Court – 240 units) and Tower Hamlets (Fleet Street – 245 units).
• Innovative Housing Solutions: These projects are going to be integrated housing projects that involve both co-living and affordable housing units.
• Design Expertise: The architectural studio for the Southwark project is Studio Multi; the one for the Tower Hamlets is Morris & Company.
• Improvements to the Local Community and Infrastructure: The development plans also provide for shared amenities, public artworks, local community spaces, pedestrian connections to the transport nodes, Allen Gardens, and Brick Lane.
• Compliance with Regulations: The developer HUB will ensure compliance of the projects with the Gateway 2 procedure by the Building Safety Regulator.

Tower Hamlets (East London Times) September 8, 2026 – Private investment house Blue Coast Capital has officially appointed specialist developer HUB to deliver a duo of major co-living developments in inner London, encompassing a total of 485 homes across the boroughs of Southwark and Tower Hamlets.

Why Have Blue Coast Capital and HUB Partnered for These Schemes?

The agreement combines Blue Coast Capital’s long-term equity with HUB’s operational and development capability in urban regeneration. As stated by Damien Sharkey, Managing Director at HUB,

“It is crucial for us to work with like-minded partners whose strengths complement our own. This partnership with Blue Coast Capital reflects a shared approach to delivering urban regeneration through the creation of high-quality, living-led developments.”

Sharkey further noted:

“These schemes are a welcome addition to our rapidly growing co-living pipeline, which already spans several London boroughs. As we take each project forward through detailed design, gateway 2, construction and into operation, our focus is not just on delivering homes, but on shaping new pockets of neighbourhoods that deliver benefit for the wider community.”

Reflecting on the capital market dynamics, John Stacey, Chief Operating Officer at Blue Coast Capital, stated that

“London continues to face a significant shortage of high-quality, well-located homes and these two schemes represent exactly the type of living-led regeneration we want to support.”

Stacey added:

“Working with HUB allows us to combine long-term capital with specialist delivery expertise to bring forward thoughtfully designed developments that respond to local demand, improve connectivity and create lasting benefits for the surrounding communities.”

What Are the Key Features of the St Olav’s Court Scheme in Southwark?

The first development, located at St Olav’s Court in the London Borough of Southwark, is designed by architectural practice Studio Multi and set to be constructed by LRAR. The scheme will provide 240 homes configured through a blend of shared co-living units and dedicated affordable tenures.

In addition to residential quarters, the St Olav’s Court proposal features tailored shared resident amenities, a new community café, and a dedicated pedestrian thoroughfare designed to streamline access and public connectivity toward Canada Water.

How Will the Fleet Street Development Impact Tower Hamlets?

The second scheme, positioned on Fleet Street within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, will deliver 245 homes designed by architects Morris & Company. Mirroring the tenure strategy of its sister project, Fleet Street will offer a blend of shared living arrangements paired with socially affordable housing stock.

The physical footprint of the Fleet Street development includes substantial public realm and environmental upgrades. Plans call for biodiverse landscape planting, enhanced public lighting, integrated public art installations, and a new pedestrian pathway created specifically to optimize foot movement toward surrounding urban features, including Allen Gardens and Brick Lane.

HUB will act as lead manager across both schemes, steering the projects through detailed design phases, the Building Safety Regulator’s rigorous Gateway 2 compliance framework, construction oversight, and ongoing operational management.

Background of the Particular Development

The partnership between Blue Coast Capital and HUB emerges against the backdrop of an evolving UK housing market, marked by severe supply shortfalls in major urban hubs, particularly across Greater London. Over recent years, co-living has transitioned from an emerging alternative niche into a recognized asset class within institutional real estate portfolios.

London’s planning authorities have increasingly recognized co-living models as a viable mechanism to address high housing demand among young professionals, key workers, and transient urban populations. By combining smaller private suites with extensive communal facilities—such as shared kitchens, co-working lounges, fitness studios, and outdoor spaces—co-living offers a managed living product at lower price points than conventional single-occupancy rentals.

However, local planning policies—including the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) updated London Plan—have tightened regulatory standards around non-conventional housing. Developments are increasingly required to prove their long-term benefit to existing neighborhoods by integrating genuine public infrastructure improvements, high environmental standards, and contributions toward affordable housing tenures. HUB’s inclusion of dedicated affordable and social housing units alongside public domain enhancements at both Southwark and Tower Hamlets reflects this shifting regulatory landscape. Furthermore, the mandatory navigation of the post-Grenfell Building Safety Act via the Building Safety Regulator’s Gateway 2 process underscores the stringent technical compliance standards required prior to construction on high-density residential towers in the capital.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect London Renters and Local Communities

This joint venture between Blue Coast Capital and HUB is expected to have notable effects across several specific audience groups in the capital:

• Young Urban Professionals and Renters: The addition of 485 managed units across Southwark and Tower Hamlets will expand the supply of modern flexible housing in highly connected inner-London transport zones. For early-career professionals, key workers, and students, these developments offer a predictable, all-inclusive rental product that eases the friction of entering London’s highly competitive private rented sector (PRS).
• Local Neighborhood Communities: Residents in surrounding areas of Canada Water, Brick Lane, and Allen Gardens stand to gain from physical infrastructure investments embedded in the projects. The inclusion of public art, biodiverse greenery, community cafés, and enhanced pedestrian connections should improve walkability, neighbourhood safety, and local commercial footfall.
• Institutional Real Estate Investors and Developers: Success across the St Olav’s Court and Fleet Street schemes will serve as a bellwether for institutional co-living deployment under strict Building Safety Regulator regimes. Demonstrating that co-living can successfully integrate affordable housing alongside market-rate shared living will likely accelerate similar institutional joint ventures across central and outer London boroughs.