London County Council Comprehensive Development Area no 4: South Bank comprises: the area of the Thames riverbank between Vauxhall and Southwark Bridges in 5 sectors: Albert Embankment; St Thomas's Hospital Precinct; the Permanent Development Area, including County Hall; the area between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges; and the area between Blackfriars and Southwark Bridges (Bankside).

The Permanent Development Area, designed in 1949 included the temporary exhibition site that was used during the Festival of Britain (1951) The first of the permanent buildings was the Royal Festival Hall, by the London County Council Architect's Department (1951). The scheme was further amended in 1953 and 1957, during which time there were negotiations concerning proposed developments by Shell, Decca Records and the British European Airways. Later, Sir Robert Hogg Matthew was consultant architect for a proposed development by Acquila Investments, in 1960. The National Film Theatre, designed by Denys Lasdun, was opened in 1967.