East London Insights Q3 2022

London Newham Council's housing delivery company has put forward ambitious plans to deliver 2,000 sustainable homes, half of which will be offered at social rent as part of the regeneration of East London's Carpenter Estate. Strettons' Development Consultancy team have advised the Council on the scheme.

After decades of waiting, and as part of the Council's climate emergency response, outline plans have finally advanced with 314 existing homes (44%) set to be restored to the highest green economy standards. 

Phase one of the restoration and regeneration programme started earlier this year with the first 136 homes on track to complete in early 2025. This will be followed by works on 167 flats at the Lund Point high rise and new family housing in the surrounding area as part of phase two.   

All existing council tenants and homeowners will be able to remain on the estate, with 73% of residents voting in favour of the plans in an independent ballot held in December 2021.

Image via constructionenquirer.com

The London Borough of Newham has outlined plans to place all basic needs – including supermarkets, schools and healthcare facilities – within walking or cycling distance in some of its most deprived areas.

Through the creation of '15-minute neighbourhoods', Newham Council's core strategic objective is to create a local economy that places livelihood, well-being and happiness as prime measures of the borough's economic success. They will support local communities to create wealth and retain more benefits of economic growth emerging locally. 

The strategy will initially focus on high streets in the north of the borough, stretching from Stratford to Little Ilford. Community input has informed the Council's plans; once complete, 175,000 residents are expected to benefit.

Projects are in their early stages and include low traffic neighbourhoods, community cafes, fitness centres, workspaces and frequent, affordable public transport.

Tower Hamlets council's planned development of Brick Lane, which will include new offices, shops and restaurants on the site of the Old Truman Brewery, will progress following judicial review.

Backed 2-1 by the Council's planning committee in September 2011, the scheme will create more than 700 new jobs, drive economic opportunities for new businesses and attract more visitors and workers, who will spend more time and money locally, helping the local economy.

Proposals do not involve the removal of any existing buildings on Brick Lane.

Waltham Forest Council plans to invest £50,000 of Covid recovery funding into the redesign of Chingford town centre, enlisting the help of children from three local schools – Lime Academy Larkswood, Chingford Foundation School and South Chingford Foundation School. 

Plans to revamp the area have been in the works for several years, centering around the suggested pedestrianisation of Albert Crescent. Once complete, the area will be a hub for street markets and events.

Chingford Mount was chosen due to the perceived potential of the area in the next ten to 15 years.

This is the first time Waltham Forest Council has included children in the design phase of a development plan, who prioritised wi-fi access, seating and phone charging points. Before these plans can be realised, the Council will need to secure an additional £250,000 funding. 

Image via Waltham Council

East London Waterworks Park, set up by a group of locals in 2019, has reached a key milestone in its funding to turn a derelict East London estate into a rainforest. 

With full funding, the 5.6 hectare Thames depot on the border of Hackney and Waltham would be transformed into a bio diverse park where children can learn about nature and swim for free all year round. The land would become a community hub and home to a café, visitor accommodation and open arts and access projects. 

The former depot is currently owned by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and managed by Located, the Department for Education's property company. Still, East London Waterworks Park's plan would see the site owned by the local community.

To bring this project to life, East London Waterworks Park must raise £3,000,000 by the end of the year and have set a target of £500,000 by 9pm on Friday 28th October.

Image via MyLondon

London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is looking to recruit 18 adults of all backgrounds with a passion for the local area to give their views on plans for future development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 

The chosen east London representatives will form a Community Review Panel, coming together to share their views on the local area. The panel will play an important role in maximising local opportunities and improving the quality of local schemes and will meet once a month to discuss development proposals.  

LLDC is regenerating Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and surrounding areas in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest and will include all participant comments in a detailed report that will be used as part of the planning process.

Image via www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk

Redbridge council has selected housebuilder Countryside to build 1,000 new homes in east London, as part of the regeneration of Ilford town centre. 

Countryside will work with the London Borough of Redbridge to deliver the Ilford Western Gateway scheme. This contract will include 30,000 sq ft of community facilities alongside the residential development, including a parent-led nursery that will provide training opportunities and affordable childcare for residents.

Now served by the newly open Elizabeth line, these plans support the wider regeneration of Ilford town centre which is set to become a vibrant metropolitan area.

Image via housingtoday.co.uk

Barking and Dagenham Council's planning committee has unanimously voted for hundreds of new homes and a primary school to be built on an ex-Ford car park in Dagenham.  

In total, 337 new homes will be built on the land in Chequers Lane, in blocks ranging from nine to 17 storeys tall. Of the new homes, 7% will be offered at a London Affordable Rent, and 10% will be accessible. Once complete, the development will provide a dwelling mix, tenure split and accessible housing.

The new primary school, which is expected to cost £7m, will cater for 420 pupils and 60 members of the staff. A bid for funding from the Department for Education is yet to be put forward.

Barking and Dagenham council are set to purchase an office block and Edwards Recycling's site in Gallions Close to expedite housing plans for the Thames Road regeneration area. 

A planning application for 231 homes on the nearby Medina Dairy site has already been submitted by developer Inland Homes, but the Council has reported concerns about the scheme going ahead while the recycling plant is still in operation.

Edwards Recycling will occupy the site for another 12-18 months while the Council secures permissions for change of use to relocate its operation to Dagenham Dock.

Once vacant, the Council's housing arm will seek planning permission to build new homes on the Edwards Recycling site as well as the Lithuancia site in Gallions Close, which it has already purchased.

Image via befirst.london/project/thames-road

A pre-application for the development of over 1,000 new homes near Romford is to be reviewed by a committee. Knocked back twice before, the current proposal aims to answer concerns raised in previous reviews. 

If plans go ahead, all existing buildings and structures on the Bridge Close site will be demolished and replaced with 1,070 new homes, up to 7,012sqm of commercial floor space, a primary school, nursery and healthcare centre amongst other amenities. 

Less than 35% of the proposed homes would be affordable, which is under the threshold for the area, meaning that a Financial Viability Assessment (FVA) may be necessary. 

Updates to the application include adjusted school building heights, reviews of the school street environment and alterations to internal layouts.

Rom Valley Way in Romford could potentially be home to two new development projects – one that has already been approved and a second that's currently at pre-application. 

The approved application will see the construction of 972 new homes on the former Romford Ice Rink site, alongside 223 care units, a medical centre, retail and café spaces and gym facilities. 

The pre-application would introduce a further 860 homes, business spaces and a school just across the road from the approved site, post-demolition of the current Rom Valley Retail Park and Seedbed Centre. 

There are currently no residential properties listed on Rom Valley Way, and concerns have been raised about parking, amongst other things.

Image via romfordrecorder.co.uk

Regeneration plans across the capital city – some of which are nearing completion and others that have not yet been approved – are threatening thousands of London homes.

While councils and housing associations have to go through a rigorous process before demolishing or redeveloping, they can also grant themselves planning permission via their own sub-committees. This does however require further approval from the Mayor of London. 

The housing estates in east London that are currently facing demolition or regeneration include seven in Barking and Dagenham, four in Bexley, three in Greenwich, four in Hackney, seven in Havering, two in Newham, nine in Tower Hamlets and four in Waltham Forest. For more information, click here.