Development will combine student housing, affordable homes, public space and a working wharf on long-vacant riverside site
Regal has ssecured planning approval from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for a large mixed-use scheme on a vacant site opposite the O2 Arena.
The scheme, designed by Howells, is set to deliver 208 homes for affordable tenures, 1,365 purpose-built student rooms and a revitalised working wharf on a 2.3ha site that has been vacant for more than two decades.
Steve Harrington, planning director at Regal, said: “This is an important step towards delivering new affordable homes and high quality student accommodation in Tower Hamlets while ensuring the long-term future of the wharf as a sustainable logistics hub.”
William Poole, partner at Howells, said: ““It has enabled the delivery of more than 1,500 homes in this riverside location, prioritising high-quality affordable housing on the prime part of the site – along with rooftop residents’ gardens.”
The approved project also includes 7,524 sq m of logistics floorspace for Thames Clippers Logistics, which plans to operate the safeguarded wharf as a low carbon river freight hub. According to Regal, this is intended to reduce pressure on London’s road network and support the re-use of the Thames as a transport corridor.
The development will provide more than 7,400 sq m of open space, including landscaped gardens, children’s play areas and community facilities. An elevated riverside garden is planned above the wharf structure, along with new pedestrian links to the Thames path and East India Dock Basin.
The scheme requires the demolition of all existing buildings on the site, including two warehouses.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2026 following detailed design and delivery work.
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