Plans to create a new waterside community on the eastern edge of London's Canary Wharf district have been approved by city mayor Boris Johnson.
Plans to create a new waterside community on the eastern edge of London's Canary Wharf district have been approved by city mayor Boris Johnson.
The new development, on land formerly known as Wood Wharf, will transform a 13.6 hectare site that has been semi-derelict and underused for decades and accommodate up to 3,610 homes and 1.9 million sq ft (176,000 m2) of office space.
In addition to new housing, including affordable housing options, the scheme will include a variety of business and retail units, hotel, leisure facilities, a new primary school and a doctor’s surgery. It will comprise up to 1.9 million sq ft of office buildings, 35,000 m2 of retail floor space, a community centre and a network of parks and public squares.
Developer Canary Wharf Group will be contributing over £60 mln towards Crossrail and an additional £27.5 mln for other infrastructure needs. This will include over £10 mln for local transport improvements.
'We are delighted to have secured the permission of the Mayor of London to proceed with the next phase of Canary Wharf. This new major district will reinforce Canary Wharf’s position into the future as one of the most exciting and vibrant places to live and work in London,' commented George Iacobescu CBE, CEO of Canary Wharf Group.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'This vast development will transform a currently derelict brownfield site beyond all comprehension into a thriving new community with thousands of new homes and jobs. This is exactly the kind of scheme that we need to accommodate London’s booming population that is set to break through the nine million mark within the next decade.'
The centrepiece of the scheme will be a 57-storey cylindrical residential skyscraper facing the waters of South Dock, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architects behind the Tate Modern and the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing.