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For a long time London’s Docklands were industrial and barren, occupied mainly by factories, tower blocks and the odd nightclub (see: The Cause). But that’s all about to change.
A vast housing development is going to be built along the Thames opposite the O2 (pictured above), with more than 5,000 new homes. It’s being partly funded by Dubai-based firm Arada, which has paid £225 million to buy an 80 percent stake in the Thameside West waterfront scheme that will be built at the western end of the Royal Docks.
The £2.5 billion project originally received planning permission from Newham Council in 2021. With the new funding from Arada, construction is expected to begin in 2027. The first phase, delivering 1,000 homes, could be complete by 2029, with the entire development finished by 2037.
At 47 acres, the Thameside West development will be one of Europe’s biggest new regeneration areas, spanning over around 30 towers up to 25 storeys high. It’s expected that 35 percent of housing will be affordable.
Half of the land will be reserved for green spaces, including one kilometre of ‘active waterfront’, while around 10 percent will be dedicated to food, drink and retail. Arada will bring some of its owned brands to open in the first phase including a restaurant called Tashas, an Australian coffee shop called Reformatory Lab, and an Australian cookie concept Brooki’s.
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