High density in east London: Newham approves plans for 4,000-home development in Canning Town

In total, 3,810 homes will be built on a site that is about 10 times bigger than Trafalgar Square and, when completed, could house 10,000 Londoners.
First image of new scheme: the Berkeley Homes plan for the old Parcelforce site in Canning Town includes 3,810 homes and could house 10,000 Londoners by its 2029 completion
Ruth Bloomfield21 February 2018

Last night Newham council unanimously approved proposals by Berkeley Homes for one of the densest housebuilding projects in the capital.

Nearly 4,000 homes are planned for the 29-acre former Parcelforce site in Stephenson Street, Canning Town, a half-hour walk from Canary Wharf Tower.

The scheme will have 356 homes per two-and-a-half acres, while the London Plan, covering the Mayor’s guidelines on densities, suggests a maximum 260.

However, Amanda Reid, head of planning and development at Newham, supports the project, arguing in a report being considered by the council’s strategic planning committee that “higher densities can be acceptable”.

The first phase of the scheme will have 1,020 homes in towers up to 377ft tall. A further 2,790 flats will be built in later phases. At completion in 2029, the development could house 10,000 Londoners.

In total, 3,810 homes will be built on a site that is about 10 times bigger than Trafalgar Square, with some 2,500 for private sale or rent.

More than 850 flats will go to first-time buyers on a shared-ownership basis, and almost 500 will be rented at subsidised levels to people on the council waiting list.

The development will, says Reid, make an “important contribution” to solving the borough’s housing shortage.

There will also be a new entrance to nearby West Ham station and two new pedestrian bridges across busy Manor Road.

The first phase will include 7,500sq ft of offices, 58,000sq ft of shops and a 1,000-pupil secondary school.

More than half of the site will be open space including two small parks.