Regeneration news
Arada submits plans for 1,500 homes at Thameside West
Arada, the leading international master developer, has submitted a series of planning applications to the London Borough of Newham to advance the delivery of Thameside West with proposals that would unlock the delivery of affordable housing and connect the Royal Docks with the Thames.
Spanning over 47 acres in the Royal Docks, Thameside West has a Gross Development Value of £2.5 billion, with the potential to deliver at least 5,000 homes as part of a vibrant new district for East London.
Building on the existing hybrid planning permission, the plans set out Arada’s landscape-led approach to the first stage of the project. This stage comprises nearly 1,500 new homes across six buildings, the first two of which will now be 100% social rent and will include three and four bedroom family homes.
The plans are also designed to improve the permeability between buildings, which are organised around a network of streets, gardens, parks and shared spaces. New ground floor units facing onto the park will provide space for amenities, such as cafes and restaurants.
Tackling London’s housing crisis is the Mayor’s top priority and Thameside West will help deliver the new homes Londoners deserve, including much needed social rent and family housing.
Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing & Residential Development
At the heart of the proposals will be a new seven-acre park, alongside around 1,000 new trees, creating a greener, more biodiverse environment for residents and the wider community. The park will serve both recreational and everyday needs, framed by smaller gardens and planted edges to enhance biodiversity, as well as dedicated play spaces including adventure-filled woodland areas, play trails and play-on-the-way spaces. This is further complemented by a kilometre of active waterfront and a riverside walk along Bell Lane, which marks the south-east border of the site.
A community design group of 20 local residents is working with Arada to help shape a section of park around local needs. A series of workshops is now underway, giving residents the opportunity to share local knowledge, explore ideas and inform the design of a welcoming and inclusive public space.
Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, said: "Tackling London’s housing crisis is the Mayor’s top priority and Thameside West will help deliver the new homes Londoners deserve, including much needed social rent and family housing.
“By combining affordability, high-quality design and generous green spaces, Thameside West will transform a key brownfield site in the Royal Docks into a thriving new neighbourhood and help build a better, fairer London for everyone."
Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada, said: “Thameside West is a landscape-led masterplan, composed by nature, open to all and made for London. This is London’s next social gateway: a new riverfront neighbourhood inspired by the future, where local life meets global ambition once again and where homes, wellness, water, culture and community are connected by design.
“This is one of London’s most significant remaining riverfront regeneration opportunities - more than 5,000 homes, over one kilometre of river frontage and over six hectares of publicly accessible amenity. We have the ambition to create more than a new residential district. Thameside West is planned as a neighbourhood within the city, not an enclave at its edge: a new piece of East London where the quality of everyday London life comes first.”
Thameside West is being brought forward in partnership with the Royal Docks Team, reflecting a shared commitment to delivering new homes, public infrastructure and long-term economic growth across the Royal Docks.
Global architecture firm Gensler, global built environment consultancy Arup, and landscape architects Planit are advising on the scheme.
