East London Towers Construction To Create 500 Jobs

Hundreds of construction jobs are set to be created at a riverside site in east London after Barratt London submitted a planning application for a scheme involving seven tower blocks ranging from eight to 30 storeys.

Known as Crown Wharf, the four-acre site lies on the banks of the River Lea in east London, and if it goes ahead it could provide 500 construction roles. Those involved in the work may find waterproof work shoes important, especially when undertaking foundation and flood defence work.

The latter task will be an important part of the project as the site is located on the east bank of the river shortly before it runs into the Thames. At present, the only protection is provided by a rusting sheet pile defence that needs to be replaced.

If the scheme gets the green light, it will provide 871 new homes, with 35 per cent classed as affordable.  Built in succession, the towers will rise up between 2025 and 2030 if approval comes soon enough for the project to go ahead on Barratt’s intended schedule.

The site is close to other new developments such as the Leamore Peninsula Development, another regeneration scheme in the vicinity that will benefit from new flood defences. The river is tidal at this point, with the area around the Crown Wharf site being known as Bow Creek.

As well as the new residential buildings, the scheme will also include new public realm. The proposals include Crown Yard, a public square that can be used for events such as markets, Lea Garden, which will offer a greener space, plus more biodiversity around the site.

Public transport users will also have good access, with both Canning Town Rail, Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station and Star Lane Station on the DLR being close by.

The regeneration of the site continues wider efforts to rejuvenate parts of east London that had fallen on hard times after the old docks ceased to provide employment in the area. That redevelopment has included various phases over decades, from the major office (and now residential) skyscraper cluster around Canary Wharf to the Olympic sites around Stratford.

With east London now also expected to be the prime contributor to the projected increase in London’s population past the ten million mark in the coming years, the need both to protect its riverside areas from flooding and provide more ways to cross the area’s many waterways will grow.

Among the schemes that will aid this is the proposed new pedestrian and cycle bridge in Silvertown. Crossing the Royal Victoria Dock, it will provide easy, car-free access to Custom House Station on the Elizabeth Line and DLR, offering better access for residents in the new developments planned in the area. Around 6,500 homes are set to be built in the vicinity.

The bridge was proposed by the Silvertown Partnership and has a distinctive meandering ‘double S’ design. There is already a footbridge across the dock, but it is elevated and requires pedestrians to climb steps or lifts to use it, something the new bridge will avoid.