Isle of Dogs redevelopment up for planning approval.

Planning permission has recently been requested for a massive redevelopment project in the region surrounding the Crossharbour DLR station on the Isle of Dogs.

According to the World Interior Design Network (WIDN), the project is being supported by Ashbourne Beech and will involve significant improvement to the local retail facilities.

The current Asda store will be demolished and replaced with a new 150,000 square foot supermarket, along with a further 130,000 square feet of retail space, 10,000 square feet of community space and some 850 residential units.

Proposals for the site have been in the works since 2009, and most recently the plan was rejected due to the low-level of social housing included in the scheme. However, that decision was reversed and it's expected that the project will be granted permission this time around. Approximately one-third of the flats will be reserved for affordable housing units.

To save space, the scheme will also include a basement car park with the capacity for nearly 800 vehicles, as well as room for parking 1,000 bicycles. There will also be plenty of public open space.

Designed by Broadway Malyan, the current plan is to design a development that mimics a hill-top town, with clusters of flats and houses at a podium level, all connected by pedestrian-only streets. "The campanile tower is likely to evolve as the new local landmark for the city," a WIDN article explained.

The proposal, which local magazine The Wharf says is valued at £450 million, has been controversial, particularly since residents say will involve taking away the area's only petrol station during construction.

But if the plans do go through, the finished development will be of great benefit to this up-and-coming area of London. Those looking for flats to rent in the Isle of Dogs can benefit from easy transport links to the centre of the capital, while the Canary Wharf financial centre is just a stone's throw away.

The plan is still subject to the approval of the mayor of London, but if Boris Johnson gives the go-ahead, construction is expected to begin in 2013.

Posted by Martyn Glynn

Published 10th October, 2012

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