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London’s hotspot: East London issue three_2013

olympic legacy

Connectivity, housing and meanwhile ... KREOD – the roving installation Tech City expands Siemens’ Crystal opens

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issue three_2013 news

Updates on developments under way and new investment opportunities

legacy

So what did the Olympics do for us? We look at the legacy bestowed by London 2012 on connectivity in the capital’s hottest spot

tech city

A few geeks started it – now the big guys are in and business is booming – but can Tech City do for the UK what Palo Alto did for California? We assess whether the Old Street motherboard will pass the test, with government backing of £50 million

map What’s happening, where – a key to the main developments

Executive editor Siobhán Crozier head of design Rachael Schofield designers Smallfury Design, Kate Harkus contributing editors Lucy Purdy, Sarah Herbert Reporter James Wood head of business development Paul Gussar Development and sales support manager Sophie Gosling production assistant Emily Corrigan Doyle Office manager Sue Mapara Subscriptions manager Simon Maxwell Managing director Toby Fox

projects

retail

sustainability

housing

Who’s involved? How big? How much is being invested? We look at the main development projects proposed or under way in east London

meanwhile

Development sites don’t need to create a blot on the cityscape. Consent and deals take time to achieve – meanwhile, imaginative use of vacant sites is creating new leisure and retail opportunities

commercial

Vintage clothing in Shoreditch, high street multiples at Westfield, Canary Wharf’s luxury brands or street wear in Boxpark, the world’s first pop-up mall – it’s all in east London

London Sustainable Industries Park is being watched closely by experts in other cities around the world, looking to emulate its innovative approach to green technology and local reuse of resources

The International Quarter in Stratford, Hackney Wick Fish Island and Canary Wharf – east London continues to meet the demand for commercial space. We look at some of the latest developments

East London is packed with development sites, as the former derelict wastelands and misguided housing experiments give way to new homes set in great public space, where people want to build communities

IMAGES Siemens plc, Transport for London, © Crossrail Ltd, East Village, Beyond Retro, Canary Wharf Group, MaP Alexander/PA, Ed Kingsford, Stratford Shoal, Southeastern, Bikeworks, © George Thatcher, © Mind Candy Limited 20072012, LandProp Services Ltd, courtesy of English Cities Fund, © 2007-2012 The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited, Barratt London, Caravanserai, David Bailey, ARC172 – David Fernandes, Barratt, Lend Lease, Westfield, Peter Miller, Race CoPam Associates, Bouygues Development

© 3Fox International Limited 2013. All material is s trictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of 3Fox International Limited is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of 3Fox International Limited.

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Olympics fast-forwarded Newham 20 years

As London seeks to fully embrace the digital age, Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has followed suit by appointing former Tech City Investment Organisation chief executive Eric van der Kleij as a strategic advisor. The technological guru has been brought on board to advise the group as it aims to diversify Canary Wharf ’s tenant base and encourage more companies in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors to locate there. Van der Kleij will aim to link Canary Wharf ’s established financial companies with the capital’s burgeoning technology sector, establishing the Level39 scheme to

provide office space, amenities and opportunities to win new business. Technology firms occupy 93,000sq m of office space in Canary Wharf and employ more than 7,000 people. Sir George Iacobescu, chairman and chief executive officer of CWG, said: “Eric will help us to create new, customised business locations, fused with technology and an attractive lifestyle, that aim to match exactly what businesses will require 20 or 30 years into the future. Canary Wharf can help growing technology companies connect with the business opportunities, talent, investment and advice provided by the world’s leading financial services providers already established at Canary Wharf.”

The 2012 Olympic Games ‘fast-forwarded’ Newham’s economic development by at least two decades, and started relationships with global business players that otherwise would not have happened, according to the borough’s regeneration chief. Speaking exclusively to East magazine, Clive Dutton, the east London borough’s executive director for regeneration, said Newham’s offer had been given a unique exposure to developers. He declined to divulge names but insisted that the Games period had opened dialogues with big multinationals and people with aspirational international investment interests. “Relationships have been made or developed over the Games time that would not ordinarily have happened, and that bodes very well for the new economic focus of this part of London,” he said. Dutton added the borough had been able to showcase the economic ambitions for the area against an unparalleled backdrop: “It’s been a focal point for inward investment for the London of tomorrow.” According to Dutton, a key strength of Newham’s economic situation is that infrastructure for growth is already in place. He believes the borough’s development is a natural consequence of the Docklands vision, turned into reality in the 1980s by the Thatcher government, but accepts that London’s 2012 Games gave unprecedented momentum. “The massive infrastructure is the summit of a journey that started 30 years ago,” he said. “The Olympics has most certainly accelerated what would have happened in some shape or form – it’s just fast-forwarded it by at least 20 years.” Dutton stressed that regeneration is about people as much as infrastructure, and points to around 5,000 jobs created in the borough in the last financial year. He is confident that as the memories of a “golden summer” of sport begin to fade, east London will not find the government attempting to shift the regeneration limelight. “There is unstoppable momentum around here that’s bucking the national trend,” he said.

O2 VISITORS GOING OVER THE TOP Visitors to North Greenwich’s O2 are being challenged to put their sense of adventure to the test in an innovative attraction. Up at The O2, by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, original architect of the dome, opened last summer and takes a 90-minute guided expedition across the roof via a tensile fabric walkway, suspended 53m above ground level. A summit observation platform gives climbers 360° views of the capital and its landmarks, including the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, the Shard, Greenwich and Canary Wharf. Alistair Wood from AEG Europe, partner of The O2, said: “Up at The O2 is not only an exciting landmark attraction but also marks the fifth birthday of The O2. It demonstrates AEG’s commitment to developing and diversifying The O2 – already the world’s most successful music and entertainment venue.” 04

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Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has announced plans to open Europe’s largest accelerator space for technology businesses innovating in the financial services sector. Opening in early 2013, Level39 will occupy the entire 2,700sq m, 39th floor of the iconic One Canada Square, London’s tallest operational office building. The space will allow small businesses to create, test, market and deliver world-class financial technology products and services. The initiative aims to improve the transparency, competitiveness and services of the financial services sector, while enhancing London’s position as the technology capital of Europe. The new facility will create a focal point for Europe’s ‘FinTech’ innovators and ensure that London takes full advantage of the global surge in financial and big data technologies. Towering above London in one

of the world’s premier business and shopping districts, Level39 will give small and growing technology businesses access to new customers, partners, talent, investment, ideas and social and cultural amenities provided by Canary Wharf. CWG will use Level39 to bring together its existing financial and professional services tenants, which employ more than 100,000 people at Canary Wharf. The scheme will connect them with London’s burgeoning technology scene. The initiative will be led by Eric van der Kleij, technology entrepreneur and former chief executive of Tech City Investment Organisation. Level39’s layout has been designed in ‘tech industry’ style by renowned architects Gensler, who have worked on some of the world’s most exciting workspaces including offices for Facebook and Google.

Architectural landmark unveiled in Greenwich A groundbreaking sustainable sculpture was installed at Greenwich Peninsula as part of the London Festival of Architecture in 2012. KREOD currently sits between the Emirates Air Line and The O2, as the centrepiece of Peninsula Square. It features on the cover of East. KREOD recently won the award for Temporary Structure at the Surface Design Awards. It is designed by Pavilion Architecture’s managing director Chun Qing Li, who said: “Architecture is inclusive and highly collaborative. Our innovative application of experience and knowledge sharing enables us to create design solutions – aesthetically, functionally, economically and environmentally friendly. We are committed to hands-on experience, research and use of advanced technologies, engagement with sustainability.” KREOD functions as both an architectural landmark and an imaginative exhibition space because its pods can be combined in a variety of configurations or installed as freestanding forms. KREOD is made from Kebony – the award-winning sustainable alternative to tropical hardwood and preservative treated wood. After leaving Greenwich, it will pop up at high-profile locations in London.

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Winning skills

BT Sport for iCITY Isle Of Dogs consent Tower Hamlets Council has pledged support for the 14,000sq m Crossharbour District Centre mixeduse scheme on the Isle of Dogs. Architect Broadway Malyan said the London borough had resolved to approve the Ashbourne Beech project which will create up to 850 homes.

Floating town? East London could soon house a ‘floating town’ of up to 800 homes. The Royal Docks Managing Authority (RoDMA) is preparing to seek development partners for a mixed-use scheme, website CoStar reported. It quoted RoDMA managing director Mike Luddy as saying that “significant interest” in the area had already been expressed by architects and that a brief seeking a development partner could appear in the first half of 2013.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is set to become the home of a new BT sport channel. BT has agreed a 10-year lease of the building that spans the north end of the former International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and iCITY. Three TV studios, a control centre, 20 editing suites and an audience holding area will be fitted in the studios, from which BT will broadcast 38 live Premier League games from August 2013, as well as top flight clashes from Rugby Union’s Aviva Premiership. BT’s purchase will contribute to the park’s Olympic legacy by providing jobs and opportunities to the local community. Ian Livingston, chief executive of BT, said: “BT Sport will be a visible and engaged partner for the community and the studio will be a reminder of the incredible sporting feats we witnessed during the Olympics and Paralympics.”

Retail training academy, The Skills Place, has won the Skills Development category in the Regeneration and Renewal Awards 2012. Judges praised the scale of the project, its potential as a model to be used elsewhere, and the impact that it has had in an area of high unemployment. The academy was founded in September 2011 by Stratford City developer and owner Westfield and the London Borough of Newham. It seeks to provide local people with the skills that they need to be employed at the Westfield scheme and for the rest of their careers. The Skills Place, which sits above the retail levels in Westfield, is the first permanent retail academy at a shopping centre.

Stratford App A free mobile phone app highlights things to do in Stratford. The Visit Stratford app includes more than 500 listings. It was created by Stratford Renaissance Partnership, Newham Council and London & Partners.

Cash for Theatre Royal Theatre Royal Stratford East, has been given £5,000 by Westfield Stratford City in support of its development programme. Artistic director Kerry Michael said: “This sponsorship will help us to continue our work with young and local emerging artists.”

£50m legacy deal Balfour Beatty has won a 10-year deal to run services and facilities for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The company will take on estates and facilities management, and operate the ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture.

English for work More than 470 students new to the UK have been helped find work by two EU-funded courses at Newham College. The Education for Integration and New Beginnings courses aim to build the confidence of people from abroad, who are living in the UK, to use English and build a normal life. 06

spring 2013

Olympic legacy interns Design and engineering consultancy Atkins has become the first London 2012 sponsor to take on interns from east London’s Olympic host boroughs, through its legacy programme in partnership with the East London Communities Organisation (TELCO). Seven young people, recent students of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) at college or university, have been employed for three months on paid work experience with Atkins, the FTSE 250 company and design and engineering services provider for the London 2012 Games. Cedric Lungiambudi, Eamon Lahrach, Jishan Ahmed, Nisrin Benabdejlil, Phillipa Abrafi, Rory Curtis and Shamim Ahmed will

gain skills and experience to complement their academic achievements.   Mike McNicholas, who led Atkins’ work on infrastructure for the Games, said: “Our engineering and design work, such as cleaning up the site on which the Olympic Park was built, played an important role in helping to regenerate an entire area of east London. However, the London 2012 legacy is as much about people as the infrastructure. “We understand the need for a diverse workforce, to come up with clever solutions to complex challenges for our clients. The programme with TELCO allows us to share knowledge and expertise, so the interns might be able to pursue a career in engineering.”

East Village, Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Newest Neighbourhood

facebook.com/eastvillagelondon @EastVillageLDN londonliving.at

When the starterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gun sounded for the first event at the Olympic Park this summer, it was only the B of the Bang for east London. Its legacy of infrastructure projects will cement the eastward shift of the capital. by Lucy Purdy

spring 2013

• London City Airport sees 1.5 million passengers flying to more than 25 destinations on 15 airlines every year. • Stratford station will become an interchange for 10 rail routes, with 19 platforms – some 200 trains will call each hour. • The £260 million Javelin trains – which whisked Olympic spectators from St Pancras to the Olympic Park last summer – are Britain’s fastest-operating domestic service trains when running at their full speed of 140 mph.

ack in 2005, news that a run-down site in Stratford was to host the 2012 Olympic Games would kick-start many – and accelerate even more – improvements to the area’s transport and connectivity networks. Along with Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, headline-grabbing projects such as Crossrail, the extension of the Docklands Light Railway, London City Airport, Stratford International and the Emirates Air Line cable car all serve to cement east London’s reputation as the most enviable location for business. Newham Council’s regeneration chief, Clive Dutton, told East magazine that the 2012 Olympics ‘fast-forwarded’ the borough’s economic development by at least two decades. He said the Games had started relationships with global business players that otherwise would not have happened: grabbing the attention of “big multinationals” and people with “aspirational international investment” interests. Sir Robin Wales, mayor of Newham, encapsulated east London’s position when, speaking at The Story of Stratford’s Renaissance event in May 2012, he joked about perceptions of the area’s geography: “People are always early for meetings, always early. Because they don’t realise how easy it is to get to Stratford.” In fact, the boundaries of inner London have been changing since Victorian times, with an unmistakable move eastward long before the words “London 2012” had crossed Seb Coe’s lips. Historically home to London’s textile industry, hardgrafting dockers and Jewish immigrants, the east of the city gradually evolved into a creative and artistic hub. Students followed, then high-earning bankers working in the towers of the nearby City. The docklands – once the dirty, bustling home of shipping wharves – now host financial service powerhouses and accompanying luxury waterside flats.

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Many of the formerly overcrowded, run-down slum estates of the Victorian East End have been transformed through extensive regeneration projects, becoming go-to destinations for thriving fashion and art and business communities in the 21st century. Having received a hefty chunk of Transport for London’s £6.3 billion cash pot which got London transport-ready for the Games, east London is now one of the bestconnected parts of the capital. A staggering 200 direct trains per hour whizz through Stratford station, with four Javelin trains shooting from Stratford International to St Pancras International. And in 2019, Stratford will be on the eastern corridor of the Crossrail network, transforming east London’s accessibility by connecting residents and businesses directly with the capital’s major employment areas. Crossrail will also take them to Heathrow Airport in just 40 minutes, as opposed to the complex, hour-long journey which is currently necessary. There will be 12 trains an hour from Stratford, and 24 trains per hour on the central stretch between Whitechapel and Paddington during peak times, with each Crossrail train being around 200 metres long and capable of accommodating up to 1,500 passengers. The impact of these improvements could be huge, with faster journey times, reduced road and public transport congestion, improved productivity and higher earnings. In fact, Colin Buchanan, the consultant who compiled the Crossrail Transport and Economic Benefits study in 2009, estimated that Crossrail will generate £99.8 million worth of transport and economic benefits for Newham by year 2026. He found that neighbouring Tower Hamlets and Hackney can expect boosts of £51.8 million and £26.1 million respectively. This unrivalled connectivity has been a major factor behind some of the biggest developments in Stratford, such 09

PREVIOUS PAGE: DLR and London City Airport ABOVE: London City Airport and Javelin train BELOW RIGHT: Canary Wharf Crossrail cross section OPPOSITE TOP LEFT: The Emirates Air Line cable car OPPOSITE TOP RIGHT: The All Ability Cycling scheme

spring 2013

as The International Quarter, a new £2 billion metropolitan centre with four million square feet of new office space, to be built on the Olympic Park in a joint venture between Lend Lease and London and Continental Railways. By 2018, employees will have Stratford International, two underground lines, the London Overground, DLR and Crossrail stations all within reach. Lend Lease’s Matt Beasley, project director for The International Quarter, says: “It is important to put Stratford and Newham in context, as people still think of them as being out in Essex somewhere. Liverpool Street is as close to Stratford as it is to Paddington. This is the most connected part of London. There are 195 trains an hour through Stratford at the moment and there will be 200 when Crossrail arrives. You can be at King’s Cross in six minutes and there are 140 buses an hour in the local network.” Stuart Corbyn, chairman of athletes’ village operations at Qatari Diar Delancey, agrees, citing the “phenomenal” transport links as key to the company’s decision to invest £557 million in the scheme to convert the athletes’ accommodation into rental apartments. He says: “Living on the Olympic Park will be unique in London. Having all that open space is fairly unusual in a London context and on the other side of the village is Westfield. The transport links mean it will be a bit like living close to Oxford Street and having all the benefits of Hyde Park next to you as well.” Not all the transport legacy is high-speed. In the leadup to the games, more than £10 million was invested in improving walking and cycling routes around the London 2012 venues. Designed with legacy in mind and integrated into the wider transport network, the routes through the Olympic Park also form a key part of designs, post-Games. More than 60 projects, including the All Ability Cycling scheme supported by Tower Hamlets Council, were awarded

“Living on the Olympic Park will be unique in London. Having all that open space is fairly unusual”

the London 2012 Inspire Mark as part of the Culture 2012 Inspire Programme, for creating new opportunities to encourage walking and cycling. At the other end of spectrum is the east’s very own airport: London City Airport. The only London airport which is actually located in the capital has now logged more than a million flights. City Airport has improved east London’s connectivity immeasurably, being just two miles from the Olympic stadium, three miles from Canary Wharf, seven from the City and 10 miles from London’s West End. And each of these is linked to the airport’s own DLR station. All destinations – which from 2012 also included Basel, Mahon, Angers, Quimper, Venice and Aberdeen – can be reached quickly, thanks to a rapid transit check-in system, which takes around 20 minutes. This greatly enhanced connectivity is especially useful for time-pressed business people, including the thousands working in international banking and finance institutions in nearby Canary Wharf and the City. Declan Collier, the airport’s chief executive officer, predicts that the second million flights will not take as long to achieve. “We handled 70,000 in 2011, we expect some 90,000 in 2015 and we have permission for 120,000 – although we’ll need to make some more space for that number – so it’s perfectly possible that the next million are achievable within ten years.” But where is this growth in demand going to come from? Well, hopefully from Tech City, among other sectors. This huge area, stretching from Old Street to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, has long been an incubator of tech innovation and attracts start-up firms and international megabrands alike. Until recently the cluster has grown organically and has now been flagged by prime minister David Cameron as a source of economic growth and a key eastmagazine.net

weapon in the “global race” for technology leadership. The success of Tech City – which Cameron says could become one of the “world’s great technology centres” – depends greatly on the broadband infrastructure. One of the firms helping to bring world-class bandwidth infrastructure to the area is euNetworks, which has teamed up with other firms in Shoreditch to give start-ups the kind of connectivity they need to grow. CEO Brady Rafuse says broadband is “more important than water” to the kind of firms setting up shop in Tech City. “I visited YouTube when it was a company of about 12 above a dress shop in Palo Alto, California. Bandwidth was critical to their success and is critical to the success of businesses today in Tech City,” he says. “It releases the creativity of the people working in Tech City and just brings brands to life. If you look at the kind of firms being successful in this area – from Yammer [a social network service owned by Microsoft] or [social online gaming company] Mind Candy – their whole businesses are bandwidth based,” adds Rafuse. “In fact, it’s difficult to imagine that anybody would create a company today that wouldn’t have a digital aspect.” Stratford and Newham have been places in the making for 2,000 years. According to John Lock, director of the 2012 office at University of East London: “As we say around here, Stratford’s got previous. You can see the Roman Road from London to Colchester – one of the most important Roman sites. We made roads in Stratford nearly 2,000 years ago that created the geography of London and the geography of England. We’ve made tidal mill systems, Bow porcelain, gun shell casings and 2,000 km of sewers that helped wipe out cholera. But today we’re making something else, the biggest thing we’ve ever made, which is the future of London. We’re making it here.” 11

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What developed organically from a small cluster of digital start-ups is now heralded as a vital element in Britain’s economic growth. The government is firmly backing the UK’s own Silicon Valley, which is rapidly expanding eastwards. Elizabeth Pears finds Tech City’s digital dream is fast becoming reality

t was something that just happened. During the late 90s, a few computer experts armed with nothing but good ideas and ambition trickled into the area around Old Street underground station to try their hand at the dotcom game. Shoreditch was pretty much all they could afford in terms of rent, but with a Zone 1 tube station on their doorstep – plus a burgeoning art and fashion scene – it was the perfect fit: comfortable, connected and very cool. A decade on, it’s no longer just a few companies but a buzzing community of digital media agencies, data analysis firms and software developers creating everything from video games and mobile phone apps to business intelligence software for the fashion industry. In December 2012, the government pledged £50 million toward a visionary project to regenerate the Old Street roundabout, which will see it transformed into Europe’s largest indoor civic space,

spring 2013

dedicated to start-ups and entrepreneurs in east London. The announcement was accompanied by a host of major corporate commitments to Tech City including Microsoft’s Technology Development Centre in the heart of the cluster. Most recently, internet retailer Amazon pledged to create 100 jobs at its new eight-floor digital media development centre. Amazon’s Paul Byrne said there was a “wealth of tech talent here in London” and that they were looking to snap up the “most creative minds in the UK”. In 2008 Dopplr founder Matt Biddulph mapped a total of 15 hi-tech businesses at the Old Street epicentre and jokingly named it Silicon Roundabout, in a cheeky nod to California’s Silicon Valley, where Apple and Google first started. But no one is laughing now – unless it’s en route to the bank. The digital industry is worth approximately £86 billion, represents around 11% of Britain’s GDP and provides 48,500 well-paid and highly-skilled jobs. East London is an important hotspot with a large and growing share of the overall digital economy. In 2010, while unemployment in London rose, jobs were created here. In this cluster – home to at least 3,200 tech firms according to the report A Tale of Tech City, recently published by think-tank Centre for London – you will find global players such as Mind Candy, Unruly Media, Songkick and Last.fm – recently sold by its founders for £140 million. When the coalition government came to power, it was quick to act on a golden opportunity. By offering the right

support, could it take this natural phenomenon and turn it into one of the world’s great technology centres, expanding it all the way to a post-Olympic Stratford? The Tech City initiative was born. David Cameron pledged £15 million to fund a strategy to develop the cluster, cultivate start-ups and attract big names. Entrepreneur Eric van der Kleij was appointed to head the government’s Tech City Investment Organisation (TCIO), and was recently succeeded by Joanna Shields, the former vice president and managing director of Facebook Europe. Unlike Salford’s MediaCityUK, home to the BBC and part of a mixed-use development, Tech City has a less tangible location. But they are both examples of how the private and public sectors can complement each other. True, the government’s intervention has been viewed in some quarters as an interference that could disturb the equilibrium, but A Tale of Tech City found ministers had heeded warnings to adopt a hands-off approach. As part of its ‘softly, softly’ ethos, the TCIO appointed an advisory group comprised of Silicon Roundabout veterans to ensure the ecosystem stays intact. Evidence suggests the government may have the balance right. Since its launch in 2010, the TCIO has brought in some heavy hitters from the digital and tech sector – Cisco, Facebook, Google and Intel – by singing Tech City’s potential from the rooftops. And interest is not limited to like-minded tech firms, with other businesses in the supply chain coming in. Barclays, for example, is creating a facility to provide specialist banking services to technology companies based in Tech City, with similar initiatives from consultants McKinsey & Company. Silicon Valley Bank, which has more than $20 billion (£13 billion) in assets, is offering finance for tech firms. Benjamin Southworth, deputy chief executive of TCIO, says: “One of the challenges companies faced was that investors were completely unaware of the tech scene and wouldn’t even contemplate going to east London, so we’ve been raising the profile of the cluster. “In just two years, this view has changed completely: the London tech scene is taken seriously and Tech City is known all over the world.” University links help stimulate innovation, as evidenced by Silicon Valley which has close links to Stanford in California. Silicon Fen – one of Britain’s world-class, hitech clusters – has benefited hugely from its proximity to Cambridge University. Tech City has partnerships with Imperial College London, Loughborough University and University College London – the latter will support spin-out companies from an Olympic Park base. Cisco Systems will open an innovation centre on the same site. “All of this activity contributes to strengthening the ecosystem here and ensuring its sustainable growth,” explains Southworth. He also pointed to Google Campus and Amazon’s Digital Media Development Centre. Kieron-Scott Woodhouse, co-founder of AD Creative – the firm behind the ADZero bamboo smartphone – spent six months as a resident of the seven-floor work and event space designed to support start-up businesses like his. Though AD eastmagazine.net

“Investors were completely unaware of the tech scene and wouldn’t even contemplate going to east London ... In just two years, this view has changed completely: the London tech scene is taken seriously and Tech City is known all over the world” OPPOSITE: Silicon Roundabout – London’s Tech City in Old Street. BELOW AND FOLLOWING PAGE: Social video company Unruly Media and gaming firm Mind Candy are just two of the many global businesses thriving at Tech City.

• There has been an estimated five-fold increase in the number of tech companies in the Tech City area in the past two years. • £25 million will go toward providing superfast broadband in the capital after a boost from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. • The digital sector is thought to be worth £87 billion to the economy, around 11% of GDP.

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enterprise east

“A thriving creative environment helps our early stage start-ups to flourish alongside leading international tech companies” Creative outgrew the space, Woodhouse says it gave them a vital head start. “We had an instant office and access to an industry community that allowed us to develop contacts which was what we needed,” he says. Supporting fledgling firms is what Tech City is all about, believes Southworth. “There’s no limit to the strength and breadth of talent in Tech City. A thriving creative environment helps our early stage start-ups to flourish alongside leading international tech companies,” he says. “The well-established network of incubators fosters development through early stage funding and support.” So far, so good. One bump in the road, however, could be trying to shift people away from Old Street and further east toward Stratford. Increased rents already have start-ups eyeing properties in artsy Hackney Wick – on the border of Hackney and Newham – which is reminiscent of Shoreditch 15 years ago. Another strength is space. While Tech City is embedded between clubs, bars and boutiques in one of the hippest parts of the capital, Silicon Valley encompasses cities on land that was primarily agricultural. Stratford can facilitate larger tech companies. And what might have once felt like a train ride too far has already become a very different story.

spring 2013

“We like being two tube stops from King’s Cross because we have people coming from out of town for business,” says Miles Jacobson, studio director at Sports Interactive (SI), creators of the hugely successful Football Manager video game series. “With the new train lines, Stratford has started to feel closer. The high speed line takes seven minutes. So who knows what could happen?” And progress on infrastructure continues to deliver. With Crossrail due in 2018, the journey from Stratford to Liverpool Street will take just eight minutes. Jacobson has been working from Old Street since 1997 and welcomes the government push. “It has meant more investment to the area and off the back of that, we are seeing new buildings and new companies which keeps the environment vibrant,” he explains. “When government gets involved it can ruin things, but that’s not happening, which is down to the people. The type of people involved in the digital arts won’t change; it’s just been made easier for them to be a part of the scene.” The vital component to getting all this to work is the strength of the area’s IT infrastructure. London already has a reputation for its telecommunications and technology infrastructure and according to a survey by Ernst & Young, this is one of the city’s most attractive assets for potential investors. BT is accelerating the rollout of superfast broadband in the area surrounding Tech City and the Shoreditch Network – a collaboration of Tech City businesses: euNetworks, Carrenza and Optimity – have launched secure IT cloud services to businesses in Shoreditch. Andrew Campling, BT Group’s general manager for London, explains the company was investing millions to make sure infrastructure was fit for purpose: increasing the number of Wi-Fi hotspots by 20% and a £25 million investment on high-speed, fibre-optic broadband. Campling says: “London ranks as one of the top cities in Europe for its telecommunications – but we can’t afford to stay still.” BT is also the lead sponsor for Hackney University Technical College – a unique secondary school for 14 to 19-year-olds which offers not just GCSEs and A-levels but advanced IT courses to train the next generation of techies. “The school is right in the centre of Shoreditch,” adds Campling with pride. “So as well as investing in technology, we think it is equally important to invest in skills. Why wait until there is a shortage? We can do something now to ensure the talent will be here in the future.”

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From thousands of new homes on the olympic park to huge regeneration schemes along the river Thames, east london is undergoing a Metamorphosis transport Central line District line DLR Projects 1 UCL on the Olympic Park 2 Silvertown Quays 3 Strand East 4 The International Quarter, Stratford City 5 Rathbone Market, Canning Town 6 Canning Town centre 7 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 8 Waterside Park

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University College London (UCL) has been shown the green light to develop a new university quarter next to the Olympic Park in Stratford. The plan – to bring science, technology, education and research to the heart of Stratford – was formally accepted by Newham Council at a cabinet meeting in October 2012. UCL will now continue developing proposals for the site, which research suggests will lead to £1 billion of capital investment into the borough, as well as new employment and a permanent boost to the local economy. The outline proposition for UCL Stratford includes research and teaching space, a hub for business collaboration, residential accommodation and other improvements to educational facilities across Newham. The estate has been earmarked by Newham Council for redevelopment since 2001. UCL president and provost Malcolm Grant said: “UCL Stratford represents a truly long-term commitment by both organisations. UCL is a world-leading institution, but our plans for growth are currently limited by our central London location, so we need suitable space to support the development of world class teaching and research. UCL Stratford is not envisaged to be an east London satellite to our historic Bloomsbury campus, but a new, internationally recognised, research-led hub.”

RIGHT: The Silvertown Quays development aims to create a major economic hub at the Royal Docks. OPPOSITE: Strand East in Stratford will comprise new homes, office and commercial space, a hotel and a creative zone.

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The team behind some of the largest developments in London, including Broadgate, Stockley Park and Chiswick Media Park, has been selected, as part of The Silvertown Partnership, to develop a world-class innovation destination at Silvertown Quays. The London Development Agency (LDA) has backed the partnership for the 20-ha site – a pivotal part of the new vision for the Royal Docks which is set to create 11,000 jobs in this part of London. The Silvertown Partnership, comprising Chelsfield, First

Base and Imagination Europe, proposes to build 228,570sq m of commercial, retail and residential space, with a total estimated development value of more than £1.2 billion. Planners hope to create an innovation centre – a unique destination for consumer brands to interact with their customers and partners in a purpose-built environment. LDA chief executive Lurene Joseph said: “This proposal matches our ambition to transform Silvertown Quays and create a new piece of the city which will drive economic growth, create jobs, improve skills and create lasting

change. The interest shown in Silvertown Quays is further evidence of the catalytic effect of the Olympics, helping renew the Royal Docks, London’s greatest development opportunity.” London mayor Boris Johnson said: “The Royal Docks have played a crucial part in the story of London’s success and we are delighted to have this innovative proposal that will help return it to its former glory.” The Silvertown Quays development will generate an estimated £60 million of additional income each year for the area.

Inter IKEA Group’s LandProp has signed a Section 106 (S106) agreement that validates its planning permission for the 10-ha Strand East scheme in Stratford. The move follows approval for its plans last year from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation and the London Borough of Newham’s strategic development committee.  The plans for the site, bordered by Stratford High Street and the River Lee Navigation, will see the construction of about 1,200 new homes, 57,600sq m of commercial office space, a 350-bedroom hotel and a creative zone. LandProp will also build three new bridges, a riverside park and a public square to the south of the site. UK manager Andrew Cobden said the S106 agreement was a cause for celebration

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but also praised the efficiency of planning officers involved in the application process. “We are delighted to have completed the negotiations for this consent,” he said.  “The securing of the decision notice is the final stage of a two year process in which we have worked closely with the local authorities to deliver a scheme that meets their aspirations. “We have been impressed by the quality and clear direction of the officers involved from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation and the London Borough of Newham and we look forward to embarking on the next steps to deliver this project.”  LandProp expects the main construction activities on site to commence in around two years time.

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ABOVE, LEFT AND RIGHT: The second phase of Rathbone Market at Canning Town is set to begin. MAIN: The International Quarter, Stratford City, is one of Europe’s largest mixed-use developments.

Lend Lease and London and Continental Railways (LCR) are preparing to deliver London’s most exciting new business address. The International Quarter, a new £1.3 billion commercial district in Stratford City, London E20, will start on site from April 2013, following the return of the site from the Olympic Delivery Authority in early 2013. Lend Lease and LCR are already in discussion with commercial occupiers, to be the first occupants in situ from 2015. As one of Europe’s largest mixed-use developments, The International Quarter will provide 371,600sq m of flexible workspace, 350 new homes, a new hotel and convenience retail, all set within the magnificent parklands of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Mark Dickinson, managing director of development at Lend Lease, said: “The International Quarter will become a vibrant new commercial hub within London. This is what legacy is all about. The regeneration here will build on what has been delivered and create in excess of 25,000 jobs. “It will be a major contributor to London’s growth after the Games,” said Dickinson. “Interim use is a key target for us and [this year] we are looking to attract early investment in the form of exhibitions and events.”

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The second phase of Rathbone Market in Canning Town is set to go ahead, after Newham Council approved plans. The £180 million mixed-use regeneration project will comprise some 650 homes, a library and a community centre, as well as a landmark market square. It is being delivered by English Cities Fund (ECf) in partnership with the London Borough of Newham. Construction is planned to begin by Easter 2013. “This approval is fantastic news for Canning Town and Newham. It is another statement about the area’s ambitions and a push forward on delivering investment,

regeneration, homes and jobs,” said Duncan Cumberland, ECf’s development director. “It also means we can soon start work on the jewel in the crown – a landscaped market square and home for the historic Rathbone Market.” With phase one of the scheme near completion, contractors are clearing the land for the second stage, which will improve access to the A13 underpass. The design for phase two, following on from the Vermilion building created during phase one, will help build a sense of place at Canning Town, Cumberland said.

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MAIN: Five new neighbourhoods will be formed on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. BELOW CENTRE: A new district centre for Canning Town – Hallsville Quarter by Bouygues Development. BELOW RIGHT: Waterside Park will create a new neighbourhood at Barrier Park.

The next stage of the £3.7 billion regeneration of Canning Town and Custom House reached financial close in December 2012. Construction has begun on the first phase of the £600 million scheme by Bouygues Development. The five-phase Hallsville Quarter will become the new district centre for Canning Town. A Morrisons supermarket will be the anchor retail tenant. The 179 new homes will include affordable and private flats and townhouses. Future phases will deliver community and healthcare facilities, retail, leisure, a hotel, student accommodation, livework and underground car parking. In total 1,130 homes will be provided in the new town centre, set in a pedestrian zone with sky gardens and new public realm.

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Madani Sow, chairman of Bouygues Development, said: “Everyone involved in this scheme has worked tirelessly over the last three and a half years to reach this point, so it is fantastic that we will shortly be commemorating such a pivotal moment in Canning Town’s rich and fascinating history. Bouygues UK and Bouygues Development are enormously proud to be part of such a transformational scheme in east London, a great example of the city’s continuing eastward shift.” Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “Hallsville Quarter will be a thriving town centre that reflects our aspirations for the borough and our residents. It will also establish a brand new commercial and residential hub for the whole of east London.”

The London Legacy Development Corporation has been given the green light to create thousands of new homes and jobs on the Olympic site, which was renamed as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after the Games. The decision comes after three years of planning and means that the legacy corporation is on course to release new homes in the first neighbourhood, Chobham Manor, at the end of 2014. These 800 homes will be built by Taylor Wimpey and L&Q, which were selected from a shortlist of three in July 2012. Chobham Manor will offer a mix of terraces, mews and duplex apartments, within tree-lined avenues, streets and open squares. Around 70% is set aside for family housing and 30% will be affordable. Facilities will include a walk-in health centre, two nurseries, two community spaces, neighbourhood shops, and the nearby Chobham Academy school. It will be next to the Athlete’s Village which, since the Games

ended, is being converted into 2,800 flats. In total, the park will see up to 8,000 homes – on 64 hectares of the 226-ha Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – built over the next 20 years. New and existing residents will be served by schools, nurseries, community space and health centres. The homes will be built across five new neighbourhoods: Chobham Manor, East Wick, Sweetwater, Marshgate Wharf and Pudding Mill. The names of the neighbourhoods were chosen by the public in 2011. Dennis Hone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “After three years of legacy planning, we are now delivering a Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for everyone that will bring new homes, jobs and opportunities for sport and leisure. “While the Park will begin to reopen from [this] summer, the development of this area is a 20 year project and we must continue to meet the high standards that will change people’s lives.”

This 4.6-ha brownfield site is being transformed by owner, London Development Agency (LDA), developers Barratt Homes and Taylor Wimpey, with architect, Allies and Morrison, into a new neighbourhood at the southern edge of Barrier Park. Waterside Park will provide 777 sustainable homes, including 35% affordable, along with commercial and retail space, new public realm with play areas and links to the Thames Path. Residents moved into Heron Crescent in December 2011, and the two and three-bedroom apartments were available from December 2012. Phase two, Connaught Heights, is now complete. Homes at phase three, Meadow View, were available from February 2013. The whole scheme is due to be completed by March 2016. eastmagazine.net

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Vacant regeneration sites can be blots on the cityscape, while years may pass before a developer can move the first digger in. But creative thinkers are devising imaginative and practical meanwhile uses, so that communities and businesses enjoy the benefit of temporary installations. Lucy Purdy reports

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s the nation waited with bated breath to welcome the world’s finest athletes to the 2012 Olympic Games, practical-minded innovators in east London were busily devising ‘meanwhile uses’ for the area. Arising from policy machinations but at its heart a philosophy, the theory of meanwhile uses recognises that assets can be about time as well as space and that buildings which lie empty represent unrealised social and economic value. “Temporary doesn’t mean unimportant – think lightning, blossom, a festival,” says Jess Steele, director of innovation at Locality and a non-executive director of Meanwhile Space CIC. Her organisations strive to wring every last drop of creative and entrepreneurial potential from empty spaces and places, working with landlords, agents, occupiers and local authorities, on uses which will benefit the community while waiting for something to happen. Peter Bishop, former deputy chief executive of the London Development Agency, is one of London’s most influential designers and has even written a book about the trend.  The Temporary City challenges our preoccupation with long-term strategies and masterplans and even questions society’s ability to achieve these in the face of everdiminishing resources. The book goes on to explore eight meanwhile or ‘pop-up’ case studies from Europe and North America, which showcase the diversity of temporary use opportunities. Research demonstrates that about 75% of such projects are in vacant retail units but offices, empty homes, pubs, car showrooms and delayed building sites are also being transformed. From grow-bag allotments squeezing fresh vegetables from empty plots of land to empty buildings temporarily housing social enterprises, community projects or even drop-in health clinics – projects seem only to be constrained by the imagination of those involved. And east London is paving the way. There was much talk about legacy in the build-up to London 2012 – but even before the Games, east London was seizing the opportunity with both hands. Canning Town, the area of the former Royal London Docks on the north side of the Thames, is also near the Olympic walkway, which 28

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“Boxpark provides a distinctly different shopping experience and offers the ideal backdrop for Playful Promises to showcase its quirky, directional designs, mixed with all things playful and flirty”

• 60 shipping containers created Boxpark in Shoreditch. • The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will host around 2,000 events each year. • A hot tub cinema, flower gardens in skips, pop-up pianos and even a food busker are among London’s latest meanwhile uses.

• Vacant spaces for temporary enterprises such as workshops, restaurants, micro-breweries and street markets, with leases from six months to 15 years, will be on offer at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. • Meanwhile uses feature on Mary Portas’ 28-point plan to improve Britain’s high streets.

brought hundreds of extra people past it every day. Canning Town Caravanserai was created to tap into this opportunity, inspired by the oasis-like inn and trading posts which lined the Silk Road in ancient times. Now they have been brought into the 21st century with a bump by Ash Sakula Architects following the Meanwhile London Competition organised by Property Week magazine and the London Borough of Newham. The caravanserai lines the long elevation that parallels Silvertown Way, bringing together trade, training, performance, a community garden and a place to eat, drink and play. Mixing a cafe with art workshops, food stalls with performance spaces and enterprise units with allotments, it is hosted by local residents and open to all. Though the Olympics undoubtedly offered huge potential, the value of the caravanserai lies in what happens in the here and now. Organisers hope it will help incubate businesses through its micro-enterprise units, encourage skills development in workshops and bring together greenfingered residents in its growing spaces. “It is a place where both eight and 80-year-olds can learn about urban food production and nurture the community allotments,” says project leader Cany Ash, co-founder of Ash Sakula Architects. “At regular markets, local artists can trade incredible crafts and food producers will sell their freshest produce. During the day, workshops will teach new skills in everything from starting up businesses to carpentry, while in the evening local theatre groups can perform on a stage while parents relax with a drink from the cafe.” The 0.5-ha site is on a five-year lease from the London Borough of Newham, which began in January 2012. The project is the first step in a £3.7 billion scheme to transform the area, in partnership with regeneration specialist Bouygues Development, Countryside Properties, the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (now dissolved) and the Homes and Communities Agency. Another temporary project has been credited with drawing crowds to Shoreditch, driving footfall into an area which epitomises vibrancy. Boxpark seems truly deserving of its tagline: “retail revolution” as it forms the world’s first pop-up mall. Transforming old shipping containers into 60 low-cost box shops, Boxpark has brought together an exciting mix of international eastmagazine.net

TOP: Architect Cany Ash and a pearly queen at Canning Town Caravanserai. ABOVE: Boxpark in Shoreditch is well established after opening in December 2011. Billed as a “retail revolution”, it is constructed from stripped and refitted shipping containers. LEFT: Cleopatra among the urban wear, from Boxpark boudoir boutique Playful Promises.

fashion and lifestyle brands, galleries and cafes into an area which is as much a place to hang out as it is to shop in. The mall opened in December 2011 and is fully occupied, offering leases on a short-term basis at £25,000 pa. Vintage-inspired lingerie label Playful Promises is one of those to take up residence at Boxpark, making its contribution to the unique atmosphere with appearances from circus and burlesque performers. “This unique concept space provides a distinctly different shopping experience and offers the ideal backdrop for Playful Promises to showcase its quirky, directional designs mixed with all things playful and flirty,” says press and sales manager, Delphine Thwaites. Nearby, a project which had its roots in a meanwhile space in Hoxton has gone from strength-to-strength since starting out last year – and helped to tackle the world’s impending resource crisis at the same time. East London Furniture (ELF) started life in an empty shop in Hoxton Street after being supported by Meanwhile Space. All of ELF’s products are made entirely from materials which have been salvaged from waste, therefore diverting huge chunks of wood and other materials from landfill. Supported by the homeless charity Crisis, ELF is attracting more and more attention and in July, took over the Design Museum for the day – turning it into their largest ever workshop and showcasing their innovation and craftsmanship to visitors from all over the capital and beyond. During Clerkenwell Design Week 2011, the company took over an unused Subway sandwich shop on Exmouth Market, converting it into a temporary workshop and showroom. Over the course of 10 days, 52 pallets were collected from the surrounding streets and the team made 21 pieces of furniture. They have now made around 215 pieces of furniture from 270 pallets. With the world’s focus squarely on east London, one of the area’s best-known sons, photographer David Bailey, returned to celebrate his roots. An exhibition of pictures of the area, entitled David Bailey’s East End, was held at Compressor House in Newham’s Royal Docks in July and August 2012. Bailey has photographed east London and its inhabitants from the swinging 60s to the present day, returning time and time again to the stomping ground of his youth. “London’s East End is in my DNA and I’m thrilled to be able to return to my roots in 29

Creating a legacy in East London > We were delighted to be the engineering design services provider for the London 2012 Games We are proud to continue to help build a lasting legacy for the community To learn more about the London 2012 legacy use the QR code or visit www.atkinsglobal.com

BELOW: Catherine Bailey, Docks, 1983, by David Bailey, photographer of models and film stars and one of the East End’s best-loved sons. LEFT: The Rio Club, 1968, by David Bailey.

Newham,” he said before the opening. “Now the rest of the world will focus on an area I’ve been looking at all my life.” The exhibition was one of the highlights of last year’s CREATE 2012 programme. Now in its sixth year, CREATE commissions artists, musicians, designers and filmmakers on scores of projects. They take place across east London in the most unexpected of spaces – from children’s playgrounds and hotel ballrooms to abandoned office blocks and new developments. Through careful thought, passion, enthusiasm and, above all, having a finger firmly on the pulse of thriving, buzzing London, these visionaries of the meanwhile, evangelists of the temporary, are helping to ensure that development in east London is anything but a flash in a pan. And setting a standard for the rest of the country and the world at the same time.

“London’s East End is in my DNA and I’m thrilled to be able to return to my roots in Newham” David Bailey

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ABOVE: The International Quarter at Stratford City. RIGHT: Hackney Wick offers affordable space for start-up businesses keen to be close to central London.

London’s centre of gravity is moving east and with it, the demand for a new commercial centre. London 2012 served as a catalyst for further eastward expansion, but the legacy of the Games is ONLY ONE factor in the revitalisation of THE east as a centre for business and commerce, with 25,000 jobs planned for THE INTERNATIONAL QUARTER, Stratford City, as David Gray reports

espite the recession, London’s economy is growing and its development needs are best satisfied by eastward expansion. East London has more space for commercial building and is already a magnet for residential, retail, leisure and educational developments. The area is home to what are some of the capital’s most desirable destinations to live, work, play and learn. Then there is the transformation of east London’s transport and communication links. Stratford, for example, has become a busier rail hub than both Victoria and Waterloo with 195 trains an hour at peak times. It has nine different rail links

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(including High Speed Rail) and is just six minutes to the Eurostar at St Pancras. London City Airport is just 15 minutes away and when Crossrail opens in 2018, the direct journey to Heathrow will take only 42 minutes. Stratford is no further from the City of London than Kensington or Notting Hill and nearer the West End than Dulwich. And with all the transport improvements, getting there quickly is easy. East London is now a magnet for investment and home to Europe’s largest urban development. More than £12 billion has already gone into infrastructure and projects such as Westfield Stratford City, the biggest urban shopping centre in Europe. Stratford has been chosen by Inter IKEA

Group’s LandProp for the construction of Strand East, a new neighbourhood of 1,200 homes. Hotels, exhibition centres and visitor attractions are all being built in the area, while Stratford will have a new University Square in autumn 2013. Newham is also negotiating with University College London (UCL) for a new £1 billion campus in the borough. These educational developments are especially important for the area’s future. Westfield’s John Burton, chair of Stratford Renaissance Partnership, says: “We are seeing an astonishing transformation take place. Bringing one of the world’s top universities to Stratford will only strengthen

its offer as one of the best-connected and exciting development areas anywhere in Europe.” The International Quarter (TIQ) in Stratford City is evidence of the shift of economic power to east London and the opportunities for developments that will contribute to the Olympic legacy. The Olympic Park, in which TIQ is situated, even has its own postcode – London E20. TIQ is a 50/50 joint venture between Lend Lease and London and Continental Railways (LCR) and its masterplan has consent for £2 billion of world-class, mixeduse development. The Olympic Delivery Authority is due to hand over the site in

spring 2013, with the first plots ready for occupation in early 2016. In its entirety TIQ will consist of 372,000sq m of work space and 25,600sq m of hotels, with 350 homes and 1.2 hectares of amenity space. TIQ will be a 10-minute journey from central London. It also fits into the wider development of Stratford City, with Westfield Stratford City’s shopping, the Olympic Park’s sporting facilities, the new schools and university centres and the 13,000 planned new homes. TIQ is part of a very different new neighbourhood for London with its own modern, buzzing, working and living environment. The offices and jobs it will

“Bringing one of the world’s top universities to Stratford will only strengthen its offer as one of the bestconnected and exciting development areas anywhere in Europe”

• The completed value of The International Quarter will be in excess of £2 billion. • Canary Wharf Group has a development pipeline of one million square metres of space with planning permission, either owned directly or in joint ventures. • Green Street in Newham, dubbed the ‘Bond Street of the East End’, has more than 400 independent shops selling food, jewellery and clothes from around the world.

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“The White Building is a new sort of space where creative people can come together and it places art and artists at the very heart of change”

ABOVE: The International Quarter will provide attractive open spaces alongside commercial opportunities. BELOW: A former print warehouse, The White Building at Hackney Wick is now home to artists’ studios, an event space, and Crate Brewery and pizzeria.

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provide are essential in making Stratford a prosperous and sustainable centre. Kevin Chapman, head of offices for Lend Lease, says that TIQ is: “The last piece in the jigsaw, complementing the already complete East Village and Westfield Stratford City and creating a new commercial district.” BNP Paribas Real Estate has already started pre-letting TIQ’s office space, mandated along with Jones Lang LaSalle by Lend Lease and LCR. Marketing is under way and the first occupiers could move in by early 2016. The development is designed to be a real alternative to the other major London office centres – the West End, the City and Canary Wharf – and interest is on an international scale. In November 2012 Lend Lease and LCR released an interactive iPad app to enable prospective international occupiers to take programmed tours of the TIQ site. TIQ will provide a diverse and flexible range of large, open grade A office space with customisable floor plates from 130 to more than 344sq m. Corporate tenants can create their own accommodation according to their needs, character and culture. The development is divided between TIQ North (93,000sq m) and TIQ South (280,000sq m). The north site has direct access to the Stratford International and DLR stations, while the south site will include new homes and attractive open spaces at Carpenters Square, International Square and Balcony Park. Developers expect a wide range

of corporate occupiers in TIQ. Fred Hargreaves of BNP Paribas says: “There is likely to be a strong demand from the technology, media and IT sectors because the location will work very well for them.” Financial businesses are expected to like the location, connections and easy access for their workforce, especially for their back office operations. While TIQ presents Stratford as a location of choice for corporates, the area also offers schemes designed for smaller businesses. Refurbished historic buildings house creative and start-up businesses which are eager to find affordable space in a buzzy environment close to central London. This happened in Shoreditch a decade or more ago and Stratford could enjoy a similar influx of new enterprises. Shoreditch demonstrated that the arrival of young and vibrant companies soon leads to bigger, richer ones following. A pioneering example is the Hackney Wick Fish Island Cultural Centre, also known as The White Building. The former print warehouse beside the Olympic Park houses five artists’ studios, a large project studio, a flexible event space, and the canal-side Crate Brewery and pizzeria. Publicly accessible, it opened in July 2012 and has already been visited by thousands of local people. The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is the key stakeholder in The White Building. The studios are let by SPACE, while the brewery and pizzeria are operated by a local partnership. There is also a two-year programme sponsored by Bloomberg to provide residencies for international artists as well as taking artists into local schools. SPACE has a 10-year lease and Anna Harding, its chief executive, has a clear vision for the future: “The White Building is a new sort of space where creative people can come together. It places art and artists at the very heart of change. “Industrial buildings in this area have housed artists’ studios for decades and the White Building also opens up the waterfront for public enjoyment,” Harding says. Across Newham and Hackney there are many older buildings ready for conversion into spaces for dynamic new businesses and organisations. Stratford’s Olympic legacy is already being delivered in projects, large and small, like TIQ and Fish Island. East London is getting a new heart and a new buzz.

rom the immaculately styled luxury Britishness of the Liberty store – which popped up briefly at Westfield Stratford – to the rainbow-hued rails and piles at Shoreditch vintage clothing emporium Beyond Retro, there are many routes in east London to discovering that gem of an outfit, item or gift. Some might say it has it all. But east London never stands still – its retail scene is constantly evolving. Even before the capital won the 2012 Olympic Games, London recognised the need for growth – and with demand for retail space in the West End outstripping supply, it could only expand eastwards. Retail would both partly drive that process and partly respond to it, as new offices and homes were built to the east of the city centre. Then the Games were won and the retail expansion eastwards was confirmed. The 177,000sq m Westfield Stratford City houses 300 of the world’s most famous brands, including John Lewis, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Apple and Prada, along with a multi-screen Vue cinema, an All Star

Lanes bowling alley and an Aspers casino. Westfield certainly hit the jackpot, welcoming some 8.5 million visitors to its Stratford site during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which gave them “unprecedented exposure to a global audience”, according to Westfield co-CEO Steven Lowy. And Westfield is now in talks to buy two new sites close to the Stratford centre, with potential for mixed-use development. Angel Lane, part of the zone 1 Westfield Stratford City masterplan, is set to be bought by the group and a site at Chobham Farm South is also within their sight. UK chief operating officer Peter Miller says: “Westfield Stratford City has broken shopping centre records attracting 47 million in its first year and as the shopping centre at the gateway to the Olympic Park, attracted 8.5 million shoppers during the Games period.” Miller is assertive about the extent to which his business is a game-changer in east London: “As the largest urban shopping centre in Europe, Westfield has delivered the best in retail, leisure and dining to east London and has launched first-to-UK

Already a thriving regional shopping destination, Westfield Stratford City consolidated its massive success in front of a global audience during London 2012. Lucy Purdy finds that the Australian giant is part of a wider story in east London’s growth as a retail centre 38

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â&#x17E;ł eastmagazine.net

“Westfield Stratford City has captured the attention of the East End and delivers on average 800,000 customers every week and around 40% of customers return at least once a week”

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retailers, such as Victoria’s Secret, along with innovative concepts such as Liberty’s first pop-up store outside of the West End. The unique retail and leisure offer includes the UK’s largest casino, 14-lane bowling alley, 17-screen, all-digital cinema, three hotels comprising 617 rooms, 250 retailers and more than 70 places to eat and drink. “Westfield Stratford City has been a catalyst for the regeneration of the East End of London and has employed to date over 10,000 people, 2,000 of whom are from the local area,” adds Miller. “The centre has captured the attention of the East End and delivers on average 800,000 customers every week and around 40% of customers return at least once a week.” Stratford is also home to The Skills Place – a recruitment and training service run in partnership with Newham Council. The Skills Place provides industry standard skills development, apprenticeships and recruitment to the stores at Stratford and beyond: John Lewis, Premier Inn and Wagamama among them. So far so good, for shoppers, brands and the Australian Westfield Group. But has Westfield sounded the destruction of the

local shopping mall, the Stratford Centre? The figures would suggest that that is far from the case. Just 30 seconds from Stratford International Station, the centre is a lively, surprising blend of activity. From an exotic mix of cafes to shops selling furniture, fashion and foodstuffs from all over the world, it embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of Stratford. The Olympic effect pushed the Stratford Centre to a personal best, attracting 1.5 million visitors over the two weeks, a 28.6% increase on the same period the previous year. A total of 24 million people passed through the doors of the centre from July 2011 to July 2012, suggesting that it manages to hold on to its core audience – local people – and more. For brands, east London is the obvious area in which to invest. Where the big boys go, others follow. John Lewis, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Topshop have led the charge in Westfield, with newer companies such as Forever 21 close behind. At Boxpark Shoreditch, brands like Dockers, Evisu, Nike and Levi’s have been joined by a raft of exciting UK debuts such as lingerie

specialists Playful Promises, as well as new and quirky food and drinks companies. And east London is also home to some of the capital’s coolest clothing joints, from Beyond Retro and Blitz London to cuttingedge, hipster hang spots No-one and LNCC, which showcase emerging designers. The Royal Docks alone offer the potential for another 40 hectares of development, with Chelsfield already working on the outline of a 232,000sq m retail pavilion concept at Silvertown Quays. At Canary Wharf, the strategy is to add to the aspirational brands already there, the likes of Tiffany & Co, Jaeger, Aquascutum and Hackett, with four new floors of retail above two floors to house the new Crossrail station. John Garwood, Canary Wharf Group company secretary, sees the new centre evolving as a retail destination in its own right: “All our shops are fully let so there is a lot of potential in retail here. It’s going to have a different flavour to Canary Wharf, offering something we don’t have at the moment. We’re going to be building the two top layers before the station actually opens, because demand is so strong.”

eastmagazine.net

• More than 10,000 people work at Westfield Stratford City with 2,000 of these employees coming from the local area. • Boxpark in Shoreditch was fully let in May 2011, seven months before it opened its doors. • Footfall at Canary Wharf retail malls rose more than 1% in the first half of last year — compared with a decline of 2.7% across the rest of the country. PREVIOUS and Opposite PAGEs: Hip, vintage style at Beyond Retro. BELOW and top right: The record-breaking Westfield Stratford City. Below RIGHT: Peter Miller, chief operating officer of Westfield in the UK.

• Stratford’s Green Street, which has more than 400 independent shops, selling goods from all over the world, has become a tourist attraction in its own right.

The most prestigious address in East London

With a 43 storey residential tower rising high above the London skyline, Stratford Halo is a truly landmark Genesis development of more than 700 homes. Located on the doorstep of the London 2012 Olympic Park and Stadium, it is the most exciting development in East London. At Genesis, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re passionate about developing new quality homes. Our mission is to deliver places that people are proud to call home.

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Clean tech businesses are flourishing across east London. From the gleaming architecture of Siemens’ Crystal, one of the world’s most sustainable buildings and the first in London’s new green enterprise district, to the growing business powerhouse at the London Sustainable Industries Park, east London is leading initiatives which are being watched and emulated around the world. Lucy Purdy reports

aving seized the initiative on low-carbon businesses, the London Sustainable Industries Park (LSIP) has gone from strength to strength since its inception, developing the concept of a new generation business park and firmly establishing east London as a home of big ideas. eastmagazine.net

The park is set to house a dynamic group of businesses which subscribe to the same symbiotic vision: delivering economic, environmental and social benefits while growing environmental technology businesses and sustainable industries. These terms may prove fundamental to future business and resource management, and the groundbreaking project has focused the world’s attention on east London.

From the UK’s local authorities to countries as far-flung as Japan and Australia, LSIP has become an exemplar for developments to come as we ponder a future with limited resources and a growing green imperative. From its co-ordinated approach to planning, which has slashed many of the ordinary bureaucratic obstacles, to the sophisticated – yet pragmatic – ways in which businesses can work together, it is 43

clear others have much to learn from LSIP. “One day every major city in the world will have its own sustainable industries park to maximise resource efficiency and minimise waste,” predicts Mark Bradbury, former deputy development director at the now-disbanded London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Bradbury helped bring LSIP to fruition, and is a passionate advocate of the project at his specialist clean tech consultancy Vertical Thinking, often being asked to discuss LSIP and its themes at conferences and events. Based at Dagenham Dock and occupying 24 hectares of land that was formerly home to a coal-fired power station, LSIP was originally conceived by Barking and Dagenham Council as a way of creating jobs. LSIP’s first occupier, the plastic recycling company Closed Loop Recycling, is firmly established and soon to be joined by organic waste recycling business TEG, and energyfrom-waste firm, Chinook Urban Mining. Crucially, the infrastructure which is needed for the kind of businesses expected to occupy the park will now be laid, since plans were approved by London mayor Boris Johnson. Contractor VolkerFitzpatrick started on site in July, carrying out the first steps of around £5 million of works, including building roads, landscaping and installing 44

spring 2013

“One day every major city ... will have its own sustainable industries park to maximise resource efficiency and minimise waste” utilities such as drainage and heating. With 125,000sq m of green business space, LSIP is poised to become a catalyst for clean tech growth in the capital. Its philosophy of industrial synergy benefits not only the firms that occupy it but the communities that surround it too – to the advantage of all involved, as Bradbury says. “Traditionally, these kinds of sustainable businesses tend to be resisted by the communities. Residents see them as being foisted upon them: they see tons of waste, fumes and so forth. This is not factually true but this is the perception,” he says. “It is important that communities see what they are getting out of it. If there is a swimming pool around the corner which is being heated by a plant, or something like a library, then it’s a tangible demonstration of how this is benefiting them.” The conviction at the heart of the park

is that resources should not be imported unnecessarily but rather they should be shared by companies and industries. In Dagenham, on a site which will much more resemble a landscaped business park than a grimy industrial estate when it is complete, Closed Loop will take some of the waste heat produced by TEG’s anaerobic digestion plant, while TEG will use some of the water produced by Closed Loop’s plastic recycling process. This so-called circular economy approach has gained real momentum in recent years as more and more realise what benefits it can bring about. The need for global policymakers to embrace the kind of industrial symbiosis demonstrated at LSIP, was stressed in a briefing paper by London thinktank Chatham House. “A circular economy is an approach that would transform the function of resources in the economy. Waste from factories would become a valuable input to another process – and products could be repaired, reused or upgraded instead of thrown away,” states the paper, A Global Redesign? Shaping the Circular Economy. “In a world of high and volatile resource prices, a circular economy offers many business opportunities. Pioneering companies are leading the way on a circular

Crystal gazing

PREVIOUS PAGE: The opening of Siemens’ Crystal, an urban sustainability centre. LEFT: A proposed gassification plant at LSIP. RIGHT: Located at the Royal Docks in east London, the distinctive Crystal development.

economy, but to drive broader change it is critical to collect and share data, spread best practice, invest in innovation and encourage business-to-business collaboration.” The paper came in the wake of a report commissioned by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, titled Towards the Circular Economy. Researchers found that, by following the kind of model espoused in Dagenham, the EU could save between $240 billion and $630 billion in materials costs – 3-3.9% of the EU’s GDP. A strategy like LSIP’s, which prioritises sustainable growth and competitiveness, is set to become increasingly important as resources become ever more scarce. The LSIP model is now being looked at by other cities, both in the UK and internationally. Bradbury recently travelled to the Isle of Wight where traditionally, resources have been imported into the island – and waste shipped out to the mainland once more. Now, the Eco Island project there is looking at how to make the Isle of Wight almost entirely self-sustaining by the end of the decade – a change which would have been unthinkable a generation ago. The LSIP message is also going global, with enthusiastic articles about its approach appearing in the media in Japan, Australia and Brazil, as well as on US TV giant CNN. Bradbury has had several meetings with eastmagazine.net

The Crystal, Siemens’ urban sustainability centre in east London’s Royal Docks, opened to the public in September 2012. The iconic crystalshaped development launched with a light projection show, beamed directly on to the building’s glass-fronted exterior. It celebrated the opening of the uniquely sustainable building and flagship regeneration project in London’s Green Enterprise District. On 20 September the Crystal hosted UN Habitat’s Urban Planning Conference, which brought together sustainable city experts in the building’s state-of-the-art conferencing facilities. The Crystal was designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and Pringle Brandon and structural services designer Arup. ISG was the building contractor, with project and cost management by Turner &

the South Australian state minister for business and trade, as he contemplates adopting a similar project in a part of Adelaide – a spot which shares east London’s industrial heritage. “The word has got out about our approach,” says Bradbury, “and people are keen to hear what we have learnt: what we have got right and what we have got wrong.” Back at home, Bradbury has been working with local authorities in Sandwell in the West Midlands, and Nottingham, and LSIP is also name-checked in planning documents for the North London Waste Authority and in an Environment Agency report on England’s waste infrastructure. Bradbury believes there is scope for “another four or five” sustainable industry parks in London alone, eventually creating a green network of sites throughout the city. “One of the key aspects of the SIP model

Townsend. The world’s largest exhibition focused on urban sustainability was designed by Event Communications. Chief designer Steve Lumby said: “Deep layers of content will satisfy experienced urban planners and city officials but educating our children in such essential issues plays a key part in the Crystal’s remit too, so content is mapped to the school curriculum. We hope that all visitors will leave with a real insight into the trends that are affecting global cities and be stimulated by the possibilities of affecting change.” Roland Busch CEO, of Siemens’ infrastructure and cities sector, said: “Siemens is establishing the Crystal in order to help find solutions for making the world’s cities more sustainable. It will serve as a centre for dialogue, learning and discovery.”

is that they are not placed miles from anywhere. They are close to dense centres of population which also serve to take and use the electricity, heat and other useful by-products in the community, as well as providing the raw waste materials which clean tech businesses can make use of. “There are already locations in mind, such as Enfield and Croydon, which could be good sites for new SIPs. There is also the benefit of accelerated growth which you get with any cluster,” enthuses Bradbury. “One of the messages for local authorities is to get them to see, as Barking and Dagenham has, that waste can be an economic solution rather than a problem. “If you treat waste as an opportunity,” says Bradbury, “you attract businesses which will bring a wide range of benefits. If you see it as a problem, you will end up with an incinerator.” 45

1171-MAY12

At East Thames we’re firmly focused on housing and regeneration in east London and Essex. This was the case when we started as a small housing association in 1979, and that commitment hasn’t changed. We firmly believe that good quality housing is a key ingredient in building balanced and sustainable communities. Our development and regeneration programme is focused on building high quality affordable homes, from small developments of a handful of homes, to large developments of hundreds of homes.

1,379 new homes from summer 2013 East Village, Stratford

(part of Triathlon Homes partnership with First Base and Southern Homes)

£220m regeneration of Ocean Estate Stepney Green, Tower Hamlets

82 new homes just completed Watermark, Waltham Forest

400 new homes starting 2013 New Union Wharf, Isle of dogs

THAMES 29-35 West Ham Lane, Stratford London E15 4PH

0845 600 0830

www.east-thames.co.uk

High quality, eco-friendly homes are mushrooming across east London in response to demand. New neighbourhoods are emerging on the Olympic sites and beyond, as Paul Coleman reports â&#x17E;ł

eastmagazine.net

espite the recession, London’s economy is growing and its development needs are best satisfied by eastward expansion. East London has more space for commercial building and is already a magnet for residential, retail, leisure and educational developments. The area is home to what are becoming some of the city’s most desirable destinations to live, work, play and learn. Welcome to Hallsville Quarter (previous page), a reborn segment of east London. Bouygues Development’s five-phase, £600 million regeneration of Canning Town’s historic heart comes with both new and old. The name recalls the dockside neighbourhood’s mid-19th century origins, after Mr Hall, the original landlord. Bouygues Development’s first phase of 179 new private and affordable homes bring high quality living to Canning Town, enticing new owner-occupiers to the area.

Hallsville Quarter exemplifies the standard of new neighbourhoods across east London, meaning the capital east of Tower Bridge is becoming the next aspirational place to live. Homes in this sustainable, eco-friendly development will be surrounded by attractive public spaces, a mix of multiple and independent shops, enhanced by a lively evening economy. The six-hectare site reconnects areas divided by the busy, east-west A13 flyover, helping to refashion a vibrant centre for Canning Town. Nicolas Guerin, managing director of Bouygues Development says: “Our Hallsville Quarter scheme will have a huge impact on the transformation of Newham, accelerating the area’s revitalisation and change. “We have worked long and hard with our partners over the past few years to get to the stage where we can start work on phase one and it is hugely rewarding to have reached this point. “At the heart of our phase one solution sits high quality, mixed-tenure houses and

apartments, which we are confident will attract local and new residents, with the space they offer and the close proximity of amenities in the planned new town centre.” One Housing Group will manage the affordable homes and a 7,000sq m Morrisons supermarket will serve new and existing communities in the locality. The micro impact of such schemes stimulates neighbourhood renewal. But the wider impact is that they help make east London a desirable location to live in. Take the redevelopment of Canning Town’s iconic Rathbone Market by English Cities Fund (ECf ), delivering about 650 new homes, including 271 apartments in Vermilion, a colourfully clad, 70-metre high, 21-storey tower. The majority of Vermilion homes, built in the first phase of Rathbone Market’s regeneration, were snapped up last year and many of the retail spaces were soon under offer. Some 103 apartments are affordable. Residents enjoy a communal eco-garden,

“It’s about building a sense of place in Canning Town. The unique designs for Vermilion and phase two will drive much needed regeneration” with captured rainwater diverted from the roofs to a pond and watering system. “It’s about building a sense of place at Canning Town,” says ECf ’s development director Duncan Cumberland. “The unique designs for Vermilion and phase two will drive much needed regeneration.” The second phase includes 165 new homes – 42 affordable – built around a new market square, plus shops, cafes, a library and community centre. The Hallsville Quarter and Rathbone Market developments lie at the heart of the transformational £3.7 billion Canning Town and Custom House regeneration project. The wider Hallsville Quarter scheme totals 1,130 homes with generous accommodation for senior citizens and live-work spaces. Community, healthcare, nursery facilities and an energy centre will also serve the quarter’s new residents. 48

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Countryside Properties’ East City Point at Fife Road completes Canning Town’s transformation with apartments, duplexes, penthouses and family houses. This microcommunity will be served by a new primary school with roof garden, public hall and dance studio. East City Point won a RIBA Housing Design award for “spacious and light-filled new homes”. Fife Road will total 649 homes, with 422 for private sale and 227 affordable units managed by Affinity Sutton. East City Point is the first phase of Countryside Properties’ development, comprising 102 private dwellings and 37 affordable and had sold well by late 2012. Prices ranged from £165,000 for a one-bed apartment to £300,000 for a three-bed family house. Base 3, another Countryside Properties development in Bow, registered brisk early sales for its first phase of high spec apartments clustered within two balconyfronted buildings, which is now sold out. “We’ve already seen great interest in the new homes currently under construction,” says Richard Cherry, deputy chairman of Countryside Properties. “They prove demand is strong.” Keen demand for new homes can mean developers need to satisfy challenging local authority planning requirements. But east London politicians and planners understand developers need schemes to be financially viable. They are working closely with developers to set realistic targets for affordable and family homes. In Stratford, LandProp Holdings’ Strand East development promises 1,200 highquality homes. Some 40% of these will feature three or more bedrooms, housed in energy efficient buildings – part of a 10-ha regeneration site on the Olympic Park fringe that includes a riverside park and square. “We’ve been impressed by the quality and direction of council planners,” says Andrew Cobden, country manager for UK LandProp Services. “We’ve worked together to deliver a scheme that meets their aspirations.” Genesis Housing Association’s riverside, 43-floor Stratford Halo tower lies at the main entrance of the Olympic Park. When complete, the development will comprise 704 new homes across five buildings, as well as retail, commercial and leisure space. Strand East’s creative industries zone at Dane’s Yard is already topped by LandProp’s 40m tall, timber lattice Strand East Tower. Designer Arc-ML’s elegant edifice comes to eastmagazine.net

Olympic legacy Europe’s largest regeneration project, the 200-ha Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will feature more than 6,800 homes across five new neighbourhoods: Chobham Manor – 969 homes East Wick – 831 Marshgate Wharf – 2,505 Sweetwater – 807 Pudding Mill Lane – 1,653 To prioritise family homes, 40% will have three-bedrooms. East Village, London E20 – the former athletes’ village – promises 2,818 homes for 6,000 residents in 67 eight to 12-storey

blocks, many with balconies. Built on 27 hectares around communal squares, courtyards and gardens, with underground car parking, East Village echoes the Victorian architecture and layout of Maida Vale. East Village and 1,439 of its 2,818 homes will be owned, rented and managed by the QDD joint venture between Qatari Diar and Delancey, the global developer and asset manager. Another 1,379 affordable units will be offered by Triathlon Homes, a joint venture of East Thames Group, Southern Housing Group and First Base.

• Growing demand for new high-quality homes across east London boroughs such as Newham and Tower Hamlets – and increasingly Hackney – is strengthening London’s position as a world-class residential property market. • Property analysts disagree on the precise impact of the London 2012 Games but point to rising prices in specific east London locations. Savills’ London regional head, Jonathan Hewlett, says: “Canary Wharf prices are 7.1% higher than five years ago, while Wapping prices rose more than a fifth over the same period.” • Savills’ Yolande Barnes says: “Demand for new homes is fuelled by the flow of overseas buyers into London and the reluctance of domestic owners and renters to move out.” • East London’s young and diverse population is also growing. Over two thirds of local people are under 40. The population of Stratford is set to double by 2020, from the new Olympic Park neighbourhoods, East Village, Strand East and The International Quarter at Stratford City. • Stratford’s high quality new neighbourhoods will boost demand, with their tree-lined avenues, quiet streets, town houses with private gardens, tranquil open squares, and waterside apartments.

PREVIOUS PAGE: Stratford Halo located right in the heart of the Olympic Village. ABOVE: Berkeley Homes’ Goodman’s Fields development.

spring 2013

life with more than 600 low energy LEDs. A final touch is a new canal-side restaurant, Dane’s Yard Kitchen, offering modern British cuisine at the base of Dane’s Yard. Barratt’s St Andrews scheme at Bromleyby-Bow in Tower Hamlets transforms a derelict three-hectare site, to provide 964 homes of varied tenure, next to a tube and Docklands Light Railway station. The homes are served by a combined heat and power system (CHP), community heating and biomass fuel. Three main phases – Union, Fusion, and No 1 The Plaza – incorporate new public realm expanses. No 1 The Plaza is a 27-storey tower comprised of 183 one, two and threebedroom apartments and one-bedroom suites. It offers views to Canary Wharf and is only 10 minutes from the City via Bromleyby-Bow station. Work is under way on Barratt’s Dalston Point, an 18-storey tower of 69 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, part of the £160 million Dalston Square development – just two miles from the City of London. Another Barratt scheme, Waterside Park in the Royal Docks, features one, two and three-bedroom apartments and threebedroom penthouses set amid landscaped courtyards and a riverside aspect. And all of this is right next to Pontoon Dock DLR station. Barratt is also behind Altitude at Aldgate, a new 27-storey tower within walking distance of the City, being developed in a joint scheme with L&Q. Also at Aldgate is Goodman’s Fields, a mixed-use development from Berkeley

Homes, with more than 0.8 hectares of parks and open spaces. Set in 2.8 hectares, the site contains more than 920 units from studios to penthouses, with balconies or gardens which have views across London. The International Quarter at Stratford City, a venture between Lend Lease and St Pancras International station owner London and Continental Railways, will deliver 350 homes in a £2 billion business district. They will also form part of the proposed science, technology and research campus, University College London Stratford. Ballymore’s 21 Wapping Lane scheme has a grand entrance lobby and concierge service, typifying why international buyers flock to east London. Spacious 185sq m terraces also grace Ballymore’s Baltimore Wharf Docklands scheme. Gardens in the sky overlook Canary Wharf, with views across to St Paul’s Cathedral. The final part of Providence Wharf, Ballymore’s waterside Providence Tower, features an arts centre, gallery, restaurants and shops on a site at the mouth of the River Lea. Theatreland, Harrods and Oxford Street are just a short tube hop away from new schemes such as VIVO at Stepney Green. Developed by East Thames Group and First Base, designed by Levitt Bernstein, VIVO’s 462 new homes range from £240,000 for a two-bed apartment. “Ten minutes from trendy Shoreditch and a quick tube ride from Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf, VIVO is the ideal pied á terre for busy professionals,” says Savills director Matt Leitch. “It’s the perfect city pad.”

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