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Newham Council approves Silvertown Quays plans


Newham Council has agreed in principle to grant outline planning permission for a mixed-use redevelopment of Silvertown Quays, with up to 3,000 new homes.

The £3.5 billion regeneration project is to be led by The Silvertown Partnership over the next 10 years. The proposal is for a 62 acre scheme which includes up to 3,000 new homes, restaurants, shops, 179,000 square metres of office space and 222,000 sq m of space for displaying a range of high end brands. A school will also be built on site.

During the first phase, a minimum of 20% of the homes will be allocated to on site affordable housing. There is the possibility of increasing this to 35% for the second phase, subject to viability and funding from various schemes.

The first phase will also include the renovation of Millennium Mills, turning this historic building to a hub for technology, media and telecoms businesses. The developers hope to finish the first phase by 2018, ready for the Crossrail connections.

The proposal also includes the creation of a new bridge connecting the development with the new Crossrail station at Custom House.

The development is expected to create up to 20,700 new jobs and as part of the section 106 Agreement, the developer will also provide £10 million towards the Council's job brokerage scheme to provide the relevant training for the new jobs.

Sir Robin Wales, the mayor of Newham said, "This multi-billion pound transformation is a fantastic opportunity to reinvigorate the Royal Docks area giving it a new lease of life benefiting Newham and the capital as a whole… This scheme builds on our commitment to further enhancing the quality of life for our residents and the opportunities available to them through developing the arc of opportunity spanning the Royal Docks, Stratford and Canning Town."

The planning application will now be referred to the mayor of London and then to the secretary of state for communities and local government and secretary of state for transport before a final decision can be issued.

Planning expert Victoria Lindsay of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said:

"This is the last remaining site to be proposed for development in the Royal Docks area. Alongside the £1 billion ABP Asia Business Park redevelopment scheme to transform the Royal Albert Docks, on which we advised, the grant of the Silverton Quays planning permission represents a further key part of the new business district for East London. After a number of false starts for Silvertown Quays in the past, we hope this scheme is implemented."

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