Construction begins on £3.5bn Silvertown regeneration

A £3.5 billion regeneration scheme at the Royal Docks in London is underway.

Developer Lendlease plans to build 720 affordable homes in the east London neighbourhood for phase one of the scheme. 

Around 6,500 homes are part of the complete plan, with The Silvertown Partnership aiming to make 50% of them affordable housing, including London affordable rent and shared ownership.

Lendlease submitted plans for the regeneration in January 2023, and occupancy for the first set of homes will be in 2024.  

Inside the scheme

Spanning 24 hectares, phase one of Silvertown will see 1,248 homes and 82,328 sqm for leisure and community facilities and new workspaces. 

Maccreanor Lavington Architects designed the plans for the first residential building, a six-storey mansion block with 105 one and two-bedroom homes and ground-floor retail. 

Full scope

The building will be a gateway to a new local high street between North Woolwich Road and Millennium Mills, which has been derelict for the past 40 years. 

Further into construction, Silvertown will include a new healthcare facility, primary school, and cafe restaurant provisions. 

Additionally, Newham Council approved plans for Lendlease to install a new walking and cycling bridge along the Royal Victoria Dock last month. 

Social value: More than 1,300 people a year will work on the construction of Silvertown, with a further 10,000 new jobs on completion. 

On the job

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has invested £80 million into phase one, and Homes England has committed £233 million in infrastructure funding. 

The Silvertown Partnership is working with Homes England, the GLA, and The Guinness Partnership (TGP). 

Lendlease has also contracted Arup, AECOM, Churchman Thornhill Finch, and DP9 for the scheme. 

The design and planning team includes Prior + Partners, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, dRMM, Pollard Thomas Edwards, Maccreanor Lavington, Gort Scott, and OMMX. 

GLA expects that the whole regeneration will be complete by the early 2030s. 

“The momentum we’re seeing on-site – including starting work on this first residential building and the recent approval of plans for the new bridge – is bringing us that bit closer to delivering much-needed new affordable homes and jobs to an iconic area of East London,” said Ed Mayes the development director for Silvertown at Lendlease. 

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