The Greater London Authority has kicked off a fresh search for a development partner to transform the 30-acre Royal Albert Dock in east London, as part of a new five-year plan for the wider area.
A previous agreement with developer ABP, signed by former mayor of London Boris Johnson, was scrapped in 2022 after ABP “failed to meet its contractual obligations and deliver the scheme”.
The GLA has instructed Montagu Evans on procurement. The agent highlighted the potential for 4.3m sq ft of new development at the site, pointing to the scope for a “major employment-led development” along with a “wide variety” of residential and education uses.
Montagu Evans said its employment uses could include high-value growth sectors such as green technology and the digital economy, sport, leisure and cultural production as well as life sciences, light-industrial and manufacturing, logistics, workspace and education.
It will sit alongside the site’s completed first phase, the majority of which is owned by DPK. A formal process will begin in the summer, after an initial period of market engagement.
The five-year strategy for the wider Royal Docks area involves developing 1.1m sq ft of workspace and 36,000 homes.
The GLA said more than £2bn of public and private sector investment is lined up for key projects in the area over the next five years. This includes £64m from the GLA, which is in addition to the £44m that it has already invested.
The Royal Docks consists of seven developments across 432 acres of public land belonging to the GLA, which include a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial developments.
The sites include the Royal Albert Dock, Silvertown, Albert Island, Royal Albert Wharf, Thameside West, Royal Eden Docks and Queens Cross, which is part of Royal Eden Docks.
The projects being funded include the ExCeL extension, the new Silvertown Bridge across Royal Victoria Dock, and the Silvertown Tunnel.
Photo © Paul K Porter Media
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