Foster + Partners' £3bn Royal Docks masterplan rejected

Foster + Partners’ £3bn masterplan for 5,000 new homes on a 16ha strip of land at the Royal Docks has been rejected by Newham Council. A hybrid application was submitted for the Silvertown site, including outline plans for 18,600m² of industrial and workspace along with 7,000m² of shops, restaurants and bars, along with detailed proposals for a John McAslan + Partners-designed first phase with 460 homes and 3,417m² of flexible office space on the site of the former Carlsberg brewery. Concerns raised by planning officers included a lack of integrated designs for the scheme’s cluster of ‘overbearing, bulky and incongrous’ towers and the scheme’s ’excessive density’ given the site’s poor access to public transport. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “Newham Council has now referred this application to the Greater London Authority and the Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills will consider it on its merits during the next two weeks”.

Architects’ Journal (15/11/2019)