THE SITE TODAY
THE SITE TODAY
The existing brownfield site is located at 122-126 Westferry Road and is bound by the River Thames to the west and Westferry Road to the east.
The site is significantly underutilised and contains a number of run-down sheds and storage containers.
The current site is one of the last stretches of the Thames Pathway on the Isle of Dogs yet to be unlocked; there is no public access between the Millwall Slipway and Arnhem Place. The entire boundary of the site is walled off providing no public access and, overall, it provides no value to the community.
LOCAL CONTEXT
Tower Hamlets, like many other parts of London, is facing an acute housing crisis. The council currently has more than 20,000 people waiting on the housing register – the third highest in the entire city. The local population is expected to grow by 50,000 in the next 10 years which means housebuilding needs to take place on an industrial scale to ensure today’s children have homes to live in when they are adults.
The current wait for a three or four-bedroom house with the council is more than 10 years and as a result, there is significant overcrowding in the borough. Many residents are often forced out due to rising costs and the unavailability of homes.
There is widespread recognition now that the only way to alleviate this crisis is by building new homes and providing necessary infrastructure.
