New commercial wharf and over 1,000 student flats by East India Docks approved by councillors

Councillors voted unanimously to approve building 1,352 student rooms and 208 homes, despite objections that family housing should be prioritised.

A new commercial wharf and more than 1,000 student flats could soon be built next to East India Docks after being approved by councillors.

Property developer Regal wants to build the wharf – processing parcel deliveries transported by river – along with 1,352 student rooms and 208 homes at Orchard Wharf.

Tower Hamlets councillors voted to approve the plans on Wednesday, 3 September.

But Ashley Lumsden, chair of London City Island and Goodluck Hope Leaseholders’ and Residents’ Association, said approval would be a ‘huge missed opportunity’ for more affordable family housing.

He told councillors: ‘The question of student housing – is that what’s needed? What we hear is that the market is not demanding that because no university wants to take on that provision at the moment.’

Lumsden also questioned whether the housing, which would be a mixture of social rented and shared ownership homes, would be ‘good quality’, especially as the wharf could operate 24 hours a day.

This follows another proposed 46-storey student tower block in Wood Wharf, which was initially rejected by the council but ultimately forced through by City Hall.

He also said the council should demand more family homes. Of the 208 homes proposed, 15 would have four bedrooms.

Lumsden said: ‘The social housing – what quality is being provided? This is above an industrial site, which might be parcel delivery, but it could be a completely different industrial use, and it’s going to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, underneath the homes of these 200 households.

‘I’m not convinced that this is good quality social housing.

‘We’re told that it will have triple-glazed windows but the only ventilation if it gets too hot in the summer will be to open those windows to that 24-hour noise.’

He added: ‘It’s a huge missed opportunity to give away this site for student housing and low-quality affordable housing.

‘I think you should demand more family housing as is in your policy. I think you should stop the overnight works at the wharf.’

Regal representative Steve Harrington said the site is a ‘safeguarded wharf’, meaning that it can only be used to handle waterborne freight.

Harrington said that this meant Regal had to ensure it was capable of operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

He said this meant Regal’s noise assessment had to consider the effects of a ‘worst case scenario’ and concluded that up to 64 vessels every 24 hours would be appropriate.

However, he added that the proposed operator, Thames Clipper, would unload around nine vessels a day, and these would be mainly between 6 am and 10 pm.

Developers’ plans also say the flats will be fitted with mechanical ventilation systems that can cool the homes.

Council planning officers recommended that councillors vote to approve the plans.

Planning officer Fran Haines said the student housing would help to ease the borough’s housing needs, both directly through housing students, and indirectly by ‘easing pressure on traditional rented homes’.

She added that it was usual for universities not to commit to buying new student flats until later in the planning process.

Haines also said that Regal had ‘gone beyond what is deemed neccessary’ to mitigate noise impact on residents.

Councillors voted unanimously to approve the plans at a strategic development committee meeting on Wednesday, 3rd September.

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