£1bn Westferry Printworks scheme approved
Media tycoon Richard Desmond’s plans for the £1bn Westferry Printworks site, E14, on the Isle of Dogs, have been approved by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Plans for the site had initially been approved in 2020, submitted by Desmond’s property company Northern & Shell Investments in partnership with development manager Mace.
The approval was overturned by the government in 2021 amidst controversy over whether the earlier decision had been influenced by Desmond’s donations to the Conservatives, leading to Desmond refiling plans for the site in November 2023.
Media tycoon Richard Desmond’s plans for the £1bn Westferry Printworks site, E14, on the Isle of Dogs, have been approved by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Plans for the site had initially been approved in 2020, submitted by Desmond’s property company Northern & Shell Investments in partnership with development manager Mace.
The approval was overturned by the government in 2021 amidst controversy over whether the earlier decision had been influenced by Desmond’s donations to the Conservatives, leading to Desmond refiling plans for the site in November 2023.
The latest plans, which were approved in line with the planning officers’ recommendation, include 1,358 homes, of which 379 are affordable, in two blocks of 31 and 15 storeys.
The scheme also includes a five-storey secondary school.
The 15-acre site was formerly home to the Daily Express and Daily Star printing presses. It is identified in the London Plan and London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ Local Plan as an opportunity area that is strategically important. The site also sits within the Millwall Inner Dock Cluster Tall Building Zone.
The plans will be passed on to the mayor of London for final approval.
