First phase of Silvertown Quays set for green light

Newham Council is recommended to approve Lendlease and Starwood Capital’s plans for 943 homes in the first phase of the £3.5bn Silvertown Quays development in east London. The 62-acre site has outline planning consent for a mixed-use scheme of circa 3,000 homes, 2.4m sq ft of commercial “brand accommodation” space and 1.9m sq ft of employment space. Phase one comprises 943 homes (950,000 sq ft), 540,000 sq ft of brand space and 180,000 sq ft of office space. Newham planning officers have recommended that the council’s strategic development committee approve the reserved matters at the meeting today (10 December). Approval of the long-awaited scheme comes just weeks after Newham refused Keystone and the Greater London Authority’s plans for the nearby £3bn Thameside West, which has subsequently been called in by London mayor Sadiq Khan. A Lendlease and Starwood jv bought out the Silvertown Partnership consortium – consisting of Sir Stuart Lipton’s Chelsfield Properties, First Base and Macquarie Capital – in June last year. The group had entered into a development agreement in 2012 with landowner GLA Land and Property, a wholly owned GLA subsidiary, but development stalled when the consortium struggled to secure the £500m in funds to bring forward the first 2m sq ft. Lendlease and Starwood have promised significant investment in infrastructure to unlock the visitor destination and new neighbourhood. Development will be spread over seven phases, with the first phase comprising 20% of the site area. To send feedback, e-mail emma.rosser@egi.co.uk or tweet @EmmaARosser or @estatesgazette