Stratford office blocks get consent for education use

Vastint UK has secured dual use consent for two Cat A office buildings within its 26-acre mixed-use neighbourhood Sugar House Island, in Stratford, E15. The dual use approval allows higher education providers, as well as commercial businesses to operate from the buildings. The buildings in Sugar House Island that have been awarded dual use consent are located within Chimney Walk, Sugar House Island’s fourth and latest phase of development which completed in February 2024. Chimney Walk comprises 220,000 sq ft of education and office commercial space, and 23,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space for independent brands. Michael Cronin, Vastint UK head of portfolio, said: “Sugar House Island is a 15-year masterplan project for Vastint. “Given the length of the development programme, having dual use consent on two of our largest office buildings in the neighbourhood means we can allow for the flexibility required to respond to market demands and the needs of the businesses within our community.” Holly Purvis, director in the Greater London and South East office agency team at Savills, said: “There has been a notable acceleration in office leasing activity from education providers in Greater London since 2020, with these occupiers seeking larger quantities of space for longer lease terms compared with other sectors. “Chimney Walk is a rare speculative opportunity for educational providers, being self-contained with excellent ESG credentials and access to amenities and public transport. We have received high levels of interest from the educational sector which we expect to continue.” The planning consent reflects the growing demand for space in Stratford from the education sector, with education accounting for 69% of the total take-up of space in the area last year, up from 21% in 2021, according to a report by Savills. Earlier this year, Cushman & Wakefield issued a document saying that it is tracking 14 institutions that are looking for 465,000 sq ft of active or upcoming requirements in central London. The document was filed with CLS Holdings’ plans to convert 9 Prescot Street, E1, for uses including higher education, having struggled for years to fill it as a traditional workplace. Earlier this month, Gaw Capital UK also signed a 15-year lease with the University of Sunderland in its nine-acre Harbour Exchange development which will see the university increase its footprint in the building tenfold. The university will take 95,628 sq ft in 4 and 5 HX. It currently occupies just 9,559 sq ft. Savills and Compton are the leasing agents for the two Sugar House Island office buildings. Check out planning decisions in the London Borough of Newham >>