He has launched an international competition to find developers and London partners to design and deliver the scheme for 15 acres of water at the Royal Victoria Dock site to transform it into a community with floating homes, hotels, restaurants and bars.
When complete it will be one and half times the size of Green Park and have some of the best transport links in the capital with a new Crossrail station, DLR and the cable car linking it to central London and Canary Wharf.
Although a first for the UK, floating developments are already a popular idea on the continent with successful schemes at ljbury near Amsterdam and Hafen City in Hamburg as well as many others throughout Scandinavia.
The Mayor, who inherited over 600 hectares of land as a result of the Localism Act in April 2012, is currently one of the largest owners of public land in London. He is determined to bring more public land forward for development and accelerate the number of homes being built for Londoners. As part of this, the redevelopment of the entire Royal Docks area is one of his key priorities.
His investments in this area have already led to the opening of the Emirates cable car and the Siemens Crystal Centre as well as upcoming developments at Silvertown Quays and Royal Albert Docks.
‘This site is unique. It has the potential to become one of the most sought after addresses in the capital while breathing new life back into London's waterways. But it's not alone. Right across London there are incredible investment opportunities that I'm determined to bring to market creating more homes and jobs for Londoners,’ he said at the annual MIPIM conference in Cannes, France.
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales said that the Royal Docks offer an investment opportunity in scale unmatched anywhere in Europe. ‘This exciting development is a pivotal part of their reanimation. The Royal Docks were designated the capital's first new Enterprise Zone, in recognition of the importance of the area to the future of London's economy. As today's announcement shows, they have the capacity to attract modern sustainable businesses and deliver 21st century growth for the capital. It is essential that the transformation of the area translates into long term prosperity, growth and jobs,’ he explained.
‘The Docks are being transformed into a living, working community of high quality offices, workspace, retail, residential spaces, leisure and entertainment facilities. They will become a vibrant, exciting and fun visitor attraction which will draw people not just from across the capital, but across the country,’ he added.
