Crossharbour District Centre
The project will replace an ageing store and under-used open car park with a new town centre. Planning officers at Tower Hamlets Council described it as “sensitive and neighbourly development”.
Location Isle of Dogs, London E14, UK | Client ASDA Stores / Ashbourne Beech Property | Size 44,690 m2 | Status Planning granted September 2021 | Stakeholders Greater London Authority, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association | Tags masterplan, mixed-use, public realm
Positioned in the heart of the Isle of Dogs, with Canary Wharf to the north and Mudchute park and urban farm to the south, Crossharbour District Centre provides an essential open space to the neighbourhood. MSP’s proposal fully incorporates the community’s aspirations for cultural, social and economic uplift and environmental improvements; it supports Tower Hamlets’ cultural venues strategy, and sustainable travel ambitions.
The masterplan meets the requirements for a multi-functional, flexible central open space, fully integrated with the existing urban fabric. The generous 100m-long central square provides for child-friendly play fountains and a flexible open space for a wide range of markets, events and exhibitions.
The scheme introduces a new 1,900 m2 community hub, and green corridors which link Mudchute Park and Farm, Glengall Grove and Millwall Dock neighbourhoods, new retail opportunities, and a new three-form entry primary school, connected to the play street and informal play areas.
The green central square is approached via attractive plazas, each with a different vibrant design character, linked by connector spaces which help pedestrians orientate to the public transport networks. The route to Mudchute Park and Farm (London’s largest urban farm) is currently tucked away in the rear corner of the superstore car park; a new connection will be landscaped and maintained, with natural play opportunities in the linking Belvedere urban forest. The Urban Forest zone is an important green interface with the East Ferry Road. It welcomes users of the local public bus transport routes with plenty of sitting areas in a sheltered, cosy waiting area, and buffers the central park from the road.
The green infrastructure uses best practice methods for stormwater management, providing rich habitats with low irrigation and maintenance requirements in which native and adapted species will thrive. The plan incorporates 386 new trees, which will absorb around 8.33 tonnes of carbon per year, stabilise temperatures and reduce particulates, and a series of roof gardens adds further support for biodiversity.
The design team collaborated with FutureCity and SnapDragon art and cultural placemaking teams to run extensive stakeholder engagement and consultation throughout the process. The outcomes of the public consultation were considered in conjunction with the detailed business planning and the client’s vision, to set out an overarching assessment of the different stakeholder needs, describe how the project will develop, and which interventions would be most welcome. The placemaking strategy which was developed will enhance the social and cultural environment of an area that was unloved and felt unsafe, even at midday.
Planning has been granted for this ambitious plan for a truly mixed-use residential, commercial and social hub which fully meets the ambitions of the council, the GLA, local stakeholders and residents.