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The hybrid planning application will see two existing warehouse buildings demolished and replaced with two residential towers delivering co-living and affordable housing alongside community and education facilities.

The development has been designed architect Squire & Partners for site owner Pirin Limited and its development partner Fifth State.

The centrepiece of the scheme is a 42-storey tower containing 843 purpose-built shared living units aimed at young professionals and key workers.

Next to it, a 27-storey tower will provide 153 affordable homes, delivering 42% affordable housing across the development.

Of these homes, 121 will be low-cost rented properties and 32 will be intermediate homes. Around two-thirds of the rented homes will contain three or four bedrooms aimed at families.

At ground level the affordable housing block will include a 161 sq m community hub facing onto a new 1,500 sq m public park located in the south-west corner of the site.

The hybrid application also includes outline plans for a new alternative provision school for up to 100 pupils in the north-west corner of the site. The facility could deliver up to 4,510 sq m of education floorspace.

Both towers will feature terracotta-coloured metallic aluminium cladding. A darker shade will be used on the co-living tower referencing nearby railway infrastructure, while a lighter tone will be used on the affordable housing building.

Developers said the scheme will transform an under-utilised brownfield site while helping deliver new homes and community facilities in the Isle of Dogs Opportunity Area.

The employee-owned retailer confirmed it is withdrawing from the build-to-rent sector after concluding the numbers no longer stack up in today’s higher-rate environment.

The group had secured planning to build above existing Waitrose stores in Bromley and West Ealing and on a former industrial site in Reading.

Consented West Ealing plan of four high-rise blocks

In West Ealing, plans involved 428 flats in four high-rise blocks above the Waitrose store. Bromley would have seen 353 rental flats in a 24-storey block above the supermarket, while a further 170 flats were planned in Reading as part of a £70m scheme.

John Lews will complete final negotiations with local authorities before considering options for the sites’ future, which could include their sale to property developers.

The retailer said rising borrowing costs, higher build costs and weaker investor appetite had undermined the model originally conceived in 2020. Investment manager abrdn had been working with the retailer on the venture.

Reading scheme planned for brownfield site that will now be sold

A spokesperson said: “Our rental property ambition was based on a very different financial environment: one with more stable investment returns, lower borrowing costs and more affordable costs to build homes.

“Unfortunately, the current climate – higher interest rates, inflationary pressures and a more cautious property market – has meant the model no longer meets the partnership’s investment criteria.

“Since we embarked on the rental property plans in 2020, we have made significant progress with our core retail strategy. This has seen us invest heavily in our customer offer for our unique brands, John Lewis and Waitrose, simplifying our business and strengthening our balance sheet.”

The retailer also confirmed it is exiting property management and will close that business once contracts covering four residential buildings come to an end.

The move marks a sharp retreat from what had been billed as a long-term diversification strategy, designed to generate steady rental income from surplus land and airspace above stores.

But with housing development activity in London sharply down and funding costs elevated, John Lewis has opted to refocus on its core retail operations and shore up its balance sheet rather than ride out the downturn.

The 833-studio room project is the tallest scheme of its kind in the UK to clear the Building Safety Regulator hurdle.

Contractor RG Group will deliver the developer’s first wholly co-living scheme under its new Vivus Living brand, which will be rolled out with further planned London projects.

Leeds-based Demolition Service is now expected to start site clearance work in April, with RG hoped to start on the Docklands site this Autumn.

The tower will deliver studios averaging 24 sq m, slightly larger than much of the current market, with amenity space distributed throughout the building rather than concentrated at podium or roof level.

Facilities will include commercial-scale gym space, spa and wellness areas, living and dining lounges and flexible workspace.

A hotel-style offer is planned, with 24-hour concierge, food and beverage services including room service, plus private meeting and function rooms.

As of last year, Olympian has 1.8m sq ft of PBSA and build-to-rent under construction across six sites. Marsh Wall marks its first pure-play move into the co-living sector.

Vivus Living will initially focus on London, where Olympian has identified a £2bn pipeline, before expanding into other major UK cities.

Savills has been appointed to seek equity partners for the Marsh Wall scheme and the wider Vivus roll-out.

Chairman and founder Mark Slatter said: “This milestone is the culmination of five years of hard work on the planning and the Gateway 2 process.

“It has not been easy, but the BSR regime is improving all the time.

“In my 33 years in the business, this scheme and the Vivus brand is by far the most exciting project I have been involved with and we look forward to finding the right equity partners in this still very challenging market to deliver this much-needed affordable alternative to BTR.”

Camden Council has driven the development model in partnership with Ballymore and Lateral for a challenging site at Camley Street bounded by railway lines and bisected by a large road.

The Council is bringing the scheme forward through its Community Investment Programme, which it argues sets up a development model for other councils to use at challenging inner city sites.

The approved plans knit together two brownfield sites at Camley Street to deliver 401 homes alongside more than 350,000 sq ft of office and employment space.

Around 50% of the homes will be classed as genuinely affordable.

The scheme will be delivered across six buildings ranging from eight to 30 storeys.

Site A will be home to three interlinked mixed-use terracotta/red brick blocks of flats ranging from 8 to 13 storeys, with Camden acting as lead developer.

Site B includes a 30-storey residential tower, a 12-storey commercial building, and a standalone eight-storey mixed-use building combining homes above with commercial space at ground level.

On this site, Camden provides the land on a long leasehold to the joint venture. While Ballymore leads on the demolition of Site B, the Council will initially fund these works, which will be later reimbursed by the partners alongside the first land receipt payment.

Over 200 private sale homes built by Ballymore on this site will generate the capital receipts that the Council is reinvesting to fund the social housing on Site A and other CIP projects.

Landscape-led design underpins the proposals, with new walking and cycling routes, play space and public squares prioritising health, wellbeing and biodiversity.

A car-free approach strengthens connections to Regent’s Canal and safeguards future links to the proposed Camden Highline, reflecting a wider shift among councils nationally towards low-car, active-travel neighbourhoods.

Camden said the development would generate more than 1,000 job and training opportunities, including apprenticeships and school placements, creating pathways into life science, technology and digital roles for local people while maximising the wider economic impact of the scheme.

The first homes are expected to be ready for occupation by late 2030.

The project team across both sites includes architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Morris + Company, Hoare Lea on MEP, Aecom and Gardiner & Theobald as cost consultants.

The agreement paves the way for construction of an opening tranche of 195 rental flats, marking Grainger’s first BTR partnership with a major housebuilder.

The first phase has secured detailed planning consent and Gateway 2 approval from the Building Safety Regulator, clearing the way for work to begin within weeks.

Detailed high-rise flats plan submitted for plot 3a

The wider Bollo Lane scheme is being brought forward by a partnership between Barratt Redrow and Transport for London. It will consist of a dozen blocks running along a ribbon site next to tube line tracks at Acton in West London.

The planned second phase will deliver around 450 homes with a third phase delivering around 250 homes.

Further land to the north in Acton, which could be incorporated into the partnership, could deliver a new facility for the London Transport Museum together with a further 800 homes.

As well as delivering new homes and public realm improvements, both TfL and Barratt Redrow will seek to deliver new educational and job opportunities for those considering a career in the construction industry, including for those who live locally, through apprenticeships and training programmes.

This morning housing secretary Steve Reed signed off the scheme for the 20,000 sq metre complex at Royal Mint Court, just east of the City of London and opposite the Tower of London.

The decision comes despite opposition from MPs across Parliament about security concerns and clears the way for what would become China’s largest diplomatic outpost in Europe.

Prime minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit China later this month as ministers seek to reset economic and diplomatic ties. It would be the first visit by a British prime minister since 2018.

Reed said the approval was a “quasi-judicial” decision taken fairly and in line with planning policy. He added that it is now final unless successfully challenged in court.

China bought the Royal Mint Court site in 2018 for around £230m.

Plans for the embassy were delayed three times before approval was granted. The 240-page planning decision concludes the proposal complies with the development plan “when taken as a whole” and that planning permission and listed building consent should be granted.

The proposed super embassy would include offices, a large basement area, housing for 200 staff, and a new tunnel to connect embassy buildings

Ministers said intelligence agencies were involved throughout the process and that a package of protective security measures has been devised.

The £255m scheme was previously rejected by Tower Hamlets council in 2022 on safety and security grounds.

The proposed super-embassy includes offices, a substantial basement, accommodation for around 200 staff and a new tunnel linking key embassy buildings. Its location, close to sensitive fibre-optic infrastructure used by banks and major institutions, has fuelled ongoing concern.

The design by David Chipperfield Architects would repurpose the listed Johnson Smirke and Seamen’s Registry buildings, demolish others and introduce new residential and office blocks.

Internal layouts for two buildings — the Cultural Exchange Building and Embassy House — have been redacted from public documents, with parts of other blocks also blanked out.

Construction management advice is being provided by BCEGI UK, with Arcadis acting as project manager. Turner & Townsend is cost consultant, Arup is advising on structures and civils, Cundall on building services and Thornton Tomasetti on façades.

The Home Office has already pushed for a “hard perimeter” to prevent unregulated public access, a requirement that could still trigger a fresh planning application. A final government position is due next month, but ministerial scrutiny means security concerns — not just planning policy — could yet derail the scheme.

Designed by Howells, the plans also include a new primary school, more than 13,500 sq m of light industrial and flexible workspace, a new riverside park, and a range of ground-floor retail and community spaces.

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director, Ballymore, said: “Securing consent for Thames Road is a significant milestone and a strong endorsement of the ambition and care that has shaped these proposals.

“Our commitment to the Royal Docks spans decades, and this approval allows us to build on the success of Royal Wharf while continuing to respond thoughtfully to the area’s evolving character and needs.

“Royal Wharf has demonstrated what high-quality brownfield regeneration can achieve, becoming an international benchmark for new town delivery since its completion in 2020. With planning now in place for Thames Road, we are excited to move forward and prepare to begin construction next year.”

The City of London Corporation and GLA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to relocate both historic wholesale markets at Albert Island next to City Airport in Newham.

The ambitious plans now hinge on Parliamentary approval to formally end trading at the current sites in 2028 and planning consent from Newham Council.

Talks will now start with potential delivery partners to detail how both markets will be incorporated on the Royal Docks site, including funding, viability, construction sequencing at Albert Island.

The relocation unlocks two of London’s most sought-after redevelopment opportunities.

Subject to the Bill passing, the grade II-listed halls of the Smithfield meat market site in central London will be turned into an international cultural and commercial hub alongside the London Museum.

Billingsgate’s Canary Wharf-side fish market site will also be transformed, delivering around 4,000 new homes and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge.

Alongside developing these two London sites, the City Corporation is also working with Barking & Dagenham on future plans for the 42-acre Barking Reach site, previously earmarked for the combined markets.

The riverside location is seen as a prime logistics base with access to international supply chains via the Thames Estuary Gateway. Further details will be shared as discussions with developers progress.

The proposed Albert Island site has permission for around 750,000 sq ft of development and a new boatyard.

New Billingsgate and New Smithfield will also feature a major food school, offering accredited training for butchers, fishmongers, fruiterers and apprentices.

City of London Corporation policy chairman Chris Hayward said: “We are investing in London’s future. Redeveloping the current market sites will contribute billions of pounds in economic growth, thousands of new jobs and thousands of new homes.”

City Hall’s intervention draws a line under one of Westminster’s most fiercely contested student housing disputes and finally clears the way for construction to start.

The £147m scheme on a Travis Perkins builders’ merchant site had been repeatedly blocked by councillors who claimed the twin-tower block would cause unacceptable light loss and harm nearby conservation areas.

Labour and Tory members united to brand the plans “excessive”, warning the 20-storey massing would create a canyon effect across Paddington Basin.

But deputy mayor Jules Pipe ruled the now extensively redesigned project met the London Plan “when read as a whole”, arguing the student beds, canal-side upgrades and economic benefits outweigh the acknowledged design impacts.

City Hall also highlighted London’s surging demand for student housing, with at least 3,500 new beds needed every year to avoid piling more pressure on mainstream homes.

The green light allows Unite to demolish the current depot at 149–157 Harrow Road and deliver two linked towers containing 605 rooms above a reprovided Travis Perkins operation at ground and mezzanine level.

The scheme also brings a new public path along the Grand Union Canal, mooring improvements, canal-side landscaping, a walkway beneath Bishops Bridge Road and a retained historic gable end.