Developer Arada London submitted £1.5bn regeneration plans for the 11-acre site in January 2025 but said the project faced “unnecessary and costly delays” before City Hall backed the regeneration proposals.

The approval clears the way for one of Barnet’s biggest regeneration schemes, replacing the ageing car-led leisure park with a high-density housing-led neighbourhood centred around a major two-storey leisure centre, landscaped public spaces and sports facilities.

The homes will be delivered across 20 buildings reaching up to 25 storeys, alongside a new council-owned leisure centre

Arada London is part of UAE-based Arada Group, which entered the UK market late last year following the acquisition of developer Regal London.

Founded in 2017, the group has rapidly expanded across the Middle East and Australia with a focus on large-scale mixed-use regeneration projects.

The existing leisure centre will remain open until the replacement facility is completed.

The wider regeneration will also deliver more than 4,000 sq m of public realm works beside Glebelands playing fields just off the North Circular and over 2.5 acres of landscaping, green roofs and ecological corridors. The scheme is targeting a biodiversity net gain of more than 150%.

Steve Harrington, planning director at Arada London, said: “London continues to fall significantly short of its housing targets, with schemes such as Great North Leisure Park capable of contributing in a meaningful way to the capital’s housing needs.”

Arada London is now expected to move into detailed delivery planning and contractor procurement ahead of a phased construction start, with the replacement leisure centre likely to be prioritised early in the programme.

The Allies and Morrison-designed Knights Road scheme will deliver 334 affordable homes alongside around 4,000 sq m of workspace, plus retail and community uses.

Ballymore’s hybrid application includes detailed consent for a first phase of 640 homes in three blocks ranging from six to 18 storeys, with 2,300 sq m of flexible commercial space.

Outline plans cover the wider build-out of the remaining homes across the site, which sits south of London City Airport between North Woolwich Road, the Thames, Lyle Park and neighbouring industrial land.

Because of the size of the scheme, the application will now be referred to the mayor of London for final sign-off.

Ballymore is aiming to continue detailed design work before starting the first phase on site in early 2028.

Lyle Park area of scheme

The development will also fund major improvements to Lyle Park, the 4.5-acre riverside space gifted to the community by Abram Lyle of Tate & Lyle 100 years ago. Flood defences along the riverside will also be upgraded.

Changes by developers British Land and AustralianSuper will see an increase in height and massing of the residential buildings “in response to major regulatory changes and sector-wide cost and viability challenges.”

Levels of affordable housing have also chenged to 20% in the next phase and a minimum 9% across the whole site.

The decision will allow the next phase of development to start on site from 2027.

The 53-acre scheme, which is being delivered in partnership with Southwark Council, will deliver up to 4,184 new homes, 2.5m sq ft of workspace, 1m sq ft of retail, leisure and cultural uses alongside a 3.5-acre public park, a town square and 16 new streets.

The first phase has seen the provision of workspace at Paper Yard, Dock Shed and Three Deal Porters, 186 new homes at The Founding and 79 affordable homes at 7 Roberts Close.

It also includes new restaurants and a leisure centre for Southwark Council.

Gareth Roberts, Head of Canada Water, British Land, said: “Approval of our revised masterplan is vital to accelerating momentum, creating a global destination as part of an amazing new neighbourhood that is uniquely Canada Water.

Discovery Pond and Canada Dock Boardwalk

“The viability challenges we have faced are being felt across London, but with the first phase of development having recently completed, this decision will enable us to bring forward future homes, employment opportunities and investment in local infrastructure.”

Stéphane Jalbert, Head of Real Assets, Europe, AustralianSuper, said: “We welcome the Deputy Mayor of London’s approval of the revised Canada Water Masterplan. This decision provides clarity for the next phase of the project, unlocking future development opportunities for delivery across the site.”

Developer Hub is bringing forward the 1.2-acre mixed-use development, known as Chords. This will consist of 695 co-living flats and 20 three-bed family homes alongside community infrastructure, including a new NHS health centre.

Designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, the scheme will be delivered across three buildings.

Hub said it would hold a competitive tender now to select a contractor.

The health hub will occupy the lower floors of one block, meeting long-standing demand for local healthcare facilities as the neighbourhood’s population continues to grow.

Managing director Damien Sharkey said: “As our largest co-living-led approval to date, we’re excited to be moving forward with this important site – not only for the Elephant Park neighbourhood, but for the wider co-living sector.”

Developer Barking Riverside Limited has secured revised outline consent to deliver up to 20,000 homes on the 443-acre east London site – almost doubling the original 10,800-home consent.

The decision from Barking & Dagenham councillors clears the way for a long-term build-out of one of the capital’s most significant brownfield regeneration projects.

Barking Riverside Limited is a joint venture between L&Q and the Mayor of London, with Homes England providing more than £170m in infrastructure funding to date.

It comes against a weak backdrop for London housing delivery, with just 5,000 open market homes built in the capital last year.

More than 3,000 homes have already been delivered at the vast site, with several thousand residents now living on site and further phases underway.

The revised masterplan ramps up ambition, with over 4,000 affordable homes alongside a major package of infrastructure and placemaking works.

The expansion leans heavily on existing infrastructure already delivered, including the London Overground extension and Thames Clippers river pier, which unlocked early phases of the scheme.

Developers are now positioning the next phase as a faster, lower-risk delivery programme backed by long-term institutional funding.

Leigh Johnson, managing director of BRL, said: “This successful planning consent marks a genuine step change for Barking Riverside and for the role it can play in London’s growth.”

He added: “The development offers a rare combination of scale, security and coordination… We are now positioned to de-risk, accelerate and expand.”

The ambitious scheme at 980 Great West Road spans 13 acres and will see over 2,300 homes built across a mix of tenures, with 35% classed as affordable.

The plans also include around 330,000 sq ft of commercial and retail space, creating a new mixed-use neighbourhood along the M4 corridor.

Former Glaxo HQ building at redevelopment site where 96% of building basement and substructure will be retained

Hadley, which bought the site three years ago, plans to retain and adapt two major buildings from the original campus – including the landmark tower – to cut embodied carbon and deliver new homes with oversized balconies, shared amenity areas and a rooftop conservatory.

A pioneering approach to retrofit and reuse will save more than 34,500 tonnes of embodied carbon in the demolition and construction phases

Studio Egret West is leading the tower’s redesign while also working on new affordable housing and extensive landscaping.

More than 60% of the site is earmarked for public realm, with new play areas, gardens and access to the River Brent and Boston Manor Park.

The proposals also include 23,000 sq m of employment space, with flexible units for local businesses, markets and events.

Hadley says its plan will open up a previously closed site, creating “arrival, central, underside and riverside” zones to reconnect the historic campus with Brentford High Street.

A strip of public space known as the Underside will run below the M4

Architects Haworth Tompkins, with Studio Egret West, Metropolitan Workshop and DRMM are all involved in the design.

The project team also includes TPS as project manager, Gardiner & Theobald as quantity surveyor and Buro Happold covering MEP.

Andy Portlock, CEO of Hadley, said: “Reaching this milestone is down to the way we’ve been able to work with a local authority that is genuinely committed to growth and has a clear strategic vision for one of the most exciting places in London.

“Alongside a pioneering approach to retrofit at this scale is a very clear commitment to people and place. A broad range of tenures, a new NHS primary care facility, a tech and innovation hub are all part of a new neighbourhood at the heart of the emerging Golden Mile district.”

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.”