Designed by Squire & Partners, the scheme would regenerate the 2.05ha rail-surrounded site between Stratford Station and Stratford International that has remained vacant since serving as coach parking during the 2012 Olympic Games.

The development would combine around 2,100 shared living homes with 1,600 hotel rooms, two performance venues, immersive entertainment spaces and new public squares across three buildings ranging from 31 to 47 storeys.

Hallmark said the project is intended to create a new cultural destination for east London, anchored by 20,000 sq m of immersive attractions, galleries and exhibition space.

Plans also include a food hall, restaurants and bars, public art installations, and a landmark events piazza linked by new pedestrian routes through the site.

Two flexible live venues would accommodate audiences of between 1,200 and 4,300 people.

The developer will launch a fresh round of public consultation later this month before preparing a planning application for submission to Newham Council this autumn.

Subject to consent, a temporary meanwhile use is expected to open on the site later this year.

Firma Partners has provided funding to DPK Group for the conversion of the Royal Albert Dock office complex in East London into a Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) scheme with a GDV of £300m.

The loan will finance refurbishment of 20 buildings at the riverfront Docklands site which were originally constructed by Brookfield Multiplex for Chinese developer ABP which collapsed in 2022 leaving the scheme vacant.

The conversion will predominantly be internal fit-out works with no structural changes required and is expected to be completed over an 18-month construction programme with practical completion targeted for Q3 2027.

Victor Librae, Chief Executive of Firma Partners, said: “Royal Albert Dock is an extremely compelling opportunity that combines a genuine undersupply of student accommodation, a very strong institutional operator and a strategically located waterfront asset with incredible regeneration potential.

“The conversion of vacant, high-quality office space into modern PBSA is exactly the kind of complex, value-unlocking repositioning project Firma was set up to support. We are delighted to partner with DPK Group on such a placemaking scheme that will make a meaningful contribution to London’s quality student housing supply.”

David Maxwell, founder of DPK Group, added: “Royal Albert Dock is a unique asset with exceptional connectivity and strong potential as a student-led campus environment. Firma Partners understood the complexity and opportunity of this unique project and provided a tailored financing strategy that supports realistic delivery.”

The new vehicle, branded the Impact Partnership Joint Venture, will initially take control of the Euston, Silvertown and Stratford Cross regeneration schemes, with a dedicated development management company established to oversee delivery.

Together the first three projects will provide around 9,000 homes and more than 7m sq ft of commercial, science and innovation space.

Work will move quickly, with construction due to start in September on 326 affordable homes at the 60-acre Silvertown development in East London.

At the Euston station redevelopment, a planning application is targeted for spring 2027.

The partners also confirmed Birmingham Smithfield and Thamesmead Waterfront are expected to join the venture later this summer, expanding the pipeline to around 27,500 homes and almost 10m sq ft of commercial floorspace.

Infrastructure work at Smithfield is due to start later this year, with temporary markets beginning early next year ahead of the first residential block starting in 2027.

Lendlease managing director, development UK and Italy, Andrea Ruckstuhl said: “The commencement of the Impact Partnership Joint Venture Fund and creation of a new Development Management platform marks a major milestone for our UK business.

“Together with The Crown Estate, we’ve established a long-term vehicle to unlock some of the UK’s most important regeneration opportunities with a shared commitment to creating places that deliver lasting value for investors and communities.”

The Crown Estate chief executive Dan Labbad said the partnership would accelerate delivery of complex regeneration schemes while creating a platform capable of bringing forward future housing and commercial developments across the country.

The Camden Film Quarter project at Regis Road in Kentish Town will deliver 11 purpose-built sound stages, more than 100,000 sq ft of creative workspace and 485 homes, half of them affordable.

Developer Yoo Capital said the scheme would create a fully integrated screen industry campus, bringing together production facilities, education providers, creative businesses and housing within a single masterplan.

Studio operator Oxygen Studios will run the sound stages, while housing partner Places for People will deliver 243 affordable homes.

The scheme has been designed by SPPARC and is planned around a creative industries cluster that will also house the National Film and Television School and London Screen Academy, providing facilities for more than 500 learners.

Architect Broadway Malyan (housing), Oxygen Studios (studio operations), Montagu Evans (planning, historic environment and townscape), Spacehub (landscape architecture), Momentum Transport Consultancy (transport), Atelier Ten (sustainability) and a wider team of specialist consultants.

Developers claim the project will support around 3,960 direct operational jobs and generate 5,155 net additional jobs overall.

Alongside the film studios and housing, plans include 1.1 hectares of public open space, 301 new trees, a new recycling centre and the restoration of the Grade II-listed Kentish Town Police Station.

Yoo Capital co-founder and managing partner Lloyd Lee said: “Camden Film Quarter is much more than a film studio development. It is a complete creative ecosystem that brings together production, education, employment, homes, culture and public space within a single integrated vision.”

The approval represents a major boost for London’s studio sector as demand continues to grow for large-scale production facilities following sustained investment from global streaming and film companies.

The project also forms a key part of Camden’s wider regeneration plans for the Regis Road Growth Area, transforming a largely industrial site into a mixed-use neighbourhood.

Architect Broadway Malyan has designed the housing elements

A timetable for procurement and construction has yet to be confirmed, although the planning approval clears the way for detailed delivery plans to be finalised.

Public money from the Greater London Authority will be pumped into the scheme to deliver 7,000 new homes in the Royal Docks.

The move sees City Hall becoming an active developer – intervening in London’s land market to “maximise affordable housing delivery and accelerate the speed of building”.

The initiative is being supported by nearly £2bn from government in grants and low-interest loans at 0.1% to unlock developments.

The model draws on the way many new homes are built in Singapore which has seen strong government involvement in housing for decades, with the state responsible for building around 80% of homes and owning the vast majority of land.

Khan, said: “This is a new era for housebuilding in London, with City Hall investing directly in new homes, unblocking stalled sites and speeding up development.

“Housebuilding continues to be impacted by a perfect storm of high interest rates, the rising cost of construction materials, the impact of the pandemic and Brexit and Building Safety Regulator delays.”

Ed Mayes, Executive Director of Development for the Silvertown Partnership, added: “This investment provides the certainty needed to unlock a complex site that has remained dormant for decades, allowing us to accelerate new homes, including affordable housing, alongside a vibrant new town centre for the Royal Docks.

“Over the past five years, the sector has faced exceptional pressures. In this context, coordinated public sector investment is a meaningful intervention that enables delivery where the market alone cannot.

“With this support in place, Silvertown can continue to make progress and realise its potential as a thriving new neighbourhood for east London.”

A revised masterplan for the project was signed off by Newham Council in December to deliver 7,000 homes, 1,800 of which will be affordable.

The first phase of development is delivering 1,032 homes, with more than half of those affordable, and The Guinness Partnership welcomed the first residents on site earlier this year.

The 60 acre site is owned by GLA Land and Property and work is already underway to deliver a total of 7m square feet of residential, commercial and public space. The site also includes the east London landmark, Millennium Mills, best known in recent years for its appearance in film and TV shows.

A new pedestrian and cycle bridge across Royal Victoria Dock is also progressing, supported with funding by the London Borough of Newham. The bridge will improve connections to Custom House and the Elizabeth Line.

The Silvertown Partnership has already benefited from £233m in infrastructure loan funding from Homes England to unlock the site’s potential.

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.”