London Docklands: An Update
Abstract
London Docklands is the largest urban regeneration project in Western Europe. Started in 1981 with
the establishment of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), the area’s regeneration
was far from complete when the LDDC was wound up in 1998. This was particularly so for the area
surrounding the three Royal Docks, although developments elsewhere, for example in Canary Wharf,
also continue. This case study examines the most recent developments in the LDDC area and also looks
at what remains to be done.
Introduction
In an attempt to tackle the problems that have arisen in East London (dereliction, poor housing, high
unemployment, poverty), national government has for over two decades directed considerable
investment into the area and published planning policy guidance to help co-ordinate development
activities. The most significant public investment has been directed through the LDDC, which has
resulted in the major developments in and around Canary Wharf. Figure 1 shows the 13.7 squarekilometre area of the LDDC which encompasses parts of three London boroughs – Tower Hamlets,
Newham and Southwark. Figure 2 is a picture of the typical scene prior to development.
Figure 1 – Map showing extent of the LDDC area.
Figure 2 – Dereliction in the Royal Docks before recent development.
The LDDC was set up to:

Secure regeneration by bringing land and buildings into effective use

Encourage the development of existing and new industry

Create an attractive environment

Ensure that housing and social facilities were available to encourage people to live and work in
the area.
The LDDC, established on 2 July 1981, was an Urban Development Corporation (UDC), the second
of 13 to be set up in the UK. From 1982 to 1992, the LDDC was supported by the designation of the
Isle of Dogs Enterprise Zone which played a significant part in the overall regeneration outcome. The
LDDC was expected to need 10–15 years to complete its task. In October 1994 the LDDC began to
withdraw from the Docklands in stages (Figure 3). This process ended with its withdrawal from the
Royal Docks in March 1998, although its task was not fully complete. The LDDC was formally wound
up on 30 June 1998.
Figure 3 – De-designation of regions within the LDDC.
Area
Bermondsey Riverside
Beckton
Surrey Docks
Wapping and Limehouse
Isle of Dogs
Royal Docks
Date of de-designation
30 October 1994
31 December 1995
20 December 1996
31 January 1997
10 October 1997
31 March 1998
In most of the LDDC area the momentum of regeneration was such that there was no need for a
specialised agency to take over its role. The boroughs and other local agencies were left to carry on the
work. However, in the Royal Docks much of the outstanding work was taken on by another agency of
central government, English Partnerships. The latter has worked in collaboration with the London
Borough of Newham, to whom the LDDC’s planning powers were restored. In July 2000, the interests,
assets and liabilities of English Partnerships in the London region were transferred to the new London
Development Agency (LDA).
The final evaluation of the LDDC (Figure 4), carried out between 1997 and 1998 stated:

‘When all projects are completed the total public sector cost of regenerating the Docklands will
be of the order of £3900 million, 48% incurred by the LDDC, 25% by London Transport and
27% by the Isle of Dogs Enterprise Zone. Almost half the public sector cost was devoted to
transport infrastructure.

Private sector investment in the Docklands, at £8700 million by March 1998, has been
substantial and will continue to increase well into the next century.

The LDDC has generated a wide range of economic, environmental and social benefits.
Amongst these are 24,000 housing units and over 80,000 gross jobs. Housing tenure is
substantially more varied, employment is three times higher, the number of firms has increased
fivefold and the new stock of housing will accommodate an additional 45,000 population.

Every £1 million of public sector cost generated net additional benefits in the UDA of 23 jobs,
8500m2 of office floorspace, and 7.8 housing units, plus many other benefits. Since almost all
the costs have been incurred and some of the benefits have still to materialise, this cost–benefit
ratio should be more favourable by a third when the end state position is reached in 2010 or
2015.

The amount of new social housing is higher than it would have been in the absence of the
LDDC.

The LDDC generated an additional 23,000 jobs in Central London by increasing the supply of
high-grade office accommodation which led to a more competitive financial centre.’
Figure 4 – Changes in key baseline indicators in the UDA.
Population (000s)
Employment in UDA (000s)
Stock of housing units… (000s)
…of which privately owned (%)
Number of firms in UDA
Number of residents working in UDA
1981
1998
39
27
15
5
1014
5200
84
84
36
44
2600
10,500
End state forecast
(2010–15)
115
168
50
52
5000
13,000
Figure 5 shows how the population of the Docklands has risen as regeneration has expanded. This data
was produced by the LDDC in 1997. Since the winding up of the LDDC no other organisation has so
far produced comprehensive statistical analysis of the area, although the LDA is currently working on
this. The update that follows has been compiled from a variety of different sources.
Figure 5 – Population in the Dockland area.
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is now established as one of Europe’s premier business districts. It has enlarged
London’s CBD to a tri-nuclear entity (Figure 6). Formerly the West India Docks, the Canary Wharf
Estate extends to more than 86 acres. The origin of the name is that when in use as a dock, many of the
imports were from the Canary Islands. The first tenants moved into Canary Wharf in August 1991. At
the end of 2002 the working population of Canary Wharf was 55,000. This is due to rise to 90,000 by
the end of 2005. Improvements in transport have been vital to the success of Canary Wharf, the most
important of which have been the Docklands Light Railway and the Limehouse Link, the road tunnel
connecting the Isle of Dogs to the City (Figure 7). Figure 8 shows the state of construction in Canary
Wharf in early 2004, and Figure 9 shows Canary Wharf’s three main towers.
Figure 6 – London’s new tri-nuclear CBD.
The West End
The City
Figure 7 – The Limehouse link.
Figure 8 – Current construction at Canary Wharf.
Canary Wharf
Figure 9 – Canary Wharf’s three main towers.
One Canada Square, the 244m high Canary Wharf Tower, with 50 floors, is the tallest building in
Britain and one of the tallest in Europe. The tower has 32 lifts, taking just 40 seconds to travel from
ground level to the top. The HSBC Tower, at 210m high, is the second tallest building in the UK. The
building is the headquarters of HSBC Holdings, one of the largest banks in the world. Construction
began in 1997 and it was completed in 2002. The Citigroup Centre, at 210m high, completes the trio of
landmark buildings in Canary Wharf. This building serves as the British headquarters for the largest
banking group in the world.
Retail space in Canary Wharf has expanded rapidly. A total of 20,726 square metres of retail space
opened in Canada Place in June 2000, adding to the existing 54 units in Cabot Place shopping mall. A
new 27,280 square metres retail mall, Jubilee Place, opened in 2003.
In May 2004, Morgan Stanley, the investment bank, paid £1.7 billion to take over the Canary Wharf
Estate. Morgan Stanley said that it would be comfortable with developing the remaining 1.5 million
square metres of land on the estate when market conditions improved.
Until Phase Two of Canary Wharf is completed and occupied, full value-for-money of the public
expenditure incurred will not be achieved.
Canary Riverside, a £200 million waterfront development being built to complement Canary Wharf,
will include 322 luxury apartments, leisure facilities, restaurants and a 5-star 139-room hotel. The
development contains four separate buildings set in landscaped gardens.
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
The DLR opened in 1987 at a cost of £77 million. It began with 11 vehicles serving 15 stations. It is
now a £1 billion plus operation, with a 26km network serving 34 stations with 94 vehicles. Figure 10
shows the DLR network and its main-line rail connections, while Figure 11 shows an example of its
vehicles. Since the DLR opened it has been extended three times – to Bank in 1991, to Beckton in
1994, and to Greenwich and Lewisham in 1999. By 2004 the DLR was carrying 50 million passengers
a year. This is expected to increase to 80 million by 2009.
Figure 10 – The Docklands Light Railway network.
Figure 11 – The Docklands Light Railway.
To cope with this significant increase in demand:
 In 2004, Docklands Light Railway Ltd submitted to the government an Application under the
Transport and Works Act 1992 for approval to undertake construction works on the route
between Bank/Tower Gateway and Lewisham. The proposal is to lengthen platforms, strengthen
some viaducts and bridges and provide additional lifts and other improvements. This will allow
the DLR to run three-car trains, which will increase capacity considerably. The estimated cost of
£125 million includes provision for 18 new vehicles and expansion of the Beckton depot.
 The 4.4km extension from Canning Town to London City Airport and on to North Woolwich via
four new stations is well underway and is expected to open in late 2005. The construction costs
over the three-year building period will be £140 million.
 In February 2004 the Government approved the construction of a further extension from King
George V, under the River Thames to Woolwich Arsenal, which could open in late 2008.
 Other projects include a new terminus at the DLR’s Stratford station, plans for an extension
from Canning Town to Stratford International, and from Gallions Reach to Dagenham Dock via
Barking Reach.
An important wider benefit of the LDDC relates to the large numbers of non-Docklands residents who
will use the Docklands transport infrastructure to reduce their journey times when travelling in, around
or across London in the future.
The Jubilee Line extension
Before the extension was built, the Jubilee Line terminated at Charing Cross. The new route saw the
diversion of the line away from its original terminus at Charing Cross, to the new line running from
Green Park to Westminster, Waterloo, London Bridge and eastwards to Canary Wharf and Stratford
(Figure 12). Opened in late 1999, it has proved extremely successful both in terms of relieving
congestion on the DLR and in opening up access to parts of East London with previously poor
transport links. The extension opened just in time for the North Greenwich tube station to serve the
Millennium Dome.
Figure 12 – The Jubilee line extension project.
The Royal Docks
It was clear from the outset that the greatest regeneration task would be in the Royal Docks. With
Beckton to the north, it is the area furthest away from the City and West End. It takes about 3 hours to
walk around the boundary of the three Royal Docks. The ‘Royals’ contain 94 hectares of water,
surrounded by 220 hectares of land. The scale of dereliction was greater here than anywhere else in the
UDA. Figure 13 shows the current state of development in the Royal Docks.
Figure 13 – The state of development in the Royal Docks, October 2004.
Completed developments
Continuing developments
City airport
Royals Business Park
ExCeL Exhibition Centre
Silvertown Quays
University of East London
Royal Quay
IVAX Pharmaceuticals
Royal Albert Basin
Britannia Village
Minoco Wharf
London Regatta Centre
Peruvian Wharf
Thames Barrier Park
Gallions Reach Shopping Park
Completed developments
London City Airport
London City Airport was the first major development in the Royal Docks (Figures 14 and 15). The
prevailing winds in London mean that the correct alignment for airport runways is 280 degrees, the
same alignment as the quay space between the Royal Albert and King George V Docks, which became
the site of the airport. London City was the first entirely new airport to be built in the UK for 40 years.
The airport, a major local employer, has been an important attraction to other developments in the area,
in particular the ExCeL exhibition centre.
Figure 14 – The Royal Docks.
Figure 15 – London City Airport.
The airport, which is mainly used by business travellers, serves 22 UK and European short-haul
destinations. Within the UK, destinations include Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast. Foreign
destinations include Paris, Rotterdam, Frankfurt and Geneva. In the first half of 2004 passenger
numbers totalled 820,000, putting the airport on track to beat the previous annual record of 1.6 million
a year, the level at which it stalled after the decline in business travel post-9/11. The airport expects
throughput to increase to at least 5 million passengers a year over the next decade. When the DLR
extension is completed, passengers will be able to get to the airport from Bank in 20 minutes, with a
train every 10 minutes.
ExCeL
Located alongside the Royal Victoria Docks, ExCeL opened in November 2000 as the largest single
events building in Britain. The two equal-capacity halls have a total of 65,000 m2 of column-free event
space. A three-lane lorryway gives a 12m access into the halls. ExCeL has the largest Banqueting Hall
in London, with the capacity to seat between 1000 and 20,000 people. Among the facilities at ExCeL is
the floating 4-star 104-suite Sunborn Yacht Hotel. It has already attracted a range of prestigious events
including The Boat Show, The World Travel Market and Hotelympia. ExCeL has been a major driving
force for hotel development in the region with eight onsite hotels including Holiday Inn, Ramada, Ibis
and Novotel.
Thames Gateway campus
The Thames Gateway campus in the Docklands was London’s first new university campus in 50 years.
Its £40 million first phase opened in September 1999. Its design and waterfront location, overlooking
the Royal Albert Dock international rowing course, make it one of East London’s most recognisable
sights (Figure 16). The site contains accommodation for 400 students and facilities for 5000 students. A
key element is the Thames Gateway Technology Centre, a training facility for new and existing
companies in East London. The Centre provides business start-up space and advice, and a technology
resource centre. The Docklands campus is part of the University of East London which also has
campuses at Barking and Stratford. The three locations together accommodate 17,000 students.
Figure 16 – Thames Gateway Campus.
Regatta Centre
Built in the Royal Albert Dock, the international-standard rowing course and regatta centre started
operating in October 1999. Apart from bringing water-sports opportunities to local people, it is one of
only three rowing venues in the UK to meet international standards.
Britannia Village
In 1994, Peabody Homes began to build 85 homes for rent on a site that would later be called Britannia
Village. In 1995, the LDDC sold approx. 113,300 square metres of land to Wimpey homes to build 777
owner-occupied dwellings and six shops in what was at the time the largest housing development by a
single private developer anywhere in the Docklands. Land was also allocated for 140 social homes to
be built by the Peabody Trust and East Thames Housing Group at six locations throughout the site. The
Village plans included the £3.9 million Royal Victoria Dock footbridge built by the LDDC to link the
Village to the DLR station at Custom House.
IVAX Pharmaceuticals
The new headquarters of the IVAX Corporation opened in 1999 on a 5-hectare site at the far eastern
end of the Royal Albert Dock.
Thames Barrier Park
Opened in 2000, the LDA describes Thames Barrier Park as London’s first major riverside park. The
89,032 square metres park was designed by French landscape architect Alain Provost.
Gallions Reach Shopping Park
The 27,870 square metres retail park with associated restaurants and car parking (1156 spaces) is
located on what was once part of the Beckton Gas Works. Adjacent to the retail park is a £12 million,
10,126 square metres Tesco superstore.
Continuing developments
Royals Business Park
When completed, the 202,345 square metres site will be London’s largest urban business park,
occupying a 1.6km waterside frontage. Accessibility should be a major attraction to high-profile
tenants, with London City Airport being within 400 metres, dual carriageway access to the M25, and
two existing DLR stations. The first phase, called Building 1000, is now almost complete. This is the
first major speculative office building in the Royal Docks. Later development will include retail and
leisure as well as office space.
Silvertown Quays
A new 11,148 square metres, world-class aquarium will form the centrepiece of this development. It
will be operated by the Zoological Society of London. Along with the aquarium will be 5000 new
homes, together with a high level of entertainment, retail, restaurant and community floorspace. This
very significant development will take 10–15 years to complete.
Royal Quay
This £100 million scheme which received planning approval in 2002 will comprise 443 dockside
apartments built around a newly constructed marina in the Albert Basin. The first of 10 seven-storey
apartment buildings on this 27,924 square metres development should be completed in 2005 with the
whole project completed by 2009.
Royal Albert Basin
In October 2004, the London Borough of Newham published for consultation, draft Supplementary
Planning Guidance (SPG) for the Albert Basin. Developed jointly with the LDA, which owns the site,
and the Greater London Assembly, the draft provides a vision for the regeneration of the area. It is
hoped that redevelopment will produce 3000 new jobs and over 2000 new homes.
Minoco Wharf
This 5.9-hectare site has yet to have its future decided. The aspirations of the site owners are
constrained by the fact that Minoco Wharf is a ‘safeguarded wharf’, giving the Mayor of London the
power to refuse a planning application. The site is also part of a ‘principal employment zone’, so
Newham Council will be looking for a job creation element to any proposals put forward by the land
owners.
Peruvian Wharf
This site was formerly owned by Tate and Lyle and used for the storage and processing of sugar
(Figure 17). Phase One, which has yet to be started, will comprise seven buildings covering nearly
92,900 square metres, for business use, and a hotel. The plan for Phase Two, at the back of the site on
the riverside, is largely residential and more controversial. This is another ‘safeguarded wharf’. The
Mayor of London believes that the wharf is capable of ‘being made viable to handle commercial
products for which there is a clear demand and limited handling capacity within Greater London’.
Figure 17 – Demolition at Peruvian Wharf.
Conclusion
The costs of such a large, comprehensive redevelopment scheme have been high and it will take at least
another decade to secure the full range of benefits from this investment. However, the last decade has
witnessed the increasing integration of the Docklands with the locations surrounding it and the vital
importance of business and infrastructure linkage within its area. It is perhaps the best current example
of cumulative causation within the UK with each new development spurring new investment.