Burdett Road Report - Part 1

303 – 305 Burdett Road, E14 Part 1

Contents

Introduction

3

Location

4

Local Amenities

5

Local Area Analysis

6

Transport

8

Tower Hamlets Aim

12

Population Projections

12

The Thames Gateway

13

2012 London Olympic Games

15

Non Olympic Regeneration

20

Stratford City Development

21

Canary Wharf

22

Developer

24

Appendices: A – London House Prices by Borough, June 2005 B – Local Comparison Prices

2

Introduction Traditionally the life and livelihoods of those living in the area was dominated by the neighbouring docks along the once busy shipping and container ports along the River Thames but with the decline in this industry for much of this century, and particularly since the 1950s – driven by the competition of other forms of container transport and the increase in size of cargo ships making navigation this far up the Thames no longer viable or cost effective, the area’s prosperity declined. The area’s fortunes, and aesthetic decline was driven further by the large-scale destruction of the blitz and the rebuilding schemes following the war (although many fine Georgian and Victorian squares and buildings still stand testament to former prosperity). Since the 1980s, when the LDDC (London Docklands Development Corporation) started to convert the old docks closer to the river and to construct new signature buildings such as Canary Wharf, the fortunes of the area has improved significantly. With many of the banks and financial institutions moving and expanding from their cramped Square Mile offices in the City and from overseas, several hundred thousand professional jobs have been created making this one of the largest financial centres in the world. This unprecedented job creation has also increased the demand for housing in the area and over the past twenty years, particularly in the last five years, this demand has spread out from the immediate vicinity and now encompasses the area of the site on Burdett Road. The area surrounding the site is undoubtedly becoming one of the best locations in this part of London to live with excellent transport links to the City and to City Airport and with its proximity to Canary Wharf and with the wealth of local amenities on the doorstep. These factors have seen demand for good quality apartments in the area reach high prices and sell well upon release and with the forecast of hundreds of thousands of new jobs being created within Canary Wharf over the decade, the development of the neighbouring Thames Gateway (one of the largest development schemes in Europe) and the 2012 Olympics (just over 2 km away) the demand and price of housing in this area looks set to continue at an increased rate.

Mile End Park

Limehouse Cut

303-305 BURDETT ROAD

Bartlett Park

The City / Central London (5km) Canary Wharf (12mins)

City Airport (5km) EAST INDIA DOCK ROAD

3

Location The site of the development is conveniently located directly across the road from a large supermarket and 50 yards from East India Dock Road and little more than 200m from Commercial Road. These two roads are undoubtedly the main shopping and social centres for the immediate area and offer an excellent range of shopping, from small independent convenience stores to large supermarkets and industrial outlets. The two centres also offer a wide-range of excellent restaurants catering to all tastes and all pockets and due to the sociocultural diversity of the borough as a whole, the area is an exciting and vibrant place to be. The site itself sits yards from one of the principal access roads to the centre of London, providing swift access directly to the Square Mile. To the East City Airport is minutes away, so too is the main access route to the Continent. The proximity of this route is conveniently hidden from the site, however, as the existing buildings to the South act as a cushion to the noise disturbance. The attractiveness of the site is clearly dominated by the Limehouse Cut Canal immediately to the front of the development, which provides a beautiful outlook.

The Development

12 minutes walk

|-----------------------------------| 500m

4

Local Amenities Sports

The area offers a wide range of sporting facilities - both private and council-run. The latter of these includes the excellent Mile End Park Leisure Centre (5 minutes walk), completed only recently and offering a huge range of high-quality sporting facilities including an indoor pool, 2 state-of-the-art fitness suites, a health spa and a crèche. Open Spaces

The area has many small parks and squares in which to unwind and in 1996 The Millennium Commission, funded by the National Lottery, awarded the area over £1.6m for a new park, Mile End Park, which is less than 5 minutes walk to the north of the site. This site provides a restful spot in which to relax and is home to the much acclaimed Green Bridge, an innovative and unique footbridge which is a 25-metre wide span of landscaped parkland across the 5 lanes of the Mile End Road which unites the two parts of Mile End Park. An Art Park, Ecology Park, Terraced Garden, Play Arena and Adventure Park are among the other new zones in the park. Nearby Bartlett Park also provides many opportunities to get away from the busy bustle of the city and the canal acts as a backdrop to the site itself. Social Life As has already been stated, the main cultural centres of the immediate area are undoubtedly to be found on the neighbouring East India Dock Road and Commercial Road with a large number of shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs. A little further afield (approximately 10 minutes walk) is Westferry which has a number of new and trendy restaurants and bars for a more discerning market and within fifteen minutes is the whole array of restaurants, bars and fine shopping of Canary Wharf. 5