Latest Article

Transforming Canning Town

4 Dec 2008  -  English Cities Fund (ECf) has announced plans for a £180m residential led mixed-use development in the heart of Canning Town that will also see the revitalisation of a historic London market.  The 680,000 sq ft scheme will be one of the first sites to be developed within the overall masterplan for Canning Town. 

ECf – a joint venture between Muse Developments, English Partnerships and Legal & General – has submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of the Rathbone Market site to the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

Canning Town is set to benefit from its massive regeneration potential towards an attractive, vibrant place to live and visit.  Located close to the heart of one of London’s best transport interchanges, with the DLR and Jubilee Lines on the site’s doorstep, residents of the area also have unparalleled access to the West End, the City, Canary Wharf, Stratford and the site of the new Olympic Village.  Canning Town is also just a short journey from London City Airport, providing fast links to the rest of the UK and Europe.

The Rathbone Market site on Barking Road, used to be a thriving and vibrant focal point for Canning Town and the surrounding area, with hundreds of stalls and shops lining the street, attracting people from all over East London and beyond.  In recent years the area has seen a drastic decline, leading the London Borough of Newham (as landowner of the application site) to bring the regeneration expertise of ECf to develop the Rathbone Market site. 

The plans will see Rathbone Market bring a new residential and retail focus with state of the art community facilities for the area along with a rejuvenated market bringing vibrancy, colour and life in to the heart of the development. 

The plans, which have been developed in consultation with the local community, the authority (London Borough of Newham), the planning authority and the strategic planning authority, will offer around 650 new homes, and will also include:

• A new market square at the heart of the development, helping to reinvigorate a once thriving east London market
• Approximately 49,000 sq ft of new shops and cafes that will wrap around the ground floors of the development and border the new market square
• A new Council ‘front office’ facility including a new library, local service centre and other community facilities
• Improvements to the local environment, including improved links between Canning Town Station and the market, and the addition of attractive, landscaped open spaces.

Howard Morris, spokesperson for ECf, said:

“Canning Town is uniquely placed in London to benefit from exciting and vibrant regeneration.  For both residents and visitors its location provides easy, accessible links to the whole of London, as well as the rest of the UK and Europe.  The potential to transform the area is massive, and we are pleased that this development will take the lead in revitalising the whole area.

“Our plans for Rathbone Market will provide a vibrant, exciting and iconic development for Canning Town at a time when massive investment is being directed down the road at Stratford, in time for the Olympics.  It’s absolutely crucial that this area sees the benefit of investment too, especially at this time of financial uncertainty.  We are delighted to be moving forward with our plans for Rathbone Market – it’s a really good news story for this area of London.

“Over the last 15 months we have spent a lot of time talking to the local community and they are hugely supportive of what we are trying to do.  Rathbone Market used to be a huge draw for the local community and beyond, and we want to re-create that sense of excitement and activity.”

Ends.