Arada Files Planning Applications for £2.5 Billion Thameside West Scheme in London's Royal Docks

Arada has submitted a series of planning applications to the London Borough of Newham to advance Thameside West, a £2.5 billion regeneration project in London's Royal Docks, the firm announced Oct. 28. The proposals would make the first two buildings of the development 100% affordable housing and connect the area between the Thames and the Royal Docks.

Spanning more than 47 acres at Dock Road, London E16 1YZ, Thameside West has a gross development value of £2.5 billion and the potential to deliver at least 5,000 homes. The wider site already holds hybrid planning permission for at least 5,000 homes, including 35% affordable housing, and the new applications build on that consent.

Arada Thameside West Plans: First Stage Details

The applications set out Arada's landscape-led approach to the first stage of the project. That stage comprises nearly 1,500 new homes across six buildings, roughly 30% of the minimum total housing capacity. The first two buildings will be 100% social rent and will include three- and four-bedroom family homes.

The plans are designed to improve permeability between buildings, which are organised around a network of streets, gardens, parks and shared spaces. New ground-floor units facing the park would provide space for amenities such as cafes and restaurants. The architectural approach responds to the position of each building along the dock-facing edge, the park and Bell Lane, which now forms part of the site.

A revised planning application was submitted in September 2026. Construction is anticipated from 2028, subject to approval.

Seven-Acre Park and Waterfront Public Realm

At the centre of the proposals is a new seven-acre park with around 1,000 new trees. The park will be framed by smaller gardens and planted edges and will include dedicated play spaces such as woodland areas, play trails and play-on-the-way spaces. The scheme also includes a kilometre of active waterfront and a riverside walk along Bell Lane, which marks the south-east border of the site.

A community design group of 20 local residents is working with Arada to help shape a section of the park around local needs. A series of workshops is underway. The design will draw on the industrial heritage of Silvertown through ropework-inspired detailing and paths.

Proposed DLR Station and Location

Thameside West sits across the river from Greenwich Peninsula and Canary Wharf, with Royal Victoria Dock, City Hall, ExCeL and Silvertown to the north and east. Arada is progressing design development with Transport for London on a new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station, which it intends to open in time for the arrival of the site's first residents. The DLR recorded 97.8 million passenger journeys in the year ended March 2025.

The station remains proposed infrastructure, and its delivery is subject to design development, approvals, funding and construction.

The project is being brought forward in partnership with the Greater London Authority's Royal Docks Team. Gensler, Arup and Planit are advising on the scheme as architect, built environment consultancy and landscape architect, respectively.

Statements From Arada and the Mayor's Office

Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada, said in the announcement: "Thameside West is a landscape-led masterplan, composed by nature, open to all and made for London. This is London's next social gateway: a new riverfront neighbourhood inspired by the future, where local life meets global ambition and where homes, wellness, water, culture and community are connected by design."

Alkhoshaibi also described the site as "one of London's most significant remaining riverfront regeneration opportunities – more than 5,000 homes, over one kilometre of river frontage and over six hectares of publicly accessible amenity."

Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, said: "Tackling London's housing crisis is the Mayor's top priority and Thameside West will help deliver the new homes Londoners deserve, including much needed social rent and family housing." He added that the scheme would "transform a key brownfield site in the Royal Docks into a thriving new neighbourhood."

Market Context

The gross development value and minimum home count imply an average project-level value of about £500,000 per planned home. That figure reflects the wider masterplan, including infrastructure, public realm, commercial uses and multiple phases, and is not a residential sale price. The seven-acre park equates to roughly 2% of the 47-acre site, before accounting for the separate waterfront, streets and gardens.

Making the first two buildings entirely social rent goes beyond the 35% affordable housing share in the existing consent. The applications move the project from masterplan consent toward detailed, phase-specific approvals, with delivery sequencing and coordination of the proposed DLR station and public realm among the factors that will shape the programme. The announcement does not involve a transaction.

Sources

• Arada London: Arada submits planning applications for £2.5bn Thameside West