McLaren Property Wins Planning Approval for 324-Home Co-Living Scheme at Hackney Wick's Fish Island

McLaren Property's residential arm, McLaren Living, has secured planning approval from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for a 324-home co-living development at the corner of Wansbeck Road and Monier Road in Fish Island, Hackney Wick, London E3. The approval, announced Sept. 21, 2026, completes the final plot in the Neptune Wharf masterplan, a site bounded by the Hertford Union Canal to the north and Roach Road to the east.

Scheme Composition and Design

The development comprises 280 co-living studios and 44 affordable homes delivered across two buildings of 10 and 7 storeys, respectively. Designed by HTA Design, the buildings are intended to serve as a landmark gateway into the Fish Island neighbourhood while integrating with the surrounding Hackney Wick context.

Resident amenities within the co-living building include a library, gym and studio space, alongside communal kitchens, dining areas, social rooms, a cinema room, creative rooms and laundry facilities. At ground level, the scheme will introduce a social co-working café and a flexible pop-up event space. A central landscaped courtyard and public realm will connect the development to the wider Fish Island pedestrian network, with existing mature trees retained along site boundaries.

The development is fully car-free and described as cycle-first. Its sustainability strategy incorporates rain gardens, bioswales and permeable paving for drainage, as well as roof-mounted photovoltaic panels for on-site renewable energy generation. The scheme is designed to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Neptune Wharf Masterplan Context

The Wansbeck Road site sits within the Neptune Wharf allocation in the London Legacy Development Corporation Local Plan for Fish Island, designated for comprehensive, phased, mixed-use medium-density residential development. An earlier outline consent covering the broader Neptune Wharf site permitted up to 522 residential units, with subsequent masterplan iterations envisaging a larger number of units across multiple buildings over time. The Wansbeck Road approval represents the final parcel within that framework.

Fish Island is positioned between Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the east and Victoria Park to the west, with proximity to Westfield Stratford City and the Stratford Metropolitan Centre. The area's transition from light industrial to mixed-use residential and creative uses has been a stated objective of the LLDC Local Plan, which identifies Neptune Wharf as a key site for medium-density residential and community space.

Executive Commentary

Ed Court, Divisional Managing Director at McLaren Property, said the firm was "excited to deliver on our plans for Wansbeck Road, completing the regeneration of Fish Island, with the site an important remaining parcel of the Neptune Wharf masterplan."

"Wansbeck Road represents one of inner London's premier co-living investment opportunities, benefiting from a strong and diverse professional population, exceptional connectivity, and outstanding access to key employment, education, and leisure destinations across the capital," Court added.

Market Positioning

The approval arrives as institutional-grade build-to-rent and co-living investment in inner London continues to attract significant capital, driven by structural undersupply in the private rented sector and sustained rental demand from young professionals. McLaren Living focuses specifically on the Build-to-Rent and co-living segments, and the Wansbeck Road scheme reflects the firm's continued expansion in that space within established urban regeneration zones.

The 44 affordable homes included in the scheme address a component of Tower Hamlets' affordable housing requirements within the Neptune Wharf allocation, rounding out a development that McLaren Property positions as both a residential and community asset for the Fish Island area.

Sources

McLaren Property — McLaren Living gets go-ahead for Wansbeck Road, Hackney Wick Co-living scheme