Plans to convert an iconic flour mill not used since the 1980s into a new centre for business and enterprise that will deliver 20,000 new jobs in East London have been given the go-ahead by the Mayor of London’s office.
A new tech and creative hub for the east of the city with 5 million square feet of business space and 3,000 new homes will be built on a 62-acre site at Silvertown Quays in the Royal Docks. The land, which also includes the Millennium Mills, is owned by the Greater London Authority and is the largest undeveloped site at the docks. A unique cluster of purpose built centres for product innovation will be built there as well as a school, cafes, restaurants, galleries and public spaces.
Work began earlier this year, following a £12m government investment secured by the Mayor of London, to demolish parts of the interior of the former flour factory and rid it of asbestos in order to fast track redevelopment. That work means the site will be ready to welcome the next generation of start-up business by 2017.
Redevelopment forms the centrepiece of a wider £3.5bn project, led by the GLA’s development partners the Silvertown Partnership. It is anticipated the redevelopment will attract 13 million visitors a year and will contribute £260m each year to London’s economy.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said: “By breathing new life into this wonderful old flour mill we can rejuvenate this area of east London and contribute some serious dough to the capital’s economy. Silvertown Quays will provide thousands of new jobs and thousands of much-needed new homes and facilities for local people as we return the area to its former glory.”
Sir Stuart Lipton, who leads The Silvertown Partnership, said: “This is an important milestone for Silvertown. The decision by the Mayor of London ensures that this derelict and forgotten piece of east London is reinvented as a new creative hub for our capital – drawing the world’s best creative talent, most ambitious start-ups and most innovative businesses – to make, show and share. This energetic and exciting new London destination will also bring forward 3,000 new homes, thousands of jobs and long term benefits for the local and London economy.”
Silvertown Quays is the latest in a string of exciting schemes that will contribute to the Mayor’s commitment to regenerate London’s docklands. They include plans to create the UK’s largest floating village at Royal Victoria Dock, the ABP business port at Royal Albert Dock, Siemens Crystal Centre and Crossrail.
Plans are also being developed to build the Silvertown Tunnel to connect the Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula, which if approved could become operational by 2023.