49-59 Millharbour, Tower Hamlets

Client: Private Location: London, UK Project Status: Planning Submitted Area: 40,620 sqm Planning Consultants: Quod Heritage & Townscape Consultants: Montagu Evans Landscape Architects: David Jarvis Associates Visuals: Marchenko Novak Illustrations: Adriette Myburgh

Fourfoursixsix were appointed to design a student-led scheme with on-site affordable housing in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The site is located between Millharbour and the Millwall Inner Dock and is bisected by Pepper Street which crosses the dock at Glengall Bridge and forms part of National Cycle Route 1.

A previous residential-led planning consent from 2018 was no longer considered viable, so a student-led approach was taken. The new scheme delivers 918 student bedrooms, including 35% affordable student beds across two buildings, and 62 socially rented apartments in a standalone building.

The new scheme delivers 32% more affordable housing, including 54 additional socially rented homes; an increased proportion of dual aspect units; 30% more public realm; and almost 4 times as much play space at street level.

We have proposed to retain and integrate the existing basement on the site to maximise the available ground floor space for active uses and public realm and are providing affordable community incubator space for local businesses.

The scheme will deliver truly affordable homes, whilst also providing improvements to the quality and safety of public realm around the site along this busy thoroughfare, to the benefit of both future residents and the wider public.