Developer and media tycoon Richard Desmond has gained consent for a £1 billion residential scheme on the Westferry Printworks site in east London, following revisions to a contentious scheme that was mired in controversy over alleged government favouritism.
In November 2021, the secretary of state for housing Michael Gove rejected Desmond's plans for an 1,524-home scheme at appeal following a public inquiry.
The Isle of Dogs development had hit the headlines after it emerged that Gove's predecessor Robert Jenrick and Desmond had sat next to each other at a dinner in the run-up to Jenrick using his ministerial powers to approve plans that massively upscaled a prior consent on the site, against the advice of a planning inspector, in January 2020.
The plans were also approved a day before a new levy was imposed by Tower Hamlets council, potentially saving Desmond and his backers an estimated £45 million. The political row escalated as the developer subsequently gave £12,000 to the Conservative party. Jenrick has always denied any impropriety.
Tower Hamlets council appealed Jenrick's approval and the High Court overruled the government's backing. It agreed that it would damage views of Tower Bridge and should have more affordable housing. Gove subsequently threw out the plans.
Tower Hamlets' strategic development committee last night (27 August) backed a revised scheme designed, like the previous one, by PLP Architecture for former Daily Express and Daily Star publisher Desmond's Westferry Developments.
The latest plans are for a phased mixed-use redevelopment comprising a reduction in homes to 1,358, a secondary school, 65,000 square feet of commercial, business and services, community uses, car and cycle basement parking, associated landscaping and public realm. The plans include 12 tall buildings, with the tallest rising to 31 storeys.
The plans represent a major increase on the consented scheme at the site. Westferry Developments gained consent in 2016 for a 722-home scheme to be delivered in four towers of up to 30 storeys on Desmond property subsidiary Northern & Shell’s site after then-mayor of London Boris Johnson used his powers to approve the scheme.
The latest plans re-introduce a building that was not supported by the Planning Inspector at appeal and are for 636 more units than the 2016 consented scheme. It targets 35% affordable housing based on habitable rooms. In total, 1,025 representations were received, 968 in favour of the proposals and 51 against.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: "We have approved the application to redevelop the Westferry Printworks site. This will provide 1,358 new homes, of which 35% will be affordable, a new secondary school and plenty of space for new shops and businesses. This is a major regeneration scheme on a currently disused site, which will help breathe new life into this historic area of London Docklands. Construction is expected to start later this year and will be completed in four phases over six to eight years."
Recommending that the plans were approved by Tower Hamlets ahead of the meeting, planners wrote: "The scheme would deliver good-quality architecture, public realm and landscaping and biodiversity net gain which is supported and welcomed by Officers. The scheme would also deliver a site-wide on-site reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 71%. The school will achieve a BREEAM rating of Excellent whilst the remaining non-residential components of the scheme will achieve a BREEAM rating of Very Good."
The 5.08 hectare site's former Westferry Printworks building became redundant in 2012 and has been demolished and the site cleared.
Gove's 2021 report blocking the development agreed that it breached local and national planning policies on quality of design and affordable housing.
"The Secretary of State considers that overall, the scheme does not reflect local design policies or government guidance on design," it wrote.