Situated within the Canning Town Opportunity Area, Crown Wharf is an exemplar of brownfield regeneration which will deliver a mixed-use masterplan of 871 new homes (35% affordable), almost 200m of new publicly accessible river frontage, over 2,600 sqft of flexible commercial space – which has been configured to provide accommodation for local small and micro businesses – and 6,200 sqm of new public open space.

Curating proposals with landscape architects, Macfarlane + Associates, landscaping of the site and the creation of a new riverside walkway have been at the forefront of the designs. A new Leaway Walk promotes activity and connects this abandoned piece of land to the wider network of routes and neighbourhoods along the River Lea frontage. Inaccessible and isolated for many years, the proposals will open up this public frontage which will become a conduit for pedestrians and cyclists, whilst also providing spaces for wildlife. The project will achieve a remarkable biodiversity net gain score of 3,500% – the highest the London Borough of Newham has ever seen – and include a new river wall and intertidal terrace for marine ecology.

Homes are organised across seven buildings with podium gardens of shared residential amenity spaces to create life at multiple levels. The buildings will be further interspersed with thoroughfares and public spaces at ground level including Crown Yard and Lea Gardens which will act as canvases for activities and interactions. The masterplan uses height to respond to key routes, mark new spaces and landscape features, but importantly, it also creates voids and gaps to provide relief to street scenes, maximise sunlight penetration and articulate the architectural forms.

The design of this scheme evolved through numerous consultation meetings, presentations, workshops and webinars with the London Borough of Newham, the GLA, the Design Review Panel and local residents.

The application was well received by Members of the Strategic Development Committee who particularly praised the scale of the public realm offer. There was also a glowing overview of the design team’s engagement with the Design Review Panel, with the Chair of the Panel praising the ‘coherent architectural language’ and summarising the design of the feature buildings as ‘exemplary’.

“JTP is delighted to have received unanimous approval and such high praise for our proposals for Crown Wharf. The project has huge potential to transform an underused section of the Lea River waterfront to bring forward a green and sustainable place that connects existing and future communities for everyone to enjoy.”

– Emmet O’Sullivan, Partner at JTP