Royal Wharf


Royal Wharf, on the former site of Minoco Wharf on the north bank of the River Thames, is a residential and commercial development in Newham, London located near the Thames Barrier, and close to both West Silvertown and Pontoon Dock DLR stations.
The development, a joint venture between Ballymore Group and Singapore listed Oxley Holdings, includes 3,385 residential units and 10,000 square metres of retail and commercial space.

History

The 15.2 hectare site was originally developed as an industrial works at the end of the nineteenth century and was also used for the manufacture of TNT during the First World War. Following this, the site was used by Shell UK for a period as an oil storage and refining site. This came to an end in the 1990s, when the site was left vacant.

Silvertown explosion

Royal Wharf sits on the site of the Silvertown explosion, a large explosion at a munitions factory on 19 January 1917 which killed 73 people and injured more than 400, and caused substantial damage to the local area. As part of the development, the Silvertown War Memorial was relocated to Royal Wharf Gardens, in the centre of the development.

Development

In 2012, following a comprehensive consultation process with Newham Council officers, the Thames Gateway Corporation and local community stakeholders, planning permission was granted to redevelop the site with a mixed-use scheme, delivering 3,385 new homes, a new primary school, leisure facilities and retail and commercial office space.
As of February 2018, the phase 1 and 2A buildings on the development have mostly been completed and occupied, these buildings are located on the eastern side of the development, with the western side of the development completing from Q2-Q3 2018, through to 2020.
The estimated number of occupants once the development is fully complete is around 10,000.

Transport

and Pontoon Dock are the nearest stations on the Docklands Light Railway.
The site is served by Thames Clippers ferry services from a new pier designed by Nex Architects. The service started on 18 October 2019 and of February 2020 is only served peak times.