Network Rail has launched its masterplan for Bow Goods Yard, East London, which will see the regeneration of over 30 acres of brownfield land into a sustainable last mile logistics hub to serve Greater London.
Bow Goods Yard is currently home to several heavy rail freight uses. It is the last remaining industrial site in the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) area and is strategically located next to the A12.
The development has the potential to deliver a sustainable transport network for East London through rail fed warehousing with an integrated last mile logistics hub to serve Greater London. This could reduce HGV journeys across London delivering a lower carbon footprint and easing congestion.
Alongside unlocking the site’s industrial and infrastructure potential, the team will work closely with the neighbouring communities of Pudding Mill, Fish Island and Strand East to connect the future scheme with the surrounding pockets of nature, such as Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the River Lea and Greenway to enhance the area’s biodiversity.
Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail, said: “As the last part of the regeneration story for the Olympic Park, Bow Goods Yard is strategically connected by both road and rail. The development has the potential to create London’s largest state-of-the-art freight and last mile logistics hub to serve Greater London, alongside delivering homes, a workspace campus and open space connecting to the surrounding neighbourhoods.
“The regeneration of this strategic site demonstrates the huge importance rail infrastructure plays in unlocking the development of brownfield sites and to deliver on London’s sustainability agenda. We look forward to working closely with both communities and key stakeholders on this opportunity.”
Maccreanor Lavington Architects have been selected to work in partnership with Network Rail and key stakeholders to deliver a vision for this strategic site. Montagu Evans has also been appointed as lead planning and development consultant for the scheme. A period of intensive consultation and design will take place this year with the target to submit planning in 2024.
Blazej Czuba, associate urban designer with Maccreanor Lavington, added: “We have been developing unique approaches to London’s employment locations for many years and we are thrilled to have been selected to apply them on this unique site. Bow Goods Yard has the potential to be London’s most industrious sites – it is also about its newest park and the evolving residential neighbourhoods around it.
“This project needs care and sensitivity in its design, with a fair amount of innovation. The team understands the complexity of London: its communities, its spatial character, its uses, and the mix that will create a new neighbourhood here for the people of Newham and Tower Hamlets.”
