THE building of a new town centre in a major UK city has taken a giant leap forward with phase one of the multi-billion pound development nearly complete.
It is expected to be fully open in 2036 and is being built in an area described by developers as an “oasis in a very busy city”.
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Canada Water, a 53-acre site in south-east London, will include 3,000 homes, new culture, retail and entertainment spaces and workspace for up to 20,000 workers.
It is the first new town centre in the capital for 50 years.
At just a 10-minute tube ride from London Bridge, Canada Water will be accessible to millions of Londoners and visitors to the capital.
More than £30 million is earmarked for transport improvements, including step-free access and a new entrance for Surrey Quays station.
Located in Canada Water, Corner Corner will house a new music venue, a food hall and an indoor farm, in a disused branch of The Range.
The development, which started in 2021, will also include a park the size of Leicester Square – with some apartments on the site reportedly costing upwards of £2 million.
Earlier this month, Canada Water Leisure Centre opened to the public for the first time as part of the first phase of the development.
It replaces the Seven Islands Leisure Centre which has served the area for 60 years.
Canada water will reportedly also include “the nicest affordable housing block in London”.
Housing concerns
Housing campaigners have, however, voiced concerns at the plans.
In a statement on its website, 35% Campaign, which campaigns on housing issues in Southwark, said the regeneration does not support “the estimated 18,000 new residents and 15,000 new workplaces – NO new schools, NO new child-care facilities, NO new GP clinic or other health-care facilities”.
British Land is constructing the site in an area near Rotherhithe, south-east London.
Michael Delfs, Executive Development at BL, has been working on the Canada Water Masterplan for the last decade.
Quality area
Speaking to MyLondon, he said there is a really “strong local context already and a very strong character to the area and a sense of quiet”.
He added: “Rotherhithe is a bit of an oasis in a very busy city so we wanted to be able to build out a dense, active urban centre but still retain elements of that quality of quiet and peace.”
The first phase of the project also delivered The Founding, a giant 35-storey tower.
This consists of 186 homes, which boast panoramic views of the city.
35% Campaign has, however, reportedly voiced concerns after British Land announced revised plans to reduce the number of affordable housing in the development from 35 per cent to just 10 per cent.
The application was validated by Southwark Council last month, but a decision is yet to be made by its Planning Committee, according to reports.
The Sun has contacted British Land for comment.
