Royal Wharf is a residential and commercial development in Newham, London located on the north bank of the River Thames. It is built on the former site of ''Minoco Wharf'' and is near the Thames Barrier, west of

Thames Barrier Park The Thames Barrier Park is a park in Silvertown in the London Borough of Newham and is named after its location on the north side of the River Thames next to the Thames Barrier The Thames Barrier is a retractable barrier system built t ...

, and close to both West Silvertown and Pontoon Dock DLR stations. The development is a joint venture between Ballymore Group and Singapore listed Oxley Holdings. It includes 3,385 residential units and 10,000 square metres of retail and commercial space.

History

The 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. SilvertownExplosionMemorialInItsNewLocation

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 Silvertown War Memorial, also known as Silvertown Explosion Memorial, is a war memorial in Silvertown, in East London. It serves as a memorial for the workers at the Brunner Mond chemical plant who were killed on active service during the Fir ...

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 Development Corporation and local community stakeholders (including local groups and individual residents), 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. , the development is nearly completed, with two blocks remaining. The Thames Clippers riverboat pier and Royal Wharf Primary School opened in 2020. The estimated number of occupants once the development is fully complete is around 10,000. Ballymore is also developing the adjacent riverfront site to the west, Riverscape, to provide 769 homes.

Transport

West Silvertown Silvertown is a district in the London Borough of Newham, in east London, England. It lies on the north bank of the Thames and was historically part of the parishes of West Ham and East Ham, hundred of Becontree, and the historic county of ...

and Pontoon Dock are the nearest stations on the Docklands Light Railway. London bus route 241 serves the housing development. 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.

References

External links

Royal Wharf Official Site

Lines

{{adjacent stations, system=London River Services, line1=RB1, left1=North Greenwich Pier, right1=Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) Pier Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Newham Redevelopment projects in London Silvertown