Canning Town: a look at one of London’s main growth areas

It’s one of London’s less glamorous locales. Windswept is probably the nicest many people have been about it. Yet passing through or visiting the area in recent years would show substantial change, and it’s only getting started.

One large development which kicked it off is London City Island just south of Canning Town station. The site is almost entirely surrounded by the meandering river xx and the tube station is accessible only via bridge. Various buildings of various colours have sprouted in recent years, and now the final building – in red – is rising.

Beyond the site, by the river, is the next stage by Trinity Buoy Wharf named Goodluck Hope with around 800 homes. Work is now kicking off there.

Turn 360 degrees from this point and the recently completed hotel and home development named Hallsville Quarter is revealed. It’s not particularly attractive with a dull facade with expanses of empty, featureless space.

This bus station in the foreground must be worth a few quid. With TfL’s new drive to build housing on their land this seems a prime candidate for high-density blocks above.

Phase 3 of Hallsville will commence shortly with consultation recently underway. 620 homes are planned on the current car park:

Looking directly east we see work has begun on another large plot in the area.

This is to become Brunel Street Works with around 1,000 homes.

When these rise the common feeling of isolation felt around the station area will certainly reduce. It’ll start to feel like a city district.

Bizarrely though, no one seems to want to bury the massive pylons and power lines so they will snake their way through all this.

Just east of Canning Town station is the site of Orchard Wharf.

338 homes here were approved in October 2017. It’s one of the better looking developments in the area. Here’s how it should appear:

What the above image also shows is the vast amount of unused or underused land in the area.

Once many of these new homes are occupied demand for Canning Town Jubilee and DLR station will increased. Given TfL recently cancelled additional train orders for the Jubilee Line all hopes are on Crossrail sufficiently drawing people from existing lines to free up space.