Plans are in to renovate Millennium Mills and build 1000 homes.

After years without progress land around Millennium Mills could finally see work begin to build new homes.

Nearby Royal Wharf has seen 3,400 homes complete or start. Nothing has happened at Silvertown Quays under existing owners despite a number of applications.

Lendlease have now announced a new partnership for the site. They are proposing 900 homes – which is still far less than what’s been managed to the south at Royal Wharf. Plans include a refurbishment of Millennium Mills.

The wider site still contains remnants of abandoned festivals held in 2012 before the venture collapsed shortly after opening, costing Newham Council £4 million.

Large parts of the existing Millennium Mills buildings are to be retained and renovated. In planning documents, it’s stated the project will “retain the majority of the facade, the existing slabs and structural columns”.

However, not all is to be kept. The dockside facade of Millennium Mills will see part demolition and rebuild. It is claimed that the existing retained facade is “impossible” to keep.

Another reason given is future uses. “Millennium Mills is to be a commercial building containing a mixture of Brand, Dedicated Brand A1 Retail, Dedicated Brand Food and Drink and Food and Drink uses”

Enough brand for you?

Some new builds will be brutalist in appearance. Here’s a render of a new build block to the east of the Mills:

The west facade will see new infill, highlighted in red below. The current variation in height is to be affected:

The Royal Victoria lifting bridge across the dock towards Custom House DLR and Elizabeth Line station is now due to be upgraded after plans for a new bridge were scrapped. This bridge will be on a walking and cyling route towards Custom House station for forthcoming Crossrail services.

New flats are located to the west and south of Millennium Mills. Residential blocks head south towards North Woolwich Road and are located far closer to Pontoon Dock and West Silvertown DLR stations.

Just 20 per cent are affordable in this phase. The overall site is due to consist of 35 per cent.

Pontoon Dock has seen a 300 per cent increase in passenger numbers over recent years.

• 78,000 in April 2017
• 143,000 in March 2018
• 210,000 in March 2019

With Crossrail definitely not opening until 2021 any respite will be short lived for the Woolwich Arsenal branch.

Over the road from the Millennium Mills site and beside Royal Wharf there are another 800 homes planned at Deanston Wharf, which I covered here. They were approved in June this year.

Click here to view plans.

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