Councillors approve new residential development on east London car-park site

SOM's West End Car Park scheme in Newham, seen from the east

SOM’s West End Car Park scheme in Newham, seen from the east

SOM has won planning permission for a 796-home development in east London that features a 23-storey tower as its highest element.

Members of Newham council’s strategic development committee resolved to approve the scheme, drawn up for developers Mount Anvil and the London International Exhibition Centre, at their most recent meeting.

SOM's West End Car Park scheme in Newham, seen from the north-west.

SOM’s West End Car Park scheme in Newham, seen from the north-west.

The committee had deferred deciding on the development, earmarked for a 1.03 hectare site adjacent to the the ExCel centre, at a meeting in February.

Among their concerns were the development’s scale and massing, and the size and type of its affordable housing.

SOM’s two-block scheme will deliver around half of its homes on a hard-standing car park site to the north of the Royal Docks.

Recommending the proposals for approval, Newham planning officers said the scheme had “evolved positively through early engagement” with the council’s Design Review Panel, and was supported “subject to further detail of materiality”.

The report added: “Some impacts on neighbour amenity have been identified but mindful of the site constraints and its urban context, Officers are satisfied that the overall impact would not be significant.”

The scheme currently offers 27.1% affordable housing when measured by unit, and 35% when measured by habitable room.

Because of the scale of the development, Newham’s decision to approve requires the backing of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Aerial view of SOM's West End Car Park scheme in Newham

Aerial view of SOM’s West End Car Park scheme in Newham

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