London’s Tower Hamlets Council approves £100m civic centre

Aaron Morby 6 years ago
Share

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets has given the planning green light to its £100m plan to redevelop the Old Royal London Hospital into a new civic centre.

Former Royal London Hospital to be converted into new town hall
Former Royal London Hospital to be converted into new town hall

Bouygues is the development partner for the 330,000 sq ft scheme that will see the part refurbishment and construction of three new buildings at the site.

The Victorian Grade II listed frontage along Whitechapel Road will be retained with three major buildings built behind around a new public square.

The go-ahead means that demolition of parts of the old hospital can now get underway. The construction programme drawn up by Blue Sky Building plans a start on basement excavation and piling at the end of the year, with substructure work to start next April.

Work on the superstructure will then get underway in the autumn of 2019, with fit-out due to start in summer 2020 for completion at the end of 2021.

Architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris is lead designer for the Whitechapel scheme.

The former mansard roof, dormer windows and chimneys will be reinstated above the Grocers wing

New council buildings at the rear of the scheme will help form a public square

The project will be partly funded with an estimated £78m from the sale of old council buildings that will be used for housing.

The council’s civic centre project will anchor the wider regeneration of Whitechapel, which includes the opening of Crossrail in 2018, alongside 3500 new homes,  retail opportunities and public spaces to be delivered over the next 10 years.

Mayor John Biggs said: “The Civic Centre will be a landmark building providing a new heart for the borough.

“This project will not only pay for itself over time, it will save taxpayers money by stopping the council having to spend millions of pounds each year on rent for our current town hall. The new Town Hall won’t even need to cost residents a penny as it could be fully paid for by selling other council buildings which will be freed up as a result of the move.

“The scheme will also provide huge economic benefits for the community with 400 constructions jobs being created over the next three years and local companies encouraged to bid for contracts. At the same time, by consolidating other sites we estimate we can build around 700 new homes.”

Latest news

Police ban mobile cranes from roads over Easter

Plant hire bosses livid as forces across the country extend abnormal load embargoes
8 hours ago

Director jailed for exposing workers to asbestos

Ten tonnes of asbestos insulating board stripped out by unqualified workers
12 hours ago

Site labour rates start rising again

Industry's biggest payroll firm says "it feels like things could be turning round"
16 hours ago

Council finds extra £33m for Buckinghamshire link road

South East Aylesbury Link Road costs soar by nearly 30% to £147m
16 hours ago

Quartet win £490m North West & Central railway works deal

Skanska, Kier, Octavius Infrastructure and Story Contracting bag major projects deal
16 hours ago

Unite Students plans first major mixed-use scheme

Developer's first mixed BTR and PBSA project to be built in Edinburgh
1 day ago

Galliford Try names new finance director

Rentokil's Kris Hampson joins contractor to replace Andrew Duxbury
17 hours ago

Council boss hits out at bat threat to £274m road job

Natural England could scupper scheme due to be built by Ferrovial
17 hours ago

Hydrogen-fuelled diggers to be allowed onto highways

Government to raise barrier to widespread use of hydrogen fuelled plant in construction
1 day ago

Plans in for £118m Government hub in Darlington

Work pencilled to start later this year on new home for 1,450 civil servants
1 day ago

New contractor highlights Henry Construction jobs on website

New firm lists jobs by failed contractor to show its experience
2 days ago

Contractors line up for £2.6bn Anglian Water AMP8 deal

Eight big names land places on pioneering @one Alliance
2 days ago

McAleer & Rushe bags first major later living project

Work to start this month on 167-flat Royal Tunbridge Wells project
2 days ago

Kier starts first all-electric prison houseblock job in Kent

Next-generation fully electric T60 prison houseblock to be built at HMP Elmley
2 days ago

Keepmoat sees better times ahead in housing market

Profits dip in 2023 despite construction of record number of new homes
2 days ago

Vistry signs partnership deals for 1,900 mixed tenure homes

West Sussex former airfield and Newmarket sites to break ground
2 days ago

Turnover at Wates tops £2bn for first time

Construction division exceeds £1bn turnover as average contract value hits record high of £48.3m
3 days ago

L&G looks to sell Cala Homes in exit from house building

Insurance giant reported to be preparing to offload 3,000 homes-a-year developer
3 days ago

Multiplex profit almost trebles as margin hits 5.5%

Revenue jumps 20% to £675m as big London scheme complete
3 days ago

TopHat puts plans to open huge Corby factory on hold

Advanced manufacturing facility was due to employ 1,000 people
3 days ago

Laing O’Rourke lands Calderdale hospital job

Enabling works to start by the end of this year at West Yorkshire site
3 days ago

Go-ahead for £475m Sunderland film and TV studios

Work to start this year on first phase Corwn Work studios
3 days ago

Willmott Dixon set for £20m Stockport Community Hub

Planning decision expected in June on Marple leisure and health clinic project
3 days ago

Police hunt for blundering dumper truck thief

Raider drove into a fence before getting stuck on a bank
3 days ago

Beattie Passive files administration notice

Passivhaus pioneer has been in business for more than ten years
4 days ago

McAlpine set for £50m space and tech centre

Northumbria Uni sign pre-con deal for new satellite research hub
4 days ago

VolkerFitzpatrick seals £34m Kent road viaduct

Work to start next year on Sturry Link Road near Canterbury
4 days ago

Eight win £600m Scottish civil engineering framework

Balfour, Farrans, Graham and Morgan Sindall win major works lot
4 days ago

Site engineer crushed to death by excavator

22-year-old victim died just months after graduating from university
5 days ago

NG Bailey fined £135,000 after hospital site death

Worker died after striking overhead beam while navigating a mobile elevating work platform
6 days ago

Contractor services