London, UK: For decades this stretch of Thames riverfront has sat behind a fence, visible from the O2 and closed to Londoners. Now Arada, the international master developer, has submitted planning applications to the London Borough of Newham for the first phase of Thameside West, a €2.9bn regeneration on roughly 190,000 m² of the Royal Docks. The plans deliver nearly 1,500 homes across six buildings, the first step towards at least 5,000 homes on one of London's largest remaining riverfront sites.
The detail that will get the housing sector talking is the tenure of the opening buildings. The first two are proposed as 100% social rent, including three and four bedroom family homes, before the market-facing homes follow. A landscape-led masterplan wraps around them: a park of around 28,300 m², about 1,000 new trees, a kilometre of active waterfront and a riverside walk along Bell Lane, with ground floor cafes and restaurants facing the green space. A community design group of 20 local residents is helping shape part of the park, and ropework-inspired detailing nods to Silvertown's industrial past. "Thameside West is a landscape-led masterplan, composed by nature, open to all and made for London," said Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO of Arada.
Public sector backing is already visible. "Tackling London's housing crisis is the Mayor's top priority and Thameside West will help deliver the new homes Londoners deserve, including much needed social rent and family housing," said Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development. The scheme is being brought forward with the Greater London Authority's Royal Docks Team, and Arada is progressing design development with Transport for London on a new DLR station intended to open in time for the first residents. The DLR recorded 97.8 million passenger journeys in the year to March 2025, and the wider Royal Docks programme aims to deliver 36,000 homes and 55,000 jobs over 20 years, with more than €11.7bn of live investment opportunities.
For investors and developers, the open question is how a phase that starts with 100% social rent gets funded. The announcement does not say who will acquire or finance those first two buildings, nor how Arada balances delivery of the affordable homes and station infrastructure against returns from later market phases. That sequencing matters well beyond East London. If a master developer can front-load affordable housing and transport infrastructure on a brownfield site and still keep the wider scheme viable, it offers a template for other large regeneration sites across Europe where affordable delivery is the bottleneck. Watch who steps in as the registered provider partner.
Gensler, Arup and Planit are advising on the scheme. Arada is one of the world's fastest-growing master developers, with projects valued at $42bn across the UAE, the UK, Syria and Australia, while Arada London, part of the group since 2025, holds a pipeline of more than 17,000 homes spanning residential, student accommodation, workspace and complex regeneration.
People mentioned
- Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group CEO, Arada
- Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Greater London Authority
Companies and organisations mentioned
- Arada, international master developer behind Thameside West
- London Borough of Newham, local planning authority receiving the applications
- Greater London Authority, delivery partner through its Royal Docks Team
- Transport for London, working with Arada on a new DLR station
- Gensler, global architecture firm advising on the scheme
- Arup, built environment consultancy advising on the scheme
- Planit, landscape architects advising on the scheme
Image source: Arada
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