Approval given for new central London mixed-use quarter

The Mayor of London has approved Hammerson and Ballymore’s plans to transform the 10-acre Bishopsgate Goodsyard site into a mixed-use urban quarter that will help drive the recovery and growth of Shoreditch and London over the next decade.

The plans proposed by the joint venture between Hammerson and Ballymore will provide 500 homes, with 50% affordable, as well as 130,000m² of workspace, including one of the largest single contributions of affordable workspace of any development in London.

The masterplan, designed by architect FaulknerBrowns, includes a high line-style elevated public park sitting on top of the restored historic railway arches that will provide a series of connected gardens, terraces and walkways, with a wide variety of biodiversity, including trees and planting.

The mixed-use development will also provide new pedestrianised streets through the site, with a new east-west street created and the historic London Road under the arches restored and opened-up for the first time in decades.

The office buildings, which will provide varied types of workspace to suit occupiers ranging from large corporates to small creative businesses, have been designed by Eric Parry Architects and Buckley Gray Yeoman. FaulknerBrowns has also designed elements of the workspace provision, as well as the residential, hotel and cultural buildings.

Robin Dobson, Director of UK Development & Project Management, Hammerson, said: “The Mayor’s decision is a huge vote of confidence in central London after a challenging year. Our designs make the very most of a highly-constrained site and will provide a huge range of benefits.

“These include one of the largest ever provisions of affordable workspace in London, which will help the local area and London as a whole continue to thrive long into the future.”