Housing charity, Peabody, has chosen Lendlease as Preferred Bidder for the £8bn, 11,500 home, Thamesmead Waterfront development in south-east London
The move means that, subject to contracts being finalised, Lendlease will work with Peabody in a corporate joint venture (JV) to masterplan and deliver the Thamesmead Waterfront scheme over the next 30 years. The details of the new JV plan will be finalised by Summer 2019.
The 250-acre site is currently undeveloped and under-populated. It benefits from 2.5km of undeveloped river frontage, with an abundance of green space, open grassed and wooded areas, canals, two major lakes and an existing town centre.
The Peabody and Lendlease plans would see a new Thamesmead Waterfront district of 11,500 new homes, focussed around a proposed new DLR station in the heart of the development. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan instructed Transport for London (TfL) in 2017 to carry out detailed work on a DLR crossing connecting east and south-east London.
The project will also regenerate the existing town centre, creating 1m sq ft of new cultural, community and commercial spaces for Thamesmead and for London.
Peabody Chief Executive Brendan Sarsfield said: “We are pleased to have selected Lendlease as a development partner for Thamesmead Waterfront. Our shared vision is to create thousands of new homes by the Thames and drive the local economy through new jobs and commercial spaces.
“With a new DLR river connection complementing the Elizabeth Line on the other side of town, Thamesmead would be more connected to the city than ever before. This would unlock enormous potential and could be a real game-changer for this part of London.”
Dan Labbad, CEO at Lendlease, Europe, said: “As one of London’s largest areas of opportunity to develop new housing and to support business and employment growth, Thamesmead can offer a fresh approach to living in London.
“Surrounded by water and outstanding wildlife, but within reach of the heart of the capital, we are excited at the opportunity to collaborate with Peabody, the local community and businesses, to bring new high-quality homes and workspaces to this exciting part of south-east London”.
