Plans to build a huge, 46-storey student accommodation tower block in Canary Wharf have been tipped for approval.
Tower Hamlets Council’s Strategic Development Committee will decide on the plans from the applicant, WW F1 Student Development Company Limited, at a meeting on Wednesday.
If approved, the plans would deliver 912 new purpose-built student bedrooms on an undeveloped plot of land located on Brannan Street in Wood Wharf.
The land was originally earmarked for housing and belongs to a wider site that was granted outline planning permission back in 2014, however the plans are part of a ‘drop-in’ application which allows the applicant to modify or change existing planning permission.
A council document explained that since the outline permission was granted, 3,334 homes have been given detailed consent and are in the process of being built. Council officers say the 912 student rooms are equivalent to 364 homes which can be counted against its housing targets. The report added: “The introduction of an element of student accommodation to Wood Wharf is seen as a positive step towards ensuring the creation of a mixed and balanced community within the masterplan.
“The proposed student accommodation would be of a high standard and would contribute 364 homes towards to the borough’s general housing targets; 35per cent of the rooms would be affordable and at least 51per cent of them would be subject to a nominations agreement to be secured via legal obligation.”
The student accommodation has been described in documents as sustainable and of a ‘high quality’ and there are also plans to use the ground floor for shops and a café space. Shared amenity space including laundry rooms, study space and gym/yoga studios will be located at ground, mezzanine level, level 9 and level 44 of the building.
The development aims to be car-free apart from blue badge parking, and a significant amount of cycle parking which includes free-to-hire cycles for students has been proposed. The accommodation has been split into studios and cluster rooms, which is when students have their own private bedrooms but will share kitchens and potentially bathrooms – 46 of the cluster rooms will be accessible.
During the public consultation stage, 294 letters were sent out to nearby residents and other occupants such as businesses. The plans received two responses which were both objections, including concerns about residents living in temporary accommodation nearby who wanted reassurance that they wouldn’t be negatively impacted or at risk of losing their homes as part of the development.
In response, planning officers said the temporary accommodation is already set to be demolished as part of the wider Wood Wharf masterplan but isn’t part of the site for the current application. The plans have been recommended for approval, but will ultimately be decided upon by the Strategic Development Committee later this week.
