Co-location scheme at Orchard Wharf gets consent for PBSA & affordable homes

Regal has secured a resolution to grant for Orchard Wharf in Tower Hamlets at Planning Committee with unanimous approval, unlocking the potential of a significant riverside site, setting the stage for a new neighbourhood that combines affordable housing, student living, public open space and a revitalised working wharf.

The scheme will deliver 208 affordable homes, directly addressing the pressing need for high-quality housing in the borough and meeting the London Plan target of 35 per cent. In addition, 1,365 purpose-built student rooms will be provided, helping to ease demand across London’s wider rental market and supporting the city’s role as a global centre of learning.

Orchard Wharf will also see the revitalisation of a safeguarded wharf, unlocking 7,524 square metres of logistics floorspace for use by Thames Clippers Logistics. This will create a low carbon river-based freight hub, easing pressure on London’s roads while re-establishing the Thames as a vital transport artery.

The proposals, worked on with Montagu Evans, include more than 7,400 square metres of open space, with landscaped gardens, children’s play areas and community facilities open to residents and visitors alike. The design, led by Howells, brings forward an elevated riverside garden and carefully planned integration with the surrounding neighbourhood to ensure the site contributes positively to the wider Leamouth area.

Steve Harrington, Planning Director at Regal, said:

“We are delighted that Orchard Wharf has secured Planning Committee approval. This is an important step towards delivering new affordable homes and high quality student accommodation in Tower Hamlets while ensuring the long-term future of the wharf as a sustainable logistics hub. Orchard Wharf exemplifies our commitment to creating places that balance housing need, economic opportunity and community benefit.”

William Poole, Partner at Howells, said:

“We are delighted to have secured this hugely significant consent on behalf of Regal. The committee’s decision marks a step change in London’s evolution towards more climate resilient infrastructure solutions.
It has also enabled the delivery of more than 1,500 homes in this riverside location, prioritising high-quality affordable housing on the prime part of the site – along with rooftop residents’ gardens that will be hard to match anywhere in London.
We thoroughly enjoyed the design challenge presented by this extraordinary co-location project, and we are proud to have reached this point as part of a talented and determined team.”

Construction is expected to begin in early 2026, following detailed design and delivery work. Once complete, Orchard Wharf will stand as a benchmark for co-location in London, showing how housing, employment and public realm can be integrated in a single place. It will reinforce Tower Hamlets’ role at the forefront of London’s regeneration and set a precedent for how underused riverside land can be unlocked for the long term benefit of the city.