Dubai developer takes over £2.5bn Royal Docks scheme

First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Dubai-based developer Arada has acquired an 80% stake in the £2.5bn Thameside West development at London's Royal Docks, marking its second major investment in the city's residential market. The Foster & Partners masterplan includes at least 5,000 residential apartments over 47 acres, with 1,000 homes in the first phase starting construction in 2027. The project, featuring a kilometre of waterfront and extensive green spaces, aims to transform the former industrial site into a connected, sustainable neighbourhood with 35% affordable housing.
Technical Brief
- Arada, a Dubai-based developer, has acquired an 80% stake in the £2.5bn Thameside West development in London's Royal Docks.
- The project, designed by Foster & Partners, includes at least 5,000 residential apartments over 47 acres.
- Construction of the first phase, comprising 1,000 homes, is set to begin in 2027.
- Arada will collaborate with the London Borough of Newham, Greater London Authority, and Transport for London to transform the former industrial site.
- The masterplan integrates air, road, rail, river, and tunnel links for enhanced connectivity within London.
- Half of the masterplan is dedicated to green space, including more than a thousand trees.
- Thameside West represents Arada's second major investment in the London residential market, following its purchase of Regal.
Context From Recent Coverage
- The Royal Docks project, with its 35% affordable housing component, aligns with the London Borough of Newham's ongoing efforts to address housing affordability, a theme that has appeared in several infrastructure discussions within the region.
- Arada's acquisition of an 80% stake in the Thameside West project marks one of the significant M&A activities in the east London infrastructure sector, where only a few large-scale transactions have been observed recently.
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