Beckton Gasworks regeneration project secures planning approval

Plans to redevelop part of the former Beckton Gasworks site in east London have taken a step forward after Newham Council’s Strategic Development Committee resolved to grant planning permission for the first phase of the scheme.

Developer St William, a joint venture between the Berkeley Group and National Grid, received approval for a package of enabling and remediation works as well as outline planning consent for a wider residential-led development.

The proposals cover a 30-acre section of the Beckton Riverside area, part of a derelict industrial site that has remained largely unused since the 1960s. The first phase of work will involve extensive remediation, flood defence upgrades, and infrastructure improvements.

In total, the outline plan allows for the construction of up to 2,900 homes, along with commercial and community space, a new five-acre riverside park, and a network of open public areas. The development also proposes to open up a stretch of the River Thames that has been inaccessible to the public for decades.

Berkeley Group has said it expects to invest over £250 million in the initial phase, which will prepare the land for development and lay the groundwork for new housing and public infrastructure.

The site forms part of the wider Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead Opportunity Area, identified by the Greater London Authority for large-scale regeneration. The developer has positioned the project as a potential catalyst for further investment in the area, including the proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to improve east-west connectivity.

The planning approval is subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement, which will secure contributions to local services and infrastructure as part of the development.

No start date for construction has been confirmed.