Royal
Docks
The Royal Docks were initially
built between 1855 and 1921 to provide accommodation for large
ships bringing in goods from around the world.
Most of the industry associated with the docks ceased by
1981. Since this time and under the management of the London
Docklands Development Corporation, a number of large leisure,
education and commercial uses have been created along the 5+ miles
of dock frontage, including
London
City Airport, ExCeL
(London's largest exhibition centre),
University of East
London, Thames
Barrier Park, the Regatta Centre, Britannia Village and the DLR
transport infrastructure. Over £500m of investment has been made in
the area.
Visit the Royal Docks Trust website for more about the
history of the Royal Docks.
The next phase of improvements to the area are in the pipeline
as Newham and its partners, the London Development Agency, plan to
further develop the area with more than 5,000 homes with new,
modern, sustainable business premises to create jobs. These
regeneration plans aim to stimulate the economic recovery of the
Docks and the wider region as well as reviving existing
communities.
In 2009 a place shaping vision was developed to inform a
development framework for the area. A business plan will be created
to develop the Royals as a dockland's destination. Social and
physical infrastructure improvements (schools, doctors surgeries
and transport links) and site remediation will be required to
support new development using public and private sector
investment.
Find out more about
Royal Docks,
London's Enterprise Zone and
investment opportunities in the area.