The Team is a joint Project Delivery Update initiative from the Mayor of January 2018 and the Mayor of Newham

BY DAN BRIDGE, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, ROYAL DOCKS TEAM

Before we turn to these, I would like to thank ABP, It is hard to believe that we are approaching six Ballymore, Create, ExCeL, the London Borough of months since the Royal Docks Team was set up Newham, , The Silver Building, and established at The Crystal in Royal Victoria RoDMA, Siemens, The Partnership, Dock. The team – a joint initiative from the Mayor UEL and Waterfront Studios for showing us of London and Mayor of Newham - was created around your respective buildings and sites, and to help accelerate the transformation of the Royal sharing the ambitions that you have for the Royal Docks, London’s only Enterprise Zone. ‘Accelerate’ Docks. It is clear from our conversations with you feels like an appropriate word as the past few that there is an impressive amount of work taking months have been especially busy with a number place to transform the Royal Docks into the unique of exciting projects and plans underway. and successful place that we know it can be.

Image: Royal Docks Team and Delivery Plan consultant team site visit to The Silver Building Nowhere is this more evident than the changing skyline at Royal Albert Dock. The progress of development on the first phase of ABP Royal Albert Dock is truly remarkable with nearly 450 staff working on site every day to complete the project on schedule (Q1 2019). Once completed, the first phase of the £1.7 billion development will deliver approximately 600,000 sq. ft. of high quality commercial workspace for UK, Asian and European enterprises to do business with each other. This scheme is helping to strengthen the Royal Dock’s unique position as one of London’s most globally connected and credible destinations for trade and investment and in November, we were very happy to be part Site visit to and Millennium Mills of a delegation that visited ABP in Beijing to reinforce this position and explore even further We hope they will be joined by the Silvertown opportunities for business between the UK and Studios – a new temporary neighbourhood for China. affordable workspace and artists’ studios, which is earmarked to be on site in Silvertown Quays in We have been similarly impressed with the scale early summer. of progress and developments at Royal Wharf (Ballymore) and Pontoon Dock (Linkcity) – both We’ll also see work begin on the new London creating high-quality homes and neighbourhoods Design and Engineering UTC as well as welcome that are helping to mark out an exciting new the arrival of Crossrail at Custom House, at the chapter in the area’s history. end of the year.

All of this underlines the significant momentum Perceptions of underway in the Royal Docks, which we are very the Royal Docks excited to build on. To that end we have been working very closely with our consultant team have been, and (Aecom, Cushman and Wakefield, and Futurecity) on the preparation of an ambitious 5-year delivery will continue to plan. be, shaped by how The plan will set out the action required to help people experience maximise the significant investment that is already underway in the area and will include interventions our spaces in transport infrastructure, placemaking, estate management, marketing and promotion and We were pleased to welcome a new creative creative programming. arts hub to the Royal Docks last year. The Silver Building is the brainchild of social entrepreneur This process will be completed by March 2018 Nick Hartwright. Nick and his team have and will set the blueprint for the team’s work going assembled a very impressive community of forward. However, alongside the preparation of creative tenants including fashion designer, the plan we have also been working very hard to Craig Green (British Menswear Designer of the deliver a number of early projects over the past Year, for the past 2 years running!) and music 6 months that will help to catalyse and set the and performing arts training organisation Beats foundations for longer-term delivery. Learning.

2 Royal Docks Team - Project Update Image: Construction progress at ABP Royal Albert Dock Credit: ABP London

Royal Docks Team - Project Update Enhancing the Royal Docks estate has been a This will be complemented by the introduction of key priority. Perceptions of the Royal Docks have new Legible London wayfinding signposts and been, and will continue to be, shaped by how maps to support walking journeys in the area. people experience our spaces. Therefore, we have already begun to invest in improving the public We also launched our new marketing and cultural realm at several sites including making significant partnerships recently – both cross-sector landscape enhancements, upgrading streetlights, platforms that will help us to ensure consistency providing new bench and bin furniture and - in of approach and enhance co-ordination and co- line with the ’s plans to see a operation across how we develop and position the reduction in the amount of single-use plastic area. Key to this will be a comprehensive place bottles, we are introducing water fountains and brand strategy and implementation plan. The bottle refill stations. Royal Docks needs a clear and compelling place identity to position the area on a local, national and international scale. We have set a challenging and exciting brief for an agency to work with us to The royal docks develop a credible brand for the Royal Docks and, importantly, to implement this through brand and needs a clear and marketing campaigns. compelling place We have an exciting year ahead of us, we are very identity to position much looking forward to working with you.

the area on a Dan Bridge, local, national and Programme Director international scale

We are also bringing to life all kinds of under- used and under-loved spaces in the Royal Docks through our placemaking and activation programme. There is a huge appetite from a wide range of artists and creative organisations who want to work in the area and so we are in the process of undertaking condition surveys and enabling works on a number of sites including , Silvertown Quays, Royal Albert Dock and Custom House Gateway to create opportunities for high profile events. Plans for the return of the Beach in 2018 are well underway alongside an exciting programme of events – including F1 Powerboats and the London Festival of Architecture, currently in development. Watch this space…

We have also been working with our colleagues at the to select an operator for a new dockless cycle hire scheme in the Royal Docks, which will help to boost cycling rates but also improve the experience of people travelling around the area.

4 Royal Docks Team - Project Update This Spring, we will launch our newly designed newsletter and website and bring you more news from our partners across the Royal Docks.

If you would like to share information through our newsletter or if you have any queries please contact Robert Baffour-Awuah [email protected]

Royal Docks Team