Key Points
- Newham Council is steering a major regeneration of Canning Town, with plans for more than 10,000 new homes, new infrastructure and expanded employment opportunities.
- The Council has produced a Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) to the northwest of Canning Town town centre, branded as the “Canning Town Enterprise Hub”.
- The SRF aims to integrate industrial intensification, housing growth, ecology, transport and inclusive economic development in a holistic way.
- The Council is investing in an Estate Regeneration Programme, a new Heritage Centre in the town centre and active travel infrastructure along the River Lea.
- Strategic Industrial Land in Canning Town is surrounded by large housing schemes, including Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks, TwelveTrees Park and Crown Wharf, but suffers from severance caused by major roads and rail infrastructure.
- Newham Council identified the need for a coordinated, place-based strategy that leverages its land ownership, aligns public, private and third-sector interests, and addresses employment, ecology and transport alongside housing.
- Architecture and urbanism practice We Made That, supported by a wider consultant team, was selected after a competitive process for its ability to combine visionary thinking with practical delivery planning.
- The SRF is explicitly aligned with Newham’s Growth Plan, Community Wealth Building Strategy, Local Plan and Just Transition Plan, translating borough-wide policy into neighbourhood-level actions.
- Governance for the project relied on cross-departmental Council collaboration, as well as extensive engagement and workshops with local businesses and community organisations.
- The framework proposes both physical interventions (such as placemaking and industrial intensification) and policy or network-based initiatives to support inclusive growth and community wealth building, while enhancing connectivity to the Lower Lea Valley.
Canning Town in the London Borough of Newham is entering a decisive phase of regeneration, with Newham Council positioning the area as a national exemplar of “inclusive growth” through a Strategic Regeneration Framework that seeks to knit together industrial intensification, housing expansion, ecology, transport connectivity and community wealth building under a single, place-based vision.
In an interview-style feature originally conducted by AT (Architects’ Journal / Architecture Today style trade press), Newham Council officer Tom Badger outlined how the local authority is using its land ownership, policy tools and partnership working to shape what it now calls the “Canning Town Enterprise Hub”. As set out in AT’s conversation with Badger, Canning Town is earmarked for more than 10,000 new homes, large-scale infrastructure investment, a major Estate Regeneration Programme and a new Heritage Centre in the town centre, all supported by upgraded active travel links along the River Lea corridor.
As reported in the AT interview with Tom Badger, the Council regards the Strategic Industrial Land to the northwest of Canning Town town centre as central to this transformation, both as an employment hub and as a catalyst for wider inclusive growth. In that context, the Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) has been developed to ensure that industry, innovation, housing and ecological assets can “coexist” rather than compete, with Badger explaining that the document was drafted in consultation with local businesses and community organisations to shape a shared delivery plan and long-term vision.
What is driving the current transformation in Canning Town?
According to the interview conducted by AT with Tom Badger of Newham Council, Canning Town is experiencing “significant growth and transformation”, with plans now in place for “over 10,000 new homes, major infrastructure projects, and expanded employment opportunities”. The Council describes this as a coordinated phase of investment, where housing-led growth is underpinned by transport improvements, community facilities and a deliberate strategy to sustain and expand local jobs.
Badger told AT that the Council is “supporting and steering this change through targeted investment and delivery”, highlighting three flagship strands: a large-scale Estate Regeneration Programme, the creation of a new Heritage Centre in the heart of the town centre, and active travel infrastructure running along the River Lea. These initiatives sit alongside wider private-sector development and infrastructure delivered by partners, forming a patchwork of schemes that the Council is attempting to pull together under the SRF.
In the same AT feature, Badger explained that the Strategic Industrial Land just northwest of the town centre “plays a vital role in Canning Town’s wider growth”. This land is formally designated as Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) in planning policy, but the Council’s aspiration, as described in the interview, is to evolve it into a multi-functional “Canning Town Enterprise Hub”, accommodating increased industrial capacity, new workspace and a possible mix of uses compatible with industry, while improving connections to surrounding neighbourhoods and the Lower Lea Valley.
How does the Strategic Regeneration Framework define the ‘Canning Town Enterprise Hub’?
As detailed by AT in its Q&A with Tom Badger, the Council has produced a Strategic Regeneration Framework that specifically focuses on the role of the industrial area in “catalysing inclusive growth”. Badger explained that the SRF “sets out ways for industry and innovation to coexist alongside housing regeneration and areas of ecological importance”, indicating an approach that does not treat industrial land purely as a buffer but as an active component of the regeneration mix.
The SRF was “drafted in consultation with local businesses and community organisations”, according to Badger’s comments to AT, with this engagement used to “develop a delivery plan and vision for the area” that goes beyond land-use diagrams and into the realm of governance, phasing and partnership models. The Council’s branding of the area as the “Canning Town Enterprise Hub” reflects this ambition to position it as a place for enterprise, innovation and local employment, rather than solely as a logistics or warehousing district.
Badger told AT that the proposals in the SRF offer “a holistic approach to growth for the Canning Town Enterprise Hub” that is intended to deliver “increased industrial and workspace capacity, additional employment opportunities for local residents, new homes, as well as improved connectivity and access to the Lower Lea Valley”. This combination, he suggested, is designed to ensure that regeneration benefits existing communities, strengthens the borough’s economic base and protects key ecological corridors.
Why did Newham Council commission this work and what outcomes were it seeking?
In the AT interview, Tom Badger explained that the trigger for commissioning the Strategic Regeneration Framework was the unique context of the Strategic Industrial Land in Canning Town. He noted that the SIL is
“surrounded by major housing developments, including Bromley-by-Bow Gasworks, TwelveTrees Park, and Crown Wharf, but faces significant challenges, particularly with severance due to large roads and rail infrastructure.”
Badger characterised the area as “an important employment hub for the borough”, emphasising that it also hosts “important cultural and natural assets”. The Council already owns “significant land in the area” and has been “delivering capital works to support housing growth for several years”. Taken together, he suggested to AT, these factors underlined
“the need for a coordinated approach that integrates housing growth with employment, industrial intensification, ecology, and transport infrastructure.”
As he told AT, the Council
“saw an opportunity for the area to become an exemplar of inclusive growth – leveraging the Council’s assets while collaborating with local businesses, investors, and developers.”
The brief for the commission therefore focused on “creating a holistic vision for the area that looked to coordinate private, public and third sector interest,” rather than producing a narrowly defined land-use study.
How was We Made That selected and what did the Council look for in the consultant team?
Discussing procurement with AT, Tom Badger said that the Council received “several strong bids from architects and urban designers”, making the selection of a lead consultant “challenging”. However, the practice We Made That and its sub-consultant team ultimately stood out.
Badger told AT that We Made That distinguished itself through “the ability to balance visionary thinking with practical delivery planning.” He said the winning team demonstrated
“a strong capacity to synthesise multiple strands within a complex brief, addressing inclusive growth, industrial needs, and climate action in a cohesive way.”
This emphasis on both vision and deliverability reflects the Council’s wider approach to regeneration in Canning Town. According to Badger’s comments, the SRF needed to be both ambitious enough to set a long-term direction and grounded enough to be implementable, given Newham’s funding position, land ownership and stakeholder landscape.
How does the framework relate to Newham’s Growth Plan, Just Transition Plan and other policies?
In his interview with AT, Tom Badger stressed that the Strategic Regeneration Framework for the Canning Town Enterprise Hub is “fundamentally a place-based response to Newham’s Growth Plan and Community Wealth Building agenda.” Rather than sitting outside the borough’s existing strategies, it is intended to translate their principles into “actionable strategies at a neighbourhood scale.”
Badger explained that the framework
“identifies the Council’s levers for the delivery of key Growth Plan priorities, from large-scale regeneration to business network development, employment opportunities and infrastructure improvements.”
By doing so, it provides a bridge between high-level policy and on-the-ground projects, helping different Council departments and partners to coordinate their efforts in the area.
He added that the work “is also informed by other key policy documents, including the Local Plan and the Just Transition Plan.” This reference to the Just Transition Plan underlines a wider focus on climate action, decarbonisation and environmental justice, with the SRF expected to support a low-carbon, resilient form of industrial intensification and growth that benefits local residents.
What governance and decision‑making structures supported such a broad-ranging project?
Addressing the question of governance in the AT feature, Tom Badger described the project as “highly collaborative”, involving “multiple Council service areas and external partners, including local businesses.” He said that “extensive engagement and workshops with stakeholders provided a deep understanding of the area and helped shape deliverable outcomes across diverse themes,” ranging from ecology and industry to accessibility and circularity.
According to Badger’s account to AT, the resulting framework “combines physical interventions, such as placemaking and industrial intensification, with policy and network-based initiatives.” This “flexibility ensures the plan aligns with different Council functions and supports both community wealth building and inclusive growth.” The implication is that the SRF is designed to be adaptable to different funding streams, delivery partners and timeframes, while still maintaining a consistent strategic direction.
The collaborative governance structure, as outlined in the interview, was key to integrating the interests of local businesses, community organisations, investors and developers. By drawing these groups into the process through workshops and consultations, the Council aimed to ensure that the framework is not only technically robust but also socially grounded and politically realistic.
What does the Canning Town Enterprise Hub mean for local residents, businesses and the environment?
Although the AT interview with Tom Badger is focused primarily on the commissioning process and policy alignment, it also sets out some of the expected implications of the Canning Town Enterprise Hub for people living and working in the area. By increasing “industrial and workspace capacity” and creating “additional employment opportunities for local residents”, the SRF aims to anchor new housing in a strong local economy, rather than creating dormitory neighbourhoods disconnected from jobs.
At the same time, Badger’s references to “areas of ecological importance” and “improved connectivity and access to the Lower Lea Valley” indicate a clear environmental dimension. The framework envisages a landscape where industrial intensification is balanced with green infrastructure and better walking and cycling routes, particularly along the River Lea, helping to support both biodiversity and active travel.
For existing communities, the combination of an Estate Regeneration Programme, a new Heritage Centre and more accessible employment land is presented, in the AT account, as part of a broader Community Wealth Building agenda. The aim is to ensure that value generated by regeneration is retained locally, through support for local businesses, improved skills pathways and a focus on inclusive, community-led development, rather than displacement.
