Arada unveils £2.5bn Thameside West plans in Silvertown, Royal Docks 2026

Key Points

• Dubai-based developer Arada has unveiled the first phase of its £2.5 billion Thameside West regeneration scheme in Silvertown, Royal Docks.
• The 47-acre (46.4-acre) waterfront brownfield site will deliver around 5,000 new homes, with 35 per cent earmarked as affordable housing.
• Half of the development area will be dedicated to green space, including a new riverside park and a kilometre of publicly accessible waterfront.
• The first phase will see six buildings constructed alongside a new public park, with a revised planning application expected in 2026 and construction anticipated from 2028.
• Arada is working with TfL on a proposed new DLR station, Thames Wharf, and is expected to contribute £9 million towards it.
• The project team includes Foster + Partners (masterplan), Gensler (first phase redesign), Arup and landscape architects Planit-IE.
• Arada acquired an 80 per cent stake in Thameside West from Keystone for £225 million and has committed a further £100 million investment.
• Tom Copley, London’s deputy mayor for housing, welcomed the move, highlighting the delivery of at least 5,000 homes with 35 per cent affordable.

Silvertown (East London Times) July 24,2026 —A Dubai-based property giant has unveiled the first phase of its plans for a £2.5 billion regeneration scheme set to transform a major stretch of east London’s waterfront.

The ‘Thameside West’ development will reshape a 47-acre site at the western end of the Royal Docks in Silvertown, facing The O2 arena in North Greenwich. When complete, the scheme will deliver around 5,000 homes, with 35 per cent earmarked as affordable housing. Half of the entire development area will be dedicated to green space, including what is set to become east London’s first major new riverfront park since 2000.

As reported by journalists covering the announcement for the Standard, the first phase will see six buildings constructed alongside a new public park.

The scheme is being led by Arada, one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing real estate companies, which was founded by Middle Eastern royalty: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal and Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi of Sharjah.

Based in Dubai, Arada manages a portfolio worth more than AED 60 billion (£13 billion) and entered the London market last year after acquiring an 80 per cent stake in Thameside West from London developer Keystone for £225 million. Arada has also committed a further £100 million investment into the project.

How will the first phase be designed and what facilities are planned?

A key feature of the regeneration will be a new public park designed by landscape architects Planit. Part of the green space will be built directly above the recently completed Silvertown Tunnel, creating a landmark riverside destination for residents and visitors.

The project team has also brought in global design and architecture firm Gensler to redesign the first phase of the scheme, ensuring the homes meet the UK’s latest building safety and fire regulations.

Arada is also working with Transport for London (TfL) on a proposed new Docklands Light Railway station, Thames Wharf, which would be delivered in time for the arrival of the first residents.

The developer is expected to contribute £9 million towards the station, which would sit between Canning Town and West Silvertown and improve connections across the Royal Docks.

According to earlier planning documentation reported by the Royal Docks team, the wider masterplan for Thameside West was prepared by Foster + Partners in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners and Patel Taylor, and entails the full redevelopment of a 46.4‑acre riverfront brownfield site.

The masterplan aims to create roughly 5,000 homes along with a diverse range of employment, community, and leisure facilities as part of a new, master-planned neighbourhood. Half of the site is allocated to green space and features a kilometre of active waterfront.

What did officials and the developer say about the project?

Tom Copley, London’s deputy mayor for housing, said:

“I am delighted that Arada is moving ahead with the first stage of redeveloping Thameside West, one of the key sites within the Royal Docks.”

He added:

“Working together we will be able to deliver at least 5,000 new homes, 35 per cent of which will be affordable, as we continue to return this part of the capital to its former glory and create a better, fairer, greener London for everyone.”

In earlier statements recorded when the masterplan received planning permission, Keystone and GLA Land & Property highlighted the project’s scale and social aims.

As reported in Royal Docks coverage of the 2020 approval, the approved masterplan would deliver 5,000 new homes, of which 1,700 will be affordable; over 19,000 sq m of new workspace; 7,000 sq m of retail and leisure usage; 5.7 acres of public open space, including a new 4‑acre riverside park and a kilometre-long Thameside walkway; and a new DLR station, a primary school, nursery and other community facilities.

Keystone’s leadership previously stated:

“Thameside West offers the opportunity to create a new and integrated community on the Thames with a genuinely sustainable mix of homes and workplaces aimed at a wide range of people living and working in this vibrant part of London.”

They added that the project reflects a focus on large-scale mixed-use schemes developed with a view to their long-term social, cultural and economic sustainability.

What is the timeline and current planning status?

Public consultation launched in 2026 on the first phase of the scheme, marking a major milestone in bringing forward the site’s transformation.

A revised planning application for the first phase is expected to be submitted during 2026, with construction anticipated to commence from 2028, subject to planning approval. Construction will be delivered by Arada London’s in-house team.

The first phase has been expanded to deliver approximately 1,500 homes alongside significant new public realm and waterfront spaces, according to Arada’s project page.

The wider site is described by the developer as one of London’s largest and most significant regeneration opportunities, set to transform 47 acres at the western gateway to the Royal Docks into a vibrant new mixed-use district.

How is the site connected and what is its strategic context?

Thameside West benefits from exceptional connectivity via the Elizabeth line, Jubilee line, DLR, London City Airport and the new Silvertown Tunnel, with a proposed new DLR station planned to serve the neighbourhood from the arrival of its first residents.

The site occupies London’s longest undeveloped riverfront, with views of Canary Wharf and Greenwich Peninsula. Thameside West links the Lea Valley Regeneration Area with the wider Royal Docks and opens up the river front for the first time in generations, providing spectacular views of the Greenwich Peninsula, Canary Wharf to the west and the Royal Docks to the east.

Background: What is the history of the Thameside West site and its planning?

Thameside West is a residential-led mixed-use waterfront development in Silvertown, London E16. Designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners and Patel Taylor, this project entails the full redevelopment of a 46.4‑acre riverfront brownfield site.

Plans for a major new Thameside neighbourhood at West Silvertown were approved by the Deputy Mayor for Planning at a public hearing in 2020, resolving to grant planning permission for the new masterplan.

At that time, the development was being brought forward by Keystone London and GLA Land & Property Ltd, with the first phase comprising 401 mixed‑tenure homes and 35,000 sq ft of workspace designed by John McAslan & Partners.

In 2025, Arada agreed the acquisition of an 80 per cent stake in Thameside West, unlocking the landmark mixed-use development at the western end of the Royal Docks.

Prediction: How could this development affect local residents, workers and the wider east London housing market?

If delivered as planned, Thameside West’s addition of around 5,000 homes with 35 per cent affordable housing could increase supply in a tightly constrained part of east London, potentially moderating upward pressure on local rents and purchase prices over the long term.

The dedication of half the site to green space, a new riverside park and a kilometre of waterfront could improve public amenity and leisure options for existing communities in Silvertown, Custom House and North Greenwich.

A new DLR station and improved transport links may shorten journey times for residents and support employment growth in the Royal Docks, benefiting local jobseekers and businesses. At the same time, large-scale regeneration can bring construction-phase disruption and changes to neighbourhood character, meaning planning and community engagement will remain important for managing impacts on current residents.