The consultation process was led with a clear focus on developing an alternative neighbourhood to Canary Wharf, just one stop away on the Jubilee Line. Acting as the key conduit between British Land and the local community, Soundings hosted and facilitated a range of exhibitions, topic discussions, youth engagement sessions, co-production workshops, Community Liaison Group meetings and public communications on the Masterplan.

A planning application for the Masterplan was submitted to the London Borough of Southwark in May 2018. Soundings continued to work with British Land and engage and consult with the local community throughout the determination stage on a broad range of issues including investigative and enabling works, run a number of neighbour drop-in sessions and worked with local schools.

On 30 September 2019, Southwark Council Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission for British Land’s masterplan, in line with their officer’s recommendation.

The resolution to grant planning consent is the first step in the approval process for the project and comes after five years of extensive consultation and input from the local community, during which we welcomed over 5,000 individuals to over 120 public consultation and local outreach events, with feedback influencing the Masterplan at every stage of its development.

The Masterplan is a 53-acre, mixed-use scheme that will deliver:

• Around two million sq. ft. of workspace to accommodate around 20,000 jobs;
• Around one million sq.f.t of retail, leisure, entertainment, education and community space;
• Around 3,000 new homes, of which 35% will be affordable with 70% of these as Social Rent; and
• 12 acres of new open space, including a 3.5-acre park, a new Town Square, the first new High Street in London for 100 years and 16 new streets

You can visit the project website https://www.canadawatermasterplan.com to find out more.