Soundings was appointed in 2012 to facilitate open and constructive dialogue between the community, design team and client for the development of a high profile, mixed-use Wood Wharf masterplan, to the east of Canary Wharf.

Over a 20-month long consultation process, Soundings engaged with the local community through a range of events including one-to-one meetings with representatives of local groups, community co-production workshops to assist with the design development, and a series of youth engagement sessions to engage with school children in the area. As part of the youth engagement process, Soundings worked with a technology specialist to develop an interactive computer game based on the proposed development to engage with school children.

A critical success of the project was establishing a balance between commercial and community gains to ensure that the existing community would be supported so far as possible. This was achieved through: the assembly of a respected Reference Group representing a full cross section of community voices, fears and desires; an engagement vehicle that would work well with Canary Wharf Group’s existing liaison groups and tenants; a flexible masterplan that would accommodate commercial and residential use; a design approach to respect the existing estate; waterfront and user groups, and finally being mindful of the anticipated impact of Crossrail arriving at Canary Wharf.

When planning approval was awarded in 2014, Soundings was retained to work with the Canary Wharf Group on Reserved Matters Applications.