Following four years of local engagement, in May 2018 we submitted a hybrid planning application to Southwark Council for the Canada Water Masterplan, which included detailed plans for the first plots (known as plots A1, A2, K1 and the Interim Petrol Filling Station).

On 30 September 2019 Southwark Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to grant planning permission for the Masterplan.

On 10 February 2020 the Mayor of London also endorsed the scheme allowing Southwark Council to determine the application itself.

And on 29 May Southwark Council granted unconditional planning permission for the Canada Water Masterplan, following the signing of the Section 106 agreement by British Land, Southwark Council and Transport for London. The Section 106 is a legally binding agreement that sets out the infrastructure, facilities and wider benefits we will deliver, including the levels of affordable housing, planned transport improvements, and our support for local employment, education and discounted retail and workspace.

Now that unconditional planning permission has been granted, we will look to discharge the pre commencement conditions and relevant obligations in the Section 106 agreement. This will allow us to start work on the first detailed plots, the locations of which can be found on the map on our website here.

The first detailed plots will deliver:

• Three new buildings providing a total of 265 new homes with 35% affordable housing (with 70% of this at social rent and 30% as intermediate affordable);
• A new leisure centre with an eight lane, 25m swimming pool, gym and four court sports hall;
• New public spaces, including a new pedestrian link from Lower Road to Canada Water Dock and a new square in the Dock Offices courtyard;
• Workspace to support around 2,300 office, retail and estate management jobs, with targeted training and employment programmes to support local people to access these opportunities.

Further details can be found on the Planning Application page of our website, or in our website FAQs.

Given the ongoing Covid-19 situation, we will be reviewing when construction could safely and reasonably begin, as well as any impact on programmes.

We hope to begin enabling works for the first detailed plots this year, and are committed to managing construction to minimise impact on residents and the community. We will share information on the plans and programmes for these works before they begin.

Ongoing engagement through Reserved Matters Applications

The rest of the Masterplan was submitted in outline. This establishes the parameters within which future buildings and spaces can come forward, such as the maximum building height and use. We will then prepare what are known as “Reserved Matters Applications” (or “RMAs”) for each of the other plots in the Masterplan, which will be submitted to Southwark Council for approval. RMAs will set out the detailed design for the remaining parts of the Masterplan site, including the proposed appearance, layout and scale of the buildings and areas coming forward. There will be further engagement on each RMA as it comes forward, including on key public spaces such as the new park and Canada Water Dock.

The first “RMA” application is for a new electricity substation at “Zone L”, located behind the Printworks site near to Quebec Way. The new substation is being introduced to meet the future electrical needs of the Masterplan, as well as to reinforce other areas of the borough. The substation would be located underground, with a small structure above ground. We will be sharing these plans in the coming weeks.