Royal Docks Waterways (the new trading name for Royal Docks Management Authority, RoDMA) today announces a new Vision for the future of the western part of Royal Victoria Dock, a 12-hectare stretch of water within London’s Royal Docks set to become one of the city’s most significant new public spaces and the capital’s first large-scale floating park.
The Vision outlines how the historic Royal Docks can be transformed into a valuable new asset for London and the local area, boosting Newham’s total publicly accessible open space by 5% and supporting the area’s ongoing regeneration into a new waterside destination for residents, workers, and visitors alike – with early phases of delivery expected before 2030.
The Vision supports the Mayor of London’s wider regeneration of the Royal Docks, delivered in partnership with the Mayor of Newham, to create a thriving, diverse waterfront backed by £5 billion of investment over the next 20 years. It will open up Royal Victoria Dock West for everyone – making the water more accessible, supporting a coordinated multi-partner approach to new proposals, and bringing the area to life through a vibrant mix of uses that attract more visitors.
While East London has undergone significant regeneration over the past twenty years, much of this transformation has been land-led. This Vision marks a new chapter, focusing new attention on the water itself. Royal Victoria Dock West is reimagined as a distinctive new water-based destination, at the heart of the Royal Docks, where people can relax, enjoy water-based leisure and wellness activities, and connect with nature throughout the year.
Three core principles shape the Vision:
• An enhanced destination offer, growing a range of uses that draw people in and encourage longer visits
• A neighbourhood asset that creates new local amenities and is inclusive, welcoming and comfortable for local communities
• A place defined by its relationship with water and nature, with success measured by more people experiencing the water every day.
Following an assessment of potential uses across economic, social, environmental and policy criteria, Royal Docks Waterways has identified three Priority Projects that will guide the first stages of delivery, subject to more detailed feasibility studies and agreements:
1. Floating Wellness
A year-round wellbeing destination in East London, combining floating lido, sauna and spa experiences, along with expanded support for open-water swimming and an aspiration for increased seasonal free access to the water. This reflects growing public interest in health, outdoor activity, and cold-water wellness.
2. A Floating Park
A new floating park for Newham, comprising landscaped floating green space, art installations and cultural programming, with capacity for future expansion. The park will help address the borough’s shortage of accessible public green space, creating a distinctive waterside place for people to meet, relax and engage with culture, while also contributing to wider climate-resilience objectives.
3. Floating Residential
Creating a new waterside community through residential moorings and floating homes. This will bring additional communal infrastructure for both the existing land-based and new water-based residents to ensure Royal Docks West remains a prosperous place to live as well as visit. This will help bring year-round life and activity to the area, while responding to the growing interest in blue-space urbanism, and recognising the role that water plays in health, identity, ecology, and overall quality of life.
Scott Derben, Managing Director of Royal Docks Waterways, said: “This Vision represents the biggest step change in the management and development of the Royal Docks since they were closed to commercial shipping at the end of 1981. Now, 45 years later, our goal is that the Docks that used to feed London will be used to nurture its inhabitants.”
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “The transformation of Royal Victoria Dock West is a major opportunity for Newham and for London as a whole, creating what will become one of the city’s most exciting new public spaces.
“I’m committed to transforming our waterways – cleaning them up, enabling wildlife to thrive and improving Londoners’ access to blue spaces across the city.
“Royal Docks Waterways’ work will help to ensure that Londoners can experience clean and safe waterways and enjoy the benefits of spending time near water, helping to build a greener and fairer London for everyone.”
