A new floating wellbeing destination with a public park, residential and wellness facility is planned for a 12-hectare stretch of water within London’s Royal Docks, in the UK.

The development is part of a wider regeneration of the Royal Docks to create a diverse waterfront, backed by £5 billion (US$6.35 billion, €5.85 billion) of investment over the next 20 years. The aim is to make the area a mixed-use development that boosts the local area of Newham’s total publicly accessible space by five per cent.

Early phases of delivery are expected in 2030.

The three priority projects are:

1.Floating wellness

A year-round wellbeing destination that combines a floating heated lido, sauna, spa experiences, plus free and inclusive leisure and community uses. It will also offer expanded support for open-water swimming and increased seasonal free access to the water. This is a direct response to growing public interest in health, outdoor activities and cold-water wellness.

Royal Docks Waterways is inviting developer-operators to express their interest in collaborating on this project.

2. A floating park

A new landscaped floating park will be created to address the borough’s shortage of accessible green space. The area will have art installations, cultural programming and capacity for future expansion.

3. Floating residential

Floating homes and residential moorings are planned for a new waterside community, alongside communal infrastructure. 

There is a plan to deliver 36,000 new homes and 55,000 new jobs across the area.

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.”

The project adheres to various local plans to regenerate the area, and it also aligns with a 10-year plan to improve water quality, expand public access and restore London’s waterways as environmental assets – the forthcoming mayor of London’s Clean and Healthy Waterways strategy. Sadiq Khan recently signed the Swimmable Cities Charter to make biodiversity improvements, increase climate resilience and enhance water quality.

The project will undergo a period of public consultation to develop briefs for the wellness and residential projects, incorporating local needs from an early stage.

Who’s in charge?

Royal Victoria Dock West is managed by Royal Docks Waterways, a not-for-profit organisation that holds a long lease for the water within the Royal Docks. This organisation commissioned the Vision for Royal Victoria Dock West and is responsible for progressing the next stage of work with its partners.

The freehold of the Royal Docks is owned by the Greater London Authority and this is overseen by The Royal Docks Team (a partnership between the mayor of London and mayor of Newham). This team is responsible for steering the regeneration development.

There have been many previous plans to regenerate this area and deliver a floating wellness destination, but none have taken off. The stakeholders now say the conditions are different because the Mayor of London altered the lease conditions to enable Royal Docks Waterways to take on a new development role. This is the first time the leaseholder of the Royal Dockswater has had the authority to develop.

Funding

The Royal Docks Waterways says its board includes institutions such as the Greater London Authority, London Borough of Newham, Excel London, London City Airport and the University of East London. 

It says the organisation has built up reserves through its trading activities and will allocate its own funds to support the early stages of the plan. It will also work with third-party partners and investors to facilitate further development. Any surpluses will be reinvested back into the Royal Docks.