Carpenters Estate's 14 year journey

Calendar of phasing plan

The phasing reflects an enhanced delivery programme to deliver the masterplan. The delivery programme shown is based on 11 years, but is subject to change.

Populo and the Council are committed to ensuring that residents in properties due for demolition will be offered one move from their existing property into a new suitable replacement home within the estate.

Based on our assumptions on likely demand, the phasing currently allows for those in a house to move into a house or maisonette (like-for-like). If demand changes, we will seek to adjust phasing accordingly so people can move into an appropriate home. The intention is that residents only move once, so a new home is built before your existing home is replaced.

This diagram shows how the Masterplan has been split into different areas for a phased building programme, but this is subject to change.

Phase 1: James Riley Point

Work is now taking place on James Riley Point stripping out the tower. 

As Phase 1 of the regeneration James Riley Point (JRP) will be offering some of the first new homes on the estate, built incredibly sustainably. Populo is overseeing the refurbishment the 23-storey James Riley Point, a 1960s tower block. 97% of the 136 homes will be affordable, with the remainder returned to leaseholders on completion of the works.

The project is ground breaking as it aims to deliver London's largest Passivhaus EnerPHit scheme to date, led by architects ECDA. This is a standard that means that the homes will be among the most energy efficient and warm nationally, resulting in fewer operational bills for residents. 

At the bottom of the tower a new community centre will become home to The Carpenters and Docklands Centre, with adjacent buildings offering space for generators, a nursery and more. Originally the plans also included multi-use sports pitch, but this will now be relocated to the school project across the road, to make better use of the space available. 

Phase 2: Lund Quarter

Lund Quarter is the estate's second phase, and is key for the regeneration as it, along with James Riley Point, will provide housing for many of the existing, and right to return, residents. This then frees up occupied areas of the estate for later development phases.

Phase 2 will see the refurbishment of Lund Point to create 167 refurbished homes and a vibrant ground-floor space for residents. Also part of this phase are nine houses on Biggerstaff Road that will be refurbished and retrofitted to meet modern energy standards.

This phase introduces a significant number of homes, including 494 new ones, with 100 family-sized homes (three bedrooms or more) and 34 houses and maisonettes with front doors on the street. This includes the 16-storey Carpenters Building (with social rent homes) and the 22-storey Railway Building (market rent).

Hawkins\Brown with Bell Phillips, Fisher Cheng and Grant Associates have created a people-friendly design with well-connected streets and high-quality public spaces. This includes c3,000m² of open space with 2,500m² of play space, and the plan prioritises pedestrian access, with vehicle access and parking located at the perimeter to keep the central green spaces and play streets safe and welcoming. It also includes a variety of green spaces, including a shared garden called Lund Green. 

Phase 3: Station Quarter

Phase 3 is currently undergoing design work prior to planning being applied for later in 2026.

Populo is leading the development of Phase 3 - Station Quarter, with architects Metropolitan Workshop leading the design process for the phase, focusing on the area around the Dennison Point tower block. 

This phase requires the demolition of the tower to make way for new developments, including new homes, commercial spaces, and a hotel. The tower's removal paves the way for new taller buildings to be added to the estate, making the most of the proximity to the station and the new Gibbins Road entrance.

The detailed designs for this area are currently being developed with the aim of creating a 15-minute neighbourhood where residents have easy access to shops, services, and community facilities. 

This neighbourhood is designed to deliver a sustainable community for both current and future generations, with new homes and public spaces for Newham residents. 

Carpenters Primary School

The Carpenters Primary School project has submitted a planning application to Newham Council.

This project is a separate scheme led by Populo, that sits outside the estate's wider masterplan. 

Led by architect Maccreanor Lavington, it is an innovative school replacement project that makes the best use of land to provide a new replacement school, 120 new homes, c100sqm of commercial space and community sports facilities for Newham Council. 

The scheme includes new market led homes that help fund the project, with the new school making much better use of land to create a three-storey building capable or becoming a three-form intake school in the future. New playgrounds and landscaping will be provided by Root and Erect. 

New community facilities include a 25x35m multi-use games area and a Futsal pitch, that will be used by the school in the day and available for community use at other times, managed by the new community centre below James Riley Point, across the road. 

Carpenters meanwhile projects

The meanwhile projects are key early stage interventions that support the community and provide new areas for activity and recreation.

On the Carpenters Populo has a Meanwhile Strategy that ensures each project has a legacy on the estate, and each will have a lifespan of several years until it's corresponding phase commences. 

The final meanwhile project will commence in 2026, the conversion of the old tenant management office designed by Jan Kattein Architects. The plan involves five new "blocks" arranged around three courtyards, transforming existing structures and adding new ones.

The project prioritizes reducing embodied carbon by reusing materials, providing a café, and an enhanced community hall, and Populo's new office space, too. New buildings will provide flexible workspaces for small businesses and house a community food bank and tenant hub. The garages will become 17 affordable workspaces, to support start-up businesses.

Having our office on site ensure we are present throughout the estate regeneration, and also provides a guaranteed rent for the council on the transformed building.