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| Boris Johnson's floating village could make waves | Boris Johnson's floating village could make waves |
| (5 months later) | |
| The London mayor's idea for a novel development on the Victoria Dock might sound eccentric but should be taken seriously | |
| Dave Hill | |
| Fri 25 Jul 2014 11.55 BST | |
| Last modified on Fri 15 Sep 2017 20.52 BST | |
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| It's tempting to assume that Boris Johnson's plan for a floating village to be constructed on the waters of east London's Royal Victoria Dock will, you know, sink without trace. Veteran Boris-watchers will recall great excitement about a "living bridge" being built across the Thames. Nothing has been heard of it since. The site for the floating village would be right alongside the little used Emirates Airline cable car, another mayoral wizard wheeze. This might be taken as a bad sign. | It's tempting to assume that Boris Johnson's plan for a floating village to be constructed on the waters of east London's Royal Victoria Dock will, you know, sink without trace. Veteran Boris-watchers will recall great excitement about a "living bridge" being built across the Thames. Nothing has been heard of it since. The site for the floating village would be right alongside the little used Emirates Airline cable car, another mayoral wizard wheeze. This might be taken as a bad sign. |
| The village will be small, covering just 15 acres. But there are grounds for believing in it. There are also reasons for wishing it well. The plans, which won a competition held under the auspices of the Mayor's London Development Panel, have been drawn up by a consortium of mainstream developer Carillion, housing association Genesis and sustainable regeneration specialists Igloo. | The village will be small, covering just 15 acres. But there are grounds for believing in it. There are also reasons for wishing it well. The plans, which won a competition held under the auspices of the Mayor's London Development Panel, have been drawn up by a consortium of mainstream developer Carillion, housing association Genesis and sustainable regeneration specialists Igloo. |
| The latter has made a pleasing mark on London with its Bermondsey Square project. Its chief executive Chris Brown writes a mighty good blog. Brown agrees with Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales, who will determine the project's future, that the village mustn't be a "yuppie ghetto". He confirms that he envisages some of its 50 homes being affordable. | The latter has made a pleasing mark on London with its Bermondsey Square project. Its chief executive Chris Brown writes a mighty good blog. Brown agrees with Newham mayor Sir Robin Wales, who will determine the project's future, that the village mustn't be a "yuppie ghetto". He confirms that he envisages some of its 50 homes being affordable. |
| "I don't want to sound over the top," Brown says, "but for some people this style of living really is a dream. We don't want it to be exclusively for the well-off." Meanwhile, the Green Party at City Hall is keen on the "custom building" involved, meaning that residents are involved in designing their own homes. This fits with Green ideals about housing innovation and communities taking the lead in developments. | "I don't want to sound over the top," Brown says, "but for some people this style of living really is a dream. We don't want it to be exclusively for the well-off." Meanwhile, the Green Party at City Hall is keen on the "custom building" involved, meaning that residents are involved in designing their own homes. This fits with Green ideals about housing innovation and communities taking the lead in developments. |
| Johnson sees the village as part of his quest to turn the Royal Docks into London's next business district. George Osborne has designated them an enterprise zone, meaning tax breaks and looser planning regulations for investors. Last year, it was announced that a Chinese company would create £1bn "business port" in the Royal Albert Dock and in February it opened an office there. As well as homes, Johnson anticipates "a unique mixed-use development" complete with restaurants, cafes and even a lido, making the floating village a visitor attraction. | Johnson sees the village as part of his quest to turn the Royal Docks into London's next business district. George Osborne has designated them an enterprise zone, meaning tax breaks and looser planning regulations for investors. Last year, it was announced that a Chinese company would create £1bn "business port" in the Royal Albert Dock and in February it opened an office there. As well as homes, Johnson anticipates "a unique mixed-use development" complete with restaurants, cafes and even a lido, making the floating village a visitor attraction. |
| There are other floating settlements around the world: a seniors village in Sausalito; markets in Bangkok; Ijburg's island city. The Victoria Dock floating village would be Britain's first and, though small, Europe's largest. There's lots of work to be done before the scheme goes to Newham for approval, probably next spring. It isn't going to solve the housing crisis. But the possibilities do seem positive. | There are other floating settlements around the world: a seniors village in Sausalito; markets in Bangkok; Ijburg's island city. The Victoria Dock floating village would be Britain's first and, though small, Europe's largest. There's lots of work to be done before the scheme goes to Newham for approval, probably next spring. It isn't going to solve the housing crisis. But the possibilities do seem positive. |
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