Plans to turn Bromley-by-Bow gasworks into housing gets go-ahead
The world’s largest Victorian gasworks in Bromley-by-Bow will be turned into 2,100 new homes
Last month plans to turn the Bromley-by-Bow gasworks into a mixed-use development were approved by Newham Council with construction estimated to start in 2025.
The project is led by St William, a joint venture between Berkeley Group and the National Grid to build homes on old gas sites. Designs will be developed by the British architectural firm RSHP. It is estimated to take twelve years to complete.
Seven clustered gas-holder frames make up the gasworks that date back to the 1870s when they were used to store natural gas. They were in use for over a century before shutting in 1976 after changes in gas storage and distribution made them obsolete.
Seven cylindrical buildings, ranging from four to ten stories high, will be built to sit inside the huge iron frames. Six additional slimmer and taller cylindrical buildings (between 15 and 33 stories high) will be built on the same site.
The construction will also include a large pond in the footprint of the eighth gas holder, which is no longer standing after a bombing in WW2. Plans also include a community hub and new walking and cycle paths.
Construction is expected to start in 2025 once a planning agreement is finalised with the council. The Grade Two listed gasworks will be disassembled to allow for construction, and then restored and re-assembled to frame the new buildings. The estimated cost of restoring and moving the frames alone is £80 million.
Dean Summers, Managing Director of Berkeley Group’s St William said: ‘This fascinating brownfield site is home to seven Grade II Listed gasholders, making it the largest collection of surviving Victorian gasholders anywhere in the world.
Our plan is to carefully restore and retain each of these vast decaying structures, and to transform the entire site into a welcoming mixed-use community, with over 70% of the land becoming public open space.’
St Williams’ similar project to turn the Bethnal Green gas holders into flats was widely opposed in 2019, although the project was subsequently approved by Tower Hamlets Council in 2020.
Many concerns involved the potential destruction of the gasholders. The final development refurbished and reinstated the frames, similar to the Bromley-by-Bow plans.
Amidst an ongoing housing shortage in London, the projected 2,100 new homes are sorely needed. However, though the RSHP website mentions affordable units in the Bromley-by-Bow development, it has not finalised what proportion will be affordable or indeed what is meant by affordable. At the Bethnal Green site, the cheapest one-bedroom flat is priced at £675,000.
The Bromley-by-Bow gasworks features intricate ironwork and tall columns. Their design was inspired by Greek and Roman design, as was in vogue with Victorians at the time of construction. The rusting, elegant frames dwarfed the London skyline when they were first built, but the city has since grown up around them.
If you liked this read Unveiled: the world’s largest Victorian gasworks in Bromley-by-Bow
