Latest look at three Canary Wharf towers at Wood Wharf

A little look now at the state of play with three towers rising simultaneously in east London from the Canary Wharf group.

This is in Wood Wharf which is a major expansion of the Canary Wharf estate sitting to the east of what many think of Canary Wharf “proper” with One Canada Square, the Underground etc.

And while those earlier stages were heavily based around offices, the Wood Wharf expansion is far more heavily focused upon residential use. In total 3,600 homes are coming.

I’m often heading through the area on the Elizabeth line, tube or DLR but this time took the D8 bus from Stratford for a different vantage point.

Previously this site had covered the growth of these three towers back in May when they were at 10-15 floors in height.

They’re a fair bit taller now with some way to go.  Of the three blocks, which will reach 51, 49 and 34 storeys in height, there will be a total of 1,312 homes.

The above shot also shows a forthcoming hotel’s concrete core on the left.

That’s a modular construction that saw setback when a supplier went under, though is now quite a bit more advanced.

North Quay

Canary Wharf are also expanding north of their traditional stomping ground and again we see a desire to be less reliant on office space.

North Quay progress was covered on this site earlier this month, with a life sciences building approved. Lab space is sorely lacking in London and the UK.

All this development does somewhat put the predictions of imminent doom for Canary Wharf post-pandemic somewhat as odds with the reality. The area is evolving.

As many more people call it home that will bring more 24/7 custom to shops, restaurants and pubs as well as ensure demand for public transport stays high in years to come.

And as these photos also show, Wood Wharf sites opposite other high density bocks over the docks on Marsh Wall.

What is strikingly clear walking around is that long-promised pedestrian and cycling bridges over the docks are now urgently needed.

There’s been years of talk but little movement.

Like many other infrastructure projects in the UK the pace of implementation is extremely slow.

And I should add that proposed bridge isn’t even to Wood Wharf. It’s to link Marsh Wall to Bank Street. Ideally they’d be another further east given the scale of development.

I mean, I havn’t even mentioned the three other towers just beyond the Wood Wharf boundary also now underway here. Pressures aren’t going away, but at least the notion of a place that is dead after office hours should fade.