Manor Road Quarter, Canning Town

A vibrant, green new neighbourhood for East London

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The Manor Road Quarter project involves the design and construction of more than 800 sustainable homes in Canning Town, one of London’s fastest growing areas. Alongside high-rise residential buildings, the development features space for shops and businesses, and has a new urban park at its heart.

Gleeds is handling the project management and employer’s agent (EA) services for Manor Road Quarter, on behalf of urban regeneration specialist Muse.

Transforming the site of a former retail park, the development has been designed to benefit the entire community and enhance the wellbeing of all residents. Half of the homes will be affordable, with a range of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments suitable for all kinds of households.

Sustainability is built in, with vegetated blue roofs that safely capture storm water run-off and increase biodiversity. The developer is aiming for a 70% carbon emissions reduction compared to building regulations targets.

The linear public park at the centre of Manor Road Quarter encompasses a variety of communal spaces, children’s play areas, a skate park, a running track and a wellness studio. New cycle lanes and improved footpath access were also a priority in design.

Phase 1 of the development completed in December 2024, with the delivery of 355 residential units across three new buildings – including the 32-floor Tower, which made a powerful visual impact early on.

3

phases

800

+

New homes

2,400

m2

commercial and retail space

2.9

acre

green park

Overcoming challenges

Gleeds needed to work within a very tight budget on the Manor Road Quarter project. As a result, we were heavily focused on value engineering, with a target to save £8 million.

We also faced operational challenges. With construction adjacent to overhead power lines, we applied a detailed and stringent health and safety methodology to assess and reduce risk. We also engaged with National Grid to ensure collaborative teamworking. The project involved managing extensive archaeological investigation works, with Gleeds ensuring that excavation progressed as expected with no project delays.

Together with our partners, we’ve engaged with third parties and stakeholders throughout the project – including local people and community groups.

To enhance teamwork and efficiency, we used our innovative common data environment, GleedsSpace, for all relevant documentation during the pre-contract design phases. This gives teams a clear and centralised view of project progress and information.

What’s next?

Work on the second and third phases are currently underway, with phase 2 aiming to be on site in 2027 and phase 3 in 2029.

The works have already dramatically improved the public realm environment at Canning Town. Tom Copley, the Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, said: “Manor Road Quarter is a truly impressive development, meeting the highest standards of design, sustainability and placemaking.”

The development has also generated significant social value equating to £10.8 million, through creating hundreds of jobs for local people, alongside apprenticeships and work experience placements. A room within the site cabin was converted into a facility for delivering courses to upskill local residents.

Manor Road Quarter is being delivered by the English Cities Fund (ECF) in partnership with the Greater London Authority, the London Borough of Newham, and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing.