The London-listed real estate corporation Berkeley Group’s division, St William, is promoting a new residential project called Regent’s View in London. This 555-unit project is located in the London borough of Tower Hamlets, in Zone 2. It is a unique adaptive reuse scheme, which has transformed a decommissioned Victorian-era gasholder site into a modern mixed-use development along the canal.
The project has already gained global recognition and was awarded “Best Future Residential Project” at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2024, which took place in Singapore on Nov 6-8 at Marina Bay Sands. Following the successful initial sales launch in the UK last year, St William has now launched the second phase of sales at Regent’s View in September and is bringing the development to key Asian markets for the first time.
St William was originally established as a joint venture between Berkeley Group and London’s National Grid in 2014, with the purpose of redeveloping decommissioned industrial sites into new residential and community spaces. In March 2022, Berkeley Group acquired National Grid’s stake in St William, giving it full ownership of 24 brownfield sites across London for its long-term landbank. St William is currently developing or in the process of developing six sites.
Regent’s View is one of these ongoing projects. The 4.5-acre site in East London, formerly known as the Bethnal Green Gasholders, is located along the banks of the Regent’s Canal. The gasholders have been a landmark in the area since the 1850s, supplying gas to homes in the district. Although they were decommissioned in 2012, the gasholder frames have been an integral part of the borough’s cityscape for over 200 years.
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Due to structural decay, all but two of the gasholder frames were set to be demolished. However, St William and its architect partner, RSHP, have decided to incorporate them into the design of the new residential project. “Our design of Regent’s View celebrates the historical industrial heritage of the site. The importance of preserving the historic gasholder frames is that they justify a particular form of urbanism that is not the norm,” says Graham Stirk, senior director at RSHP.
The project will consist of five contemporary residential buildings, ranging from six to 13 stories, surrounding a landscaped park. Two of the towers will be framed by the restored gasholder structures. In total, it will provide 555 private and affordable homes, as well as 45,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial and community spaces, including a refreshed 100m public-access canal frontage. This will be the first time in over 150 years that public access is restored to this stretch of Regent’s Canal, and the area will be revitalized with new F&B offerings.
The development of Regent’s View has not been without controversy. In 2019, when residents were informed of the site’s redevelopment by the local council and St William, over 8,000 people signed a petition calling for its preservation. However, the Tower Hamlets council voted seven-to-one in favor of redevelopment. It took almost five years for St William to incorporate the gasholder frames into the design and gain local support for the project.
Dean Summers, divisional managing director at St William, shares that much of this time was spent engaging with the local community to find ways to preserve the gasholder frames, meet their affordable housing targets, and rejuvenate the canal front through placemaking activities. “Affordable housing is a key priority for many local councils across London’s boroughs to benefit residents in the local neighborhood. We were happy to work closely with them on the adaptive reuse of this industrial site. This strong relationship enabled us to allocate 35% of the units for affordable housing,” he says.
The design of the residential blocks and how the existing gasholder frames could be incorporated were also scrutinized, as was the site’s permeability to encourage public access wherever possible. The architects have capitalized on the circular forms of the gasholder frames to create a gentler contrast to the edges of the site, allowing people to naturally permeate through the site, across the central landscaped courtyard, and towards the canal front.
The ground floors across the five buildings are set aside for non-residential use. The two largest gasholder buildings along the waterfront will feature the most public-facing commercial amenities, such as cafes, bars, and restaurants. The ground floors in the three other buildings will contain resident-exclusive spaces like the concierge and facilities.
Regents’ View is not the only industrial brownfield site featuring heritage gasholder frames that St William is developing. As part of the landbank it acquired from its previous partnership with the National Grid, it is also developing a 23-acre plot in the borough of Newham, turning it into a 2,000-unit mixed-use project. St William and RSHP are also working on the design plans for this site, which used to house the now-defunct Bromley-By-Bow Gasworks. The site contains seven Victorian-era gasholder frames, making it the largest collection of surviving gasholders of this era worldwide. Development is expected to begin next year.
Last year, St William launched the sale of The Wright Building, a six-story block at Regent’s View featuring a mix of one- to three-bedroom units. The block is currently more than 70% sold, with prices ranging from GBP675,000 to GBP1.63 million. It is expected to be completed next year. In September, St William launched the sale of The Westwood Building, another six-story block featuring one- and three-bedroom units. Nearly 90% of the units are one-bedrooms, and the developer anticipates that it will appeal to international investors. Prices for these units range from GBP585,000 to GBP1.68 million.
International buyers, particularly those interested in London’s educational institutions such as University College London, King’s College London, and Queen Mary University of London, have shown strong interest in Regent’s View. The borough of Tower Hamlets is also close to popular amenities like Broadway Market and London Fields, which boast artisanal shops, cafes, and a dynamic, youthful cultural scene. The closest train station is Cambridge Heath, providing direct connections to Liverpool Street Station or the Central Line interchange at Bethnal Green for access to central London’s destinations.
St William has seen over 50% of international buyers from Asia, particularly those seeking a base for their children attending university or a professional residence near London’s financial hubs. The next sales phase at Regent’s View will offer units in a 13-story block fronting the canal, with prices expected to start in 2H2025. The third sales phase will also include some of the largest units, such as the three-bedroom units, and attract strong interest due to the proximity of the F&B offerings and the views of the waterfront or the landscaped courtyard.
The strong buying interest at Regent’s View further highlights the increasing appeal of new projects in London’s city fringe neighborhoods in Zone 2 for international buyers. This trend is driven by the climbing prices in central London, making properties in Zone 2 more attractive for rental premiums.