Summary
The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of East London in the United Kingdom.
| Royal Albert Dock | |
|---|---|
 University of East London Docklands Campus, on the Royal Albert Dock | |
| Location | London |
| Coordinates | 51°30′24″N 0°03′15″E / 51.5066°N 0.0542°E |
| Built | 1880 |
| Architect | Sir Alexander Rendel |
  Location of Royal Albert Dock in London Borough of Newham | |
History edit
19th century - establishment edit
The dock, which was designed by Sir Alexander Rendel as an extension to the Victoria Dock, was constructed by Lucas and Aird and completed in 1880.[1] Two dry docks and machine shops were established to the south at the western end for ship repairs by R & H Green & Silley Weir (later River Thames Shiprepairs Ltd).[2]
Late 20th century - decline and limited redevelopment edit
From the 1960s onwards, the Royal Albert Dock experienced a steady decline – as did all of London's other docks – as the shipping industry adopted containerisation, which effectively moved traffic downstream to Tilbury. It finally closed to commercial traffic along with the other Royal Docks in 1981.[3]
Redevelopment in the late 20th century included the construction of London City Airport which was built on the south bank of the dock with a single runway and completed in 1987.[4] At the eastern end of the north bank the University of East London Docklands Campus opened in 1999.[5][6] Redevelopment also included the London Regatta Centre which was built at the western end of the north bank and opened in 2000.[7] In the early 20th century 'Building 1000' was built on the north bank of the dock at a cost of £70 million and was completed in 2004.[4]
Early 21st century - failed redevelopment edit
In May 2013, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced a development of the Royal Albert Dock, claimed to be worth £6 billion to the capital's economy and creating over 20,000 jobs.[8] The developer was to be Shanghai-based ABP (Advanced Business Park), with CITIC Construction assigned as main contractor, and Multiplex assigned as principal sub-contractor. Construction officially began in June 2017.[9][10]
Phase 1 of the project was completed in the first quarter of 2018, consisting of 21 buildings with 460,000 sq ft of office space and 140,000 sq ft of retail and public realm.[11] Phase 2 was designed to begin late 2020, consisting of further office and retail spaces, along with residential units and membership clubs.[12]
However, in February 2022, the business park was described as a "ghost town", half finished and mostly empty.[13] It has become a favoured filming location "because there are never any people around".[14]
The Financial Times suggested in early 2022 that, "the Albert Dock development owned by Beijing-based Advanced Business Park, is on the brink of collapse after creditors appointed administrators to recover unpaid debts".[15]
In July 2022 PwC was appointed as liquidator to 23 companies within the ABP Group.[16]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Royal Albert Dock". Port Cities. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Green And Silley Weir - a Memory of East Ham". Francis Frith. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "History". London's Royal Docks. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ a b "The Royals". BBC. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "University of East London Olympic Partnerships". Archived from the original on 23 September 2010.
- ^ "Team USA to Use University of East London Campuses".
- ^ "I won a silver medal at the Olympics... after being told that I would never row for my country". Henley Standard. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Mayor announces £1bn deal to transform Royal Albert Dock | London City Hall". London.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Laurel Demkovich. "Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of £1.7bn ABP development in Royal Docks | Latest Newham News". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Brookfield Multiplex set for £240m Royal Docks job". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Masterplan | RAD". Rad.london. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Sophie Morton. "ABP chairman Xu Weiping pledges commitment to £1.7bn Royal Albert Dock business district | Latest Newham News". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Jessel, Ella (11 February 2022). "Behind the story: How did Boris's business park become a ghost town?". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Wainwright, Oliver (20 July 2022). "'It's been a disaster': how Boris Johnson's docklands business hub turned into a ghost town". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Hammond, George (11 February 2022). "Chinese developers selling off more London property to raise cash". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "PwC appointed as liquidators to 23 companies within the ABP Group - developers of the Royal Albert Dock site". PwC. 14 July 2022.
