Construction begins on 30-storey Premier Inn hotel and residential development at Westferry
Construction of a mixed-use tower at 82 West India Dock Road has begun – starting work on what will become the largest Premier Inn hotel in Greater London (excluding airport sites) and the tallest Premier Inn across the UK.
The £151 million development adjacent to Westferry DLR station in London is being constructed by Rockwell Developments, a London-focused mixed-use property developer, and includes 66 residential properties, of which 18 will be affordable, within the same building.
The new mixed-use scheme, which sits between West India Dock and Limehouse Causeway, was granted planning permission in October 2018 by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. John Sisk & Son are the appointed contractors for the development, which is scheduled for completion in early 2022.
Rockwell will create the landmark scheme at Canary Wharf which will also include a restaurant, café, gym facilities and a landscaped pocket park, alongside communal gardens for new residents. Designed by architects SimpsonHaugh, the 30-storey mixed-use development is a gateway to Canary Wharf’s central cluster.
Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell commented: “We are immensely proud to break ground on this landmark building which will be an important asset for the area, providing significant benefits for the local community with the creation of numerous jobs for local people, enhanced public realm and much needed new homes. We look forward to working with our contractors John Sisk & Son to deliver this high-quality hotel-led scheme, and look forward to delivering similar high-quality schemes in the future.”
Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager – Outer London, Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants explained: “This is a landmark hotel for us as it will be the tallest Premier Inn in the UK and, aside from our hotels at Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, it will also be our largest in London at 400 bedrooms. It’s great to see construction begin on such a fantastic development which will make a positive contribution to Tower Hamlets by creating local jobs alongside new public areas and affordable homes.”
Ajaz Shafi, Regional Managing Director at John Sisk & Son added: “We are delighted to be working with the Rockwell team on this exceptional project. We have used smart thinking and an innovative approach to the design, planning and delivery of this high rise building on a tight footprint in London. Sisk works in close collaboration with all the key stakeholders to ensure we deliver quality projects, safely, which meet the needs of the community and our client. Our track record in this type of project and our strong supply chain partnerships in the region are key to the successful delivery of this development.”
Louise Woodruff is pictured second from left alongside (working left to right) Councillor Mohammed Ahbab Hossain, the Deputy Leader of the London Borouh of Tower Hamlets; Councillor Victoria Obaze, the Speaker of LB Tower Hamlets; Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell, and Unmesh Desai, the London Assembly Member for the City and East.
– ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
At 400 bedrooms, the Canary Wharf Westferry Premier Inn will be the largest Premier Inn hotel not located at an airport. The only Premier Inn hotels in the UK larger than this are the Premier Inns at Gatwick Airport (North Terminal), Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 and Heathrow Airport (Bath Road).
Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, will fund the delivery of 82 West India Dock Road. Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, will take a 30-year lease of the hotel and restaurant, which will become the brand’s largest hotel in central London on opening.
For further images or information on Rockwell please contact:
Melissa Carver, The Communication Group plc, Rockwell@thecommunicationgroup.co.uk, 020 7630 1411
James Anderson, Property Communications Manager, Whitbread, james.anderson@whitbread.com, 07850 944 798
About Rockwell:
Rockwell is an agile, versatile and connected property developer with a proven track record of delivering quality development projects across the UK. Founded in 2015 by Donal Mulryan, this fast-moving and adaptable development business has already made a significant market impact, as evidenced by Rockwell’s high-profile investment partnerships, enabling the company to react quickly to new development opportunities.
The company’s expertise spans four major pillars: land acquisitions, planning, development management and construction. Rockwell is actively seeking large development sites in Greater London, prioritising those with untapped potential to transform entire neighbourhoods through innovative urban design and delivery.
About Premier Inn:
Premier Inn was named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for 2018 according to Which? With almost 800 hotels and more than 76,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland, Premier Inn guests are never far from a great night’s sleep at fantastic value rates. Premier Inn hotels are in more locations than any other UK hotel brand for the ease and convenience of leisure and business travellers alike.
All Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, a luxurious Hypnos® bed, a choice of pillows, TV with Freeview and free Wi-Fi. A bar and restaurant is situated either on-site or next door to each hotel, offering a wide range of food and drink including a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast.
Across the estate, the average Trip Advisor score for Premier Inn hotels is 4.2. Premier Inn has been awarded the Best UK Family Hotel in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, Best UK Hotel Group in the Silver Travel Awards and the Business In The Community Environmental Leadership Award. In 2018 Premier Inn was also named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for the fourth year in a row by Which?
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity is the National Charity partner of Premier Inn and to date team members, guests and suppliers have reached the milestone of £10 million, which formed part of the funding towards the Premier Inn Clinical Building, officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in January 2018.
Outside of the UK, Premier Inn’s expansion plans are focused on Germany. Premier Inn opened its first hotel in Frankfurt in 2016 and has more than 8,000 Premier Inn bedrooms in its secured pipeline in Germany.
