Developer St George and Bow Arts Trust have agreed an exciting partnership to deliver 90 new affordable artist studios at the historic Pennington Street Warehouse in Wapping.
The studios will be the first meanwhile use of the Grade II listed Pennington Street Warehouse, which has been closed to the public for over 200 years.
The warehouse is a key building in the London Dock masterplan by St George, which was granted planning permission in March 2014 and will deliver a high quality mixed-use development with 1,800 homes, over 200,000 sq ft of commercial space and six acres of public realm. As part of the development, the Pennington Street Warehouse will be restored and brought back into use with an eclectic mix of retail, restaurants, galleries and offices.
Craig Carson, Managing Director of St George City said: "We are delighted to announce that the Pennington Street Warehouse will be brought back to life as London's newest studios for emerging artists. The historic Pennington Street Warehouse will be the commercial heart of the London Dock development. In its first meanwhile use, this fantastic vaulted building, with a rich history of trade and enterprise, will deliver incredible space to help young creative talent make the masterpieces of the future."
Marcel Baettig, Chief Executive of Bow Arts Trust said: "We are incredibly excited to be partnering with St George to provide 90 affordable artist studios at the London Dock development.
"Wapping is a really exciting area and we are delighted to be part of the London Dock development. The Rum Warehouse is an amazing building which will be the perfect environment for emerging artists."
Bow Arts Trust is celebrating its 20th anniversary serving residents and schools in Tower Hamlets. The charity will provide artists working in the Pennington Street Warehouse with training to enable and encourage them to take part in their successful educational programme to help improve the lives of local children and young people.
For further information, please contact FTI Consulting:
Ollie Pratt T: 0203 727 1428 E: Ollie.Pratt@fticonsulting.com
Sian Disson T: 0203 727 1747 E: Sian.Disson@fticonsulting.com
About the Pennington Street Warehouse
The Pennington Street Warehouse is the only substantial building to survive from the former London Dock, which was the first enclosed commercial docks in the capital.
The two-storey, 313 metre long brick-built structure was constructed in phases between 1804 and 1806. It was designed by the Dock's surveyor, the engineer Daniel Alexander, for the storage of imported goods held in bond.
When the area ceased being used as commercial docks in the 1980s, the site was acquired by News International for its newspaper offices and print works. The Pennington Street Warehouse was used for office space and storage facilities.
As part of the St George development of London Dock, the Grade II listed building will be restored and brought back into use with an eclectic mix of retail, restaurants, galleries and offices.
About London Dock
In March 2014, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets granted permission to St George to transform London Dock site in Wapping into a residential-led mixed use development.
The world-class Patel Taylor masterplan includes:
- 1,800 homes, 486 homes of which will be affordable (30% of overall habitable rooms)
- 210,000 sq ft of commercial floorspace
- Six acres public open space including a major new civic square
- Land for a six form entry secondary school and sixth form college (1,200 pupils)
The construction of London Dock started in September 2014.
St George is contributing over £6 million in Section 106 funding for:
- Local leisure facilities
- Public open space
- Public realm improvements
- Extensive local employment and training commitments, including 65 apprenticeships
About St George:
St George is proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group and is London's leading mixed use developer, regenerating brownfield land to create thriving new communities in attractive landscaped environments.
Since 2000 St George has delivered over 8,730 new homes; over 2,400 of which are affordable; 836,000 sq ft of commercial floor space and 83,000 sq ft of community space, as well as 30 acres of open space.
In 2002, St George was the first residential developer to be granted the Queen's Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development. The Berkeley Group as a whole received this prestigious accolade in 2008 and again in 2014.
Each home St George delivers creates or sustains 5.6 jobs.
About Bow Arts Trust
Bow Arts was established as an educational arts charity in 1995, based in East London. It supports a community of over 400 artists with affordable, secure, creative workspace in the heart of London's Artist Quarter.
Bow Arts also manages one of the country's most exciting education programmes. The schools programme takes world class artists into schools to improve the lives and learning of children and young people. The projects, workshops and training are proven to raise attainment, deliver on school improvement priorities and provide top quality learning experiences.
Bow Arts also runs the Nunnery, a contemporary art gallery a stone's throw from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which supports a diverse range of local, national and international exhibitions and events.
Bow Arts works closely with a number of partners including East Thames, Poplar HARCA, Crisis, Tower Hamlets Council and Newham Council, and joined the National Portfolio of Arts Council England in April 2012.