Design watchdog slams Tesco’s A12 Leaside development

THE Government’s design watchdog has attacked a development in London’s East End on the banks of the Lea River because of its “disjointed layout.” Most future residents would overlook grid-locked traffic on the A12 and a supermarket rooftop, instead of the riverbank.

By Else Kvist

THE Government’s design watchdog has attacked a multi-million pound development in London’s East End on the banks of the Lea River because of its “disjointed layout.”

Most future residents who would live in the development at Bromley-by-Bow will be overlooking grid-locked traffic on the A12 dual-carriageway Blackwall Tunnel approach and the rooftop of a huge new Tesco store, instead of the riverbank.

That’s the fear of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment which criticizes the scheme put forward by the supermarket chain.

The Commission’s report states: “We’re not convinced this has resulted in a well-considered masterplan for the whole site. We are concerned that making a superstore the anchor’ of a new district centre, cut off from the town centre by a major highway, may work against integrating the site with the existing community and regenerating the area.”

The layout is disjointed’ and fails to resolve the conflict’ between traffic and the character of the residential streets and public spaces, the report adds.

But there is praise for the mix of large and small retail units, homes, hotel, community and public space as a successful regeneration project.

The plans involve replacing the existing Tesco supermarket with a new, bigger superstore. The scheme was created to fit in with an Area Masterplan by Thames Gateway Development, the planning authority for this part of East London.