Plans to secure Hackney Wick’s future as a “vibrant” focal point for the growth of creative businesses in East London have moved a step closer.

A �45 million high-tech hub featuring 6,000 square metres of so-called affordable and flexible work space, along with 130 residential units, as part of a work-live scheme was approved last week.

London Thames Gateway Development Corporation overseeing the project say it will provide a broader range and quality of business accommodation, adding to the existing cluster of creative industries in Hackney Wick, while attracting industries struggling to establish a foot hole in “high-value” Shoreditch and Hoxton.

The project is expected to create 170 new jobs.

Various sizes of work areas will be available, including rent-a-desk options, shared incubator space and larger units for growing businesses.

Around 130 residential units will feature a mixture of artist studios and one, two and three bed-room flats.

Cafes, bars and restaurants, along with retail unit for a convenience store, will also be centred around a public space, as part of the project.

LTGDC’s Development Director, Steve Oakes, said: “Tech City shouldn’t stop at Shoreditch. We are providing the foundations for it to continue to spread eastwards through to Hackney Wick. “Already home to over 600 cultural and creative industries, Hackney Wick is a ready-made creative and cultural industries cluster.

“Sitting between Shoreditch, and the International Broadcasting Centre and the Main Press Centre in the Olympic Park, there is a natural gradient for creative industry growth to happen here.

‘Our plans will speed up the successful transition of the area into a new district hub with great character and a work-live vibrancy. It will be the benchmark for further development emerging in Hackney Wick.”

Plans already put in place to improve Hackney Wick Station and the area’s broadband connections will also combine to make it a more attractive business location, according to the corporation.

The creative industries account for one in every 12 new jobs created in London.