New 30-acre rail freight and logistics hub planned for former Olympic site in London

The London Legacy Development Corporation has unanimously approved an outline masterplan to transform over 30 acres of brownfield land at Bow Goods Yard in East London into a major new rail freight and logistics hub.

The industrial-led masterplan, submitted by Network Rail Property, will see up to 3 million square feet of new floorspace created, including heavy and light industrial space as well as a range of complementary leisure uses.

The development will serve as a crucial last mile logistics facility for the capital, helping to take up to 90,000 HGV movements per year off the national road network and reducing congestion and emissions.

Robin Dobson, Group Property Director at Network Rail said: "Transforming this strategically underutilised freight site into the largest industrial and logistics campus that serves the whole of East London is central to expanding rail freight capacity and supporting the capital's logistics market."

Alongside the industrial and logistics components, the plans also include up to 350,000 square feet of destination leisure space, 35,000 square feet of food and beverage offerings, and 55,000 square feet of new sports pitches.

The development will create up to 5,000 new jobs, a significant increase from the 100 jobs supported by the site today.

Blazej Czuba, Urban Studio Lead at Maccreanor Lavington, added: "It has been an incredible journey for us developing a project that secures the industrial capacity of the site while positively responding to its unique context in the middle of the Olympic regeneration area."

Importantly, the scheme will also deliver 200,000 square feet of new publicly accessible green space, improving connections to the adjacent Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park via new pedestrian and cycle routes.

The development will target a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain, with improvements to the existing Old Ford Wood and the incorporation of sustainable features like photovoltaic panels and sustainable drainage.

"This project would not have happened like this without extensive early-stage community engagement that meaningfully evolved the project brief," added Czuba. "We had over 700 active community participants across 45 events and a near-unanimous support for the proposed designs."