British property developer St William, a division of London-listed real estate corporation Berkeley Group, is currently promoting a new residential project in London called Regent’s View. The development, which features 555 units and is located in the London borough of Tower Hamlets in Zone 2, was created through an innovative adaptive reuse scheme that transformed a decommissioned Victorian-era gasholder site into a modern mixed-use development.
Regent’s View has already received worldwide recognition, winning the “Best Future Residential Project” award at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in 2024. The prestigious architectural awards were held in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands on November 6–8.
St William was initially established in 2014 as a joint venture between Berkeley Group and London’s National Grid. The goal was to redevelop 24 decommissioned industrial sites owned by National Grid into new residential and community spaces. In March 2022, Berkeley Group acquired National Grid’s stake in St William for GBP412.5 million ($705 million), giving it full ownership of several brownfield sites across London for their long-term landbank. Currently, St William is working on approximately six of these sites.
Regent’s View is one of these ongoing projects. The 4.5-acre site, located along the banks of Regent’s Canal, was formerly known as the Bethnal Green Gasholders and has been a local landmark since the 1850s when several Victorian-era gasholders were built to supply gas to homes in the district. The decommissioned gasholders were officially closed in 2012, but the iconic frames have been an integral part of the borough’s landscape for over 200 years. The largest gasholder frame is 146 ft tall and has a 200 ft diameter.
Due to structural decay, all but two of the gasholder frames were slated for demolition. However, St William and their architectural partner, RSHP, have made the decision to incorporate them into the new residential project as a unique architectural feature.
Graham Stirk, senior director at RSHP, explains, “Our design for Regent’s View honors the site’s industrial heritage. By preserving the historic gasholder frames, we can create a distinctive urban environment that is not commonly seen. This approach is reinforced by using an industrial architectural style that will define a one-of-a-kind place to live and enjoy.”
Regent’s View will consist of five new contemporary residential buildings, ranging from six to 13 stories, surrounding a landscaped park. Two of the buildings will feature restored gasholder structures within their design.
The project will provide 555 private and affordable homes and 45,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial and community space, including a newly accessible 100m stretch of Regent’s Canal. This will be the first time in over 150 years that the public will have access to this part of the canal, and the area will feature new F&B options.
Preserving an Icon
The development of Regent’s View has not been without controversy. When residents learned in 2019 that the site was being considered for redevelopment, over 8,000 people signed a petition to preserve it. Ultimately, the Tower Hamlets council voted seven-to-one in favor of the project.
It took St William nearly five years, from 2018 to 2022, to develop a concept and incorporate the gasholder frames into the design, as well as gain support from the local community. Dean Summers, divisional managing director at St William, explains that a significant amount of time was spent engaging with residents to find ways to preserve the gasholder frames, meet affordable housing requirements, and revitalize the canal front through placemaking activities.
Summers says, “Affordable housing is a top priority for many local councils across London’s boroughs, and we were happy to work closely with them on the adaptive reuse of this industrial site. Our strong relationship allowed us to allocate 35% of the units for affordable housing.”
The design of the residential buildings and how the gasholder frames could be incorporated was also closely scrutinized, as was the permeability of the site to encourage public access. Nearly 100m of previously inaccessible canal frontage will be reactivated with F&B and other amenities.
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“It was important to us and the developers that the development of Regent’s View contributes to the placemaking and revitalization of the neighborhood,” says Tracy Meller, senior director at RSHP. She adds that the architects utilized the circular shapes of the gasholder frames to create a softer contrast to the edges of the site. “This design encourages people to naturally flow through the site, across the central landscaped courtyard, and towards the canal front.”
The ground floors of the five buildings will be used for non-residential purposes. The two largest gasholder buildings along the waterfront will feature public-facing commercial amenities like cafes, bars, and restaurants. The ground floors of the other three buildings will offer resident-exclusive spaces, such as a concierge and facilities.
Regent’s View is not the only industrial brownfield site with heritage gasholder frames that St Willliam is developing. As part of the landbank they acquired through their previous partnership with National Grid, they are also working on a 23-acre plot in the Newham borough, where they are creating a 2,000-unit mixed-use project.
They are also collaborating with RSHP to develop the design plans for the site, which was formerly home to the now-defunct Bromley-By-Bow Gasworks. The site boasts seven Victorian-era gasholders and is home to the largest collection of surviving gasholders from this era in the world. Development of the Bromley-By-Bow gasworks site is expected to begin next year.
Regent’s View Goes International
Last year, St William launched the sale of The Wright Building, a six-story block at Regent’s View featuring a mix of one- to three-bedroom units ranging from 628 sq ft to 1,247 sq ft. The Wright Building is now over 70% sold, with prices ranging from GBP675,000 ($1.15 million) to GBP1.63 million. This block is expected to be completed next year.
In September, St William launched the sale of another six-story block called The Westwood Building. It features one- and three-bedroom units ranging from 584 sq ft to 1,247 sq ft. Nearly 90% of the units in The Westwood Building are one-bedroom, and the developers anticipate that it will be highly appealing to international investors.
Prices at The Westwood Building start at GBP585,000 for a one-bedroom unit and go up to GBP1.68 million for a three-bedroom unit.
Summers explains that over 50% of international buyers are based in Asia. He says, “We have seen a lot of interest from international buyers, especially those looking for a home for their children who are attending university or a professional residence close to London’s financial centers.”
Summers adds that the next phase of sales at Regent’s View will see units in the 13-story block facing the canal go on sale in the second half of 2025.
He says, “Our third phase of sales will include some of the largest units at Regent’s View, like our three-bedroom units, and we expect it to generate very strong interest because most of the F&B amenities will be on the ground floor, and most units will offer views of either the waterfront or the landscaped courtyard.”
The strong interest shown in Regent’s View so far also shows that more international buyers are considering new projects in London’s Zone 2 neighborhoods, says Summers.
“As the price of properties in central London continues to rise, savvy investors are turning to properties in Zone 2 for higher rental premiums,” he says.