London’s Floating Village: Damp squib or dream location?
The dream of a floating village in the heart of London took a step closer to reality last month, following the announcement that Carillion Igloo Genesis had won the opportunity to design and build the ambitious development.
The aim of the plans is to transform London’s Royal Docks into a stunning residential hotspot, with a thriving community and ample job opportunities. London is currently awash with regeneration and development projects, but you will be hard pressed to find one more unique and imaginative than this.
Different it may be, but it remains to be seen whether the blend of coloured accommodation will provide the desired community feel, interest from buyers or any affordable housing.
Whether or not the prospective images, released earlier this week, will be enough to win round doubters of the development is yet to be seen but The Mayor of London Boris Johnson is certainly well behind the project: “The site has the potential to become one of the most sought after addresses in the capital, while breathing new life back into London’s waterways.”
Schemes of this kind have proven popular in the Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavia and the chosen design group have sought assistance from Mark Van Ommen of Floatbase and Ton van Namen of Monteflore, who have provided over 300 floating structures in the past.
Director of Carillion Igloo Genesis said: “Living in a floating home you’ve helped to design is a dream lots of us have. By combining the floating home experience of our Dutch collaborators with our custom built business, we hope to make these dreams come true for a few lucky Londoners.”
A planning application is expected to be submitted to Newham Council in the spring of next year.
How would you feel about living in one of London’s floating homes? Do you love the idea or feel sea sick at the thought of it? Leave a comment below and let us know!
