Construction milestone hit at Berkeley’s TwelveTrees Park, West Ham

The tallest freestanding crane known to be used in the UK is currently hard at work at Berkeley Homes’ visionary West Ham regeneration scheme, TwelveTrees Park. Standing 119.8m, the crane is being used to construct the first phase of homes by contractors O’Halloran & O’Brien Ltd.

Evergreen Point is the first private sale building within phase one; a 32-storey tower providing 205 new homes for West Ham with completions expected in Q3 2025. The building will also house a state-of-the-art resident’s gym, screening room, business lounge and 24-hour concierge. Within the first phase there will also be a new Sainsbury’s Local as part of Berkeley’s ‘amenities-first’ build approach for occupiers.

Due for final completion in 2034, the entire £1 billion scheme, which includes 40% affordable housing, will span 26.2-acres and provide Newham with 3,847 new homes, alongside 12-acres of open green space and a 4.5-acre Wi-Fi enabled park at the heart of the site.

Berkeley is investing heavily in improving local infrastructure, in which the first of three major new footbridges connecting TwelveTrees Park to West Ham station and the existing community were installed in July. A mammoth task to undertake, a modular build approach was used to drop the 58m bridge into place above the rail tracks in the early hours of the morning.

Peter Davidson, Operations Director at Berkeley Homes, says: “TwelveTrees Park plays a pivotal role in West Ham’s transformation. The successful completion of the first bridge marks a huge milestone for the site and is a symbol for the progress that we are now making, working with closely with our lead contractors O’Halloran & O’Brien.”

Peter continues, “When finished, this scheme will represent one of the best-connected developments in the whole of London with five key transport links serving West Ham station and a new station entrance sitting right at the heart of the scheme. This sits alongside new retail spaces, with cafes and restaurants for a truly thriving community. Most importantly, this 26-acre site bridges the gap between Stratford, the Olympic Park and Canary Wharf.”

The former disused brownfield site was once home to the Imperial Works soap factory, owned by 19th century industrialist Harper Twelvetrees who the site is named after. Twelvetrees was a prominent philanthropist of his time and built homes on the site for some of his lowest paid workers. Prior to Berkeley taking on the site in 2015, the area had been vacant for ten years, barring a brief interlude as a coach park for the Olympics.

Today, the new development has big plans to give back to the community with an extensive new retail and leisure quarter, community facilities, acres of open green parkland, as well as providing an exciting new 1,000-pupil state-of-the-art home for the East London Science School with a specially designed ‘Newton’ science garden, sports hall and lecture theatre. To further positively impact the community it sits within, TwelveTrees Park will consist of 40% dedicated affordable housing in collaboration with Peabody.

In phase one alone, Peabody, a member of the G15 group and one of the UK’s largest housing associations, will deliver 229 homes for shared ownership and 99 for affordable rent. It will include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with the first occupations expected in spring 2024*.

James McMylor, Regional Managing Director at Peabody, said: “Providing affordable housing is central to what we do, and we’re pleased to be working with Berkeley Homes to deliver much-needed affordable homes in Newham. With fantastic facilities on site and outstanding access to the rest of London, TwelveTrees Park will have much to offer residents and visitors alike, transforming a disused industrial estate into a thriving community. We look forward to welcoming new residents to the neighbourhood in 2024.”

At its peak, more than 1,000 construction workers will be on site – with an estimated 8,000 jobs created in total during the construction process and over 268 apprenticeships. 1,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs will be permanently created on completion.

Berkeley has imposed strict sustainability goals on contractors. At least 95% of the waste generated will be recycled, all fuel on site is derived from vegetable sources not fossil fuels, while 100% of timber will be sourced from sustainably managed forests. On site, remediation will also enable over 40,000m3 of soil to be reused on site rather than sent to landfill. All the carbon emissions generated from onsite construction will be monitored and offset via verified carbon offsetting schemes, to enable the site to be carbon positive.

To find out more visit: www.TwelveTreesPark.london