Wimpey wins urban village

Wimpey has been selected by the London Docklands Development Corporation for the first phase of the West Silvertown Urban Village in the Royal Docks. The losing bidder was a consortium of Barratt, Fairclough and Ideal Homes.

The LDDC said Wimpey's bid was the clear leader, conceptually and financially. Wimpey plans 864 homes on its 11ha area, providing a mixed range of dwellings and community facilities. Work is expected to start this winter. The eventual value of the development could total around œ100 million.

The overall aim of the project, which is backed by the Government through its private finance initiative, is to provide 1,200 new homes on the south side of Royal Victoria Dock. The urban village will be built in phases over eight to ten years on a 30ha site.

Meanwhile the LDDC has invited sixteen companies to bid for a contract to supply energy to the Royal Docks. Apart from Laing Engineering, the companies are virtually all UK or overseas energy suppliers. The first part of the two- stage competition will establish the fit between the LDDC's concepts and the development strategy of the potential private sector partners.

The second stage will establish the best financial offer. The final choice of partners will be made in December this year. Like the Silvertown urban village, the scheme is being promoted under the Government's private finance initiative. The company will supply combined heat, cooling and power to a 140ha brownfield site around London's Royal Docks, including the planned West Silvertown Urban Village and the Exhibition Centre.

The LDDC expects The Royal Docks Energy Company to raise its project finance from the private sector; encourage users to minimise their energy demands; use low pollution technology and exploit local sources of waste energy; supply energy to Dock developments on a modular demand led basis, that avoids investment in redundant equipment.