If you require our materials in another language please contact us using the email and phone number provided. You can also find a copy of our newsletter translated on the Contact page.

আপনার যদি অন্য ভাষায় আমাদের উপকরণের প্রয়োজন হয় তবে দয়া করে প্রদত্ত ইমেল এবং ফোন নম্বর ব্যবহার করে আমাদের সাথে যোগাযোগ করুন।

Whitechapel Road

A new home for life sciences in London

Welcome to our consultation website for the Whitechapel Road Development. Our vision is to transform a series of out-dated buildings and empty sites around the Royal London Hospital, creating a vibrant masterplan that provides space for a range of life science and complementary occupiers, as well as supporting uses including café and community uses. The development has the potential to generate thousands of jobs and our plans include improving the streets and public spaces in the local area. Our plans will help to deliver a long-held vision for life sciences in Whitechapel which is shared with Barts Health NHS Trust, Queen Mary University London, the Greater London Authority and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Together we share a vision for the area to develop into a life science cluster, with a mixture of small, medium and large commercial life science and knowledge-related companies, all co-locating with the existing institutions.

On this website you can view our proposals and also learn more about the growing life sciences sector in the UK and in London and how we believe Whitechapel fits into that story. You may find answers to some of your questions on our page of FAQs.

We want to hear your views. Your feedback will help to shape our plans for the sites. Please tell us what you think about the proposals by completing the questionnaire on the ‘Have your say’ page or get in touch with the project team directly on the ‘Contact‘ page.

Your comments will help us to develop more detailed designs which we will share to get your feedback on this summer, before a planning application is submitted to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets later this year.

About us

In July 2018 the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) purchased five plots of land in Whitechapel from Barts Health NHS Trust to support the development of a life science cluster, building on the shared vision of our local partners at the Royal London Hospital and Queen Mary University London (QMUL).

NHS Property Services Ltd, (NHS PS) is a DHSC-owned company, which exists to support the NHS to get the most from the estate. NHS PS has been instructed to secure planning permission for a flexible development which can be used for a broad range of life science and knowledge-based activity.

To achieve the life sciences vision for the area, secure best value for the land and generate much needed revenue to reinvest back into the NHS, we intend to sell the sites with planning permission for life science enabled buildings to a developer with the required experience to deliver the plans.

This pioneering project will unlock surplus NHS land and unleash investment in innovative life sciences. It will benefit researchers, entrepreneurs and help NHS patients access new diagnostics and treatments more quickly.

Talk to us

In late May and early June, we held three webinars with the public on Zoom for members of the local community to meet our team, hear about the proposals and ask questions.

We will be holding another series of webinars for our second phase of public consultation later this Summer.

If you would like to sign up for updates, and be informed when the next phase of consultation starts, please contact us.

Covid-19 restrictions on meetings in public

Unfortunately, we are not able to hold any face to face meetings for this first stage of our public consultation, in line with Government restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope we will be able to meet face to face during the second stage of our consultation in the summer. In the meantime, you can sign up to one of our online public meetings where you will be able to meet the team, find out more about the proposals and ask us any questions.

Indicative programme

Winter 2020/2021

Pre-application meetings with London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Spring/Summer 2021

Planning consultation with stakeholders and the public on emerging masterplan.

Autumn 2021

Submit a planning application to London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Summer 2022

Planning decision anticipated.

Winter 2022

Agree terms and exchange site to a developer (subject to planning permission).

2024-2027

Expected delivery of buildings on site (subject to exchange of site to a developer).