LaSalle and Trilogy win planning consent for first-of its-kind innovation campus at Republic. 

The 940,000 sq ft expansion of Republic in East London is set to create a “full-service” innovation campus with PBSA and university buildings alongside build-to-rent residential and a state-of-the art data centre.

• Planning Inspectorate overturns October 2022 decision by Tower Hamlets Council to refuse detailed planning permission for 716 rooms of purpose-built student accommodation and 150 high-quality build to rent homes in two high-rise buildings that will target BREEAM Excellent.

• The decision also secures outline planning approval for a 376,000 sq ft state-of-the-art data centre together with 64,000 sq ft of lab style workspace.

• The planning consent gives the green light for the next phase of LaSalle and Trilogy’s eight year project to create a new kind of urban campus centred on innovation, higher education and accommodation.

• 38% of the homes at Republic will be offered at affordable rents. Of these, 66% will be socially-rented homes.

LaSalle Investment Management (“LaSalle”) and Trilogy Real Estate (“Trilogy”) have won their planning appeal to secure planning consent for a 940,000 sq ft second phase of Republic, their first-of-its-kind innovation campus at London’s East India Dock. This consent provides the opportunity to bring the total accommodation at Republic to more than 1.28 million sq ft.

The planning application was taken to appeal after Tower Hamlets Council’s planning committee refused permission in October 2022, against the guidance of its own planning officers. In their report on the appeal decision, the planning inspector concluded that the design of the proposed buildings and landscaping are of a high quality and would have a positive effect on the character and appearance of the area.

Robert Wolstenholme, Founder and CEO of Trilogy Real Estate, said:

“Over the past eight years, Trilogy has created a campus for education and innovation at Republic that defines this new alternative asset class. In the process, we’ve transformed an unloved office estate into a coherent and sustainable development with a real sense of place and connection to the community – one that anticipated the challenge of the new world of work and sought to have a significant positive social impact in Tower Hamlets. The work we’ve done with universities and other education providers to deliver space for training, education and skills alongside workspace has created an engine for the future economy of East London.

“The next phase of Republic builds upon the strengths of the development and our location. Bringing a community of students and residents onto our campus will reinforce Republic’s mission to be a place that serves the full spectrum of needs of colleges and universities and integrates with the local community. We’re also adding capacity at one of the UK’s most in-demand hubs for data centres, providing vital infrastructure that will support future jobs.”

Tim Frost, Fund Manager, LaSalle Investment Management, said,

“Securing this planning consent provides an exceptional opportunity to continue the transformation of Republic into a vibrant place for existing occupiers and the local community. The mix of education, living and a data centre will offer a dynamic space for the existing campus, whilst helping support the growth of local businesses and educational opportunities. We are delighted by the decision to support the delivery of this market-leading scheme in Tower Hamlets.”

Phase 2 of Republic is set to create a “full-service” innovation campus. 716 high-quality student rooms in a 36-storey building of 270,000 sq ft will serve the community of university students that has grown up around the seven higher education institutions that have located their London campuses at Republic. 

When fully built out, Republic will provide more than 1.28 million sq ft of mixed-use space centred on a unique education-led campus that provides opportunities for learning, leisure and living alongside work.

This decision gives detailed planning consent for 150 private rental residences in a 30-storey building of 225,000 sq ft, and outline planning consent for a 376,000 sq ft data centre and a 64,000 sq ft studio workspace building containing an additional 7,000 sq ft of space for community use.

The masterplan and both residential buildings have been designed by SimpsonHaugh Architects, the data centre by Nicholas Webb Architects and the studio workspace and public realm by Studio RHE, the architects behind the award-winning first phase of Republic.

SimpsonHaugh’s masterplan creates new pedestrian routes across the site through a landscape design that increases biodiversity by creating new water gardens and planting trees. New public spaces include the west water gardens; a “walled garden” between the residential buildings; and the tunnel gardens, a linear pocket park that will provide a rock water garden play space for local children. New openings have been permitted in the grade II listed East India Dock Wall to better connect the new residential buildings to the Tunnel Gardens and the wider Blackwall neighbourhood beyond.

37.7% of the homes at Republic will be offered at affordable rents (measured by habitable room). Of these, 66% will be socially-rented homes, in line with Tower Hamlets’ policy. 30% of the flats will be one-bedroom, 40% two-bedroom, 25% three-bedroom and 5% (six units) will be four-bedroom homes. The residential and student residential buildings will be fossil fuel-free, using centralised air source heat pumps (ASHPs) with electric top-up and heat exchangers to provide heating, cooling and domestic hot water. The new buildings on the development will all target BREEAM Excellent or higher.

7,000 sq ft of space for community use will be provided within the new studios building, building on the positive relationships Republic has built with local community groups and education providers.

A 376,000 sq ft data centre will add new capacity at one of the UK’s most strategically important sites for data centres, using proximity to transatlantic cables and the business hubs of Canary Wharf and the City to create the low-latency connections prized by operators in the sector.

LaSalle and Trilogy submitted plans to Tower Hamlets in September 2021 following extensive consultation with the local community to establish their priorities for future development in the area. The submitted proposal significantly diversifies the mix of uses on site at Republic, introducing homes for private rent, affordable and socially-rented homes, student accommodation and a data centre alongside a new building of studios for start-ups, SMEs and local businesses looking for flexible workspace.

A short history of Republic:

When LaSalle and Trilogy acquired the 600,000 sq ft East India Dock development in 2015, it consisted of four partially-let commercial office buildings on the site of the former East India Dock: Capstan House, Anchorage House and Lighterman House and Mulberry Place. With existing tenants, including Vodaphone and Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunal Service, remaining in-place, LaSalle and Trilogy rebranded their development Republic, and commenced the award winning, sustainable retrofit of Capstan and Anchorage House into the Import and Export Buildings.

Phase 1 of Republic shifted expectations for the quality of construction and public realm in the docklands, creating a 720,000 sq ft innovation campus set within bio-diverse water gardens, with a compelling wellness and amenity offer on the ground floor. Sustainable timber construction was used throughout the retrofit, and the development won multiple awards for sustainable development and architecture.

The Import Building was the first refurbishment to complete in October 2018 and was 75% let when the Export Building opened in Summer 2020. Republic’s focus on education, knowledge exchange and innovation anticipated many of the trends around the changing workplace and the campus continued to perform well through the coronavirus pandemic, letting 120,000 sq ft of space in the second half of 2021; equivalent to 30% of the Docklands sub-market.

Today, more than 20,000 people’s job or course is based at Republic, up from the 1,700 who worked on site in 2016. Republic is home to a thriving community of students – from The University of the West of Scotland, City Gateway, Global Banking School, Anglia Ruskin University and York St John University. Trilogy and LaSalle have also supported the local community, partnering with the Trampery and the University of the West of Scotland to offer free desks for entrepreneurs in their Greenhouse at Republic Incubator space. Republic has given free space to charities, including the Oitij-jo Collective, OpenCity, City Gateway and First Love Foundation to help them expand their work with people in East London and further afield.

The secret to the future of work is that it will be about more than just work, it is about talent and life-long learning – phase two of Republic will complete an education-led campus of the future, where people of all ages are able to earn, learn, play and connect in spaces that are set up to help us make the most of being in cities.