Canary Wharf is teaming up with the Eden project to create a “green ridge” that runs through London’s high financial district with plants, floating pontoons and water activities.
The dramatic plan includes parks, access for swimming and rowing and even a coastal pavilion for concerts.
The Mail on Sunday may reveal that Canary Wharf Group CEO Shoby Hahn has been in secret talks with The Eden Project in Cornwall for the past year and intends to apply for planning next month.
Change: London’s Canary Wharf needs to be updated in Cornwall style
He expects the first phase of the plan to be completed by Christmas.
Khan said he wanted people to get out of the subway station and “see the greenery, the landscape and the water, not just glass steel and concrete.”
The project aims to improve biodiversity in the area. But it is also designed to make returning to the office after the pandemic more attractive, and to encourage visitors to visit on weekends.
The plan comes amid signs that the number of passengers in London’s transport system last weekend rose to almost 90 per cent from pre-pandemic levels. However, the figures for the week remained about two-thirds of those that were until March 2020, when Kovid struck.
Khan said: “The pandemic has made people understand the importance of outer space. This environment already exists in our pockets here – the roof garden Crossrail, Jubilee Park – but we want to penetrate this experience throughout the estate.
“The reason we are so excited to team up with The Eden Project is that they are experts in biodiversity and can advise us on how we get to the next level in an urban environment.
“It’s about changing the look of this place to say,‘ This is a place where I want to spend time, whether I live here, I work here, or I want to play here … it’s a unique environment, which I feel comfortable in. ‘
Canary Wharf, once a derelict part of London’s Docklands, occupies 120 acres and at its peak has a working population of 120,000. The area already has many shops, cinemas, art installations and dozens of restaurants. A karting track will open next month.
But Khan said the “green ridge” was the final stage in the district’s evolution after three decades of office development.
Most recently, the first residents moved to the Canary Wharf part, which belongs to the Group itself, in Wood Wharf, and there are planned schools and surgery therapist. The first phase of the project will continue from the Newfoundland skyscraper, through Jubilee Station, then to Wood Wharf and “probably a mile and a half,” Khan says.
The next stages will focus on South Dock, then Montgomery Square.
David Harland, CEO of Eden Project International, said: “We’ve been through Canary Wharf for a long time – it’s the first project we’ve done in a place like this.” “We all know there is a climate problem.
We all know that biodiversity is under threat. Now there is a recognition that individuals, corporations and the public sector really need to come together to bring these things together. ”
“What you have at Canary Wharf is water and space to create this green backbone. We are very excited to be able to focus not only on biodiversity and the environment, but also on how you actually feel in these places.
“People understand this when it comes to residential areas. But the business environment is a bit forgotten.
“I think the pandemic has taught us because we all want everything to be good where we work, live and play – and that’s what we’re trying to create.” Khan said Canary Wharf, thanks to four grocery stores that remained open to nearby residents, was not as uncrowded when Kovid hit like some other areas of London.
Despite initial fears that workers would never return to some parts of London, he added: “Since March 2020, we are at the highest level of traffic, and that’s great.” Restaurants work well, and commercial ones work well. ”
