Development News

Ravensbourne College Spearheads Greenwich Peninsula's Creative Future

Ravensbourne College, a leading higher education college of design and communication is building a new campus for 1,500 students at Greenwich Peninsula. Detailed planning consent is already in place and with construction of the college underway, the new campus is expected to be ready for the 2010/2011 academic year. 

Greenwich Peninsula is on track to make an important contribution to the future needs of Londoners. Welcoming the progress in 2008, Housing Minister, Iain Wright, said: "We are investing more than £9 billion across the Thames Gateway and it is exciting to see projects like Ravensbourne College becoming a reality. Over the next decade it is estimated 24,000 new jobs will be created on Greenwich Peninsula and Ravensbourne College will be at the forefront of helping drive forward this regeneration." 

Gateway to London's Chief Executive, Aman Dalvi, added: "This is an exciting development for London Thames Gateway; it will bring even more investment to the area and graduates from the new Ravensbourne College campus will be a valuable source of employment for local companies". 

Artists Go Mad for New Barking Studios

Barking is blazing a trail in attracting creative companies to London Thames Gateway, with 15 studios already leased in the area's newest artistic setting. The Malthouse Studios, on Abbey Road in Barking, provides artists, designers and performers with affordable work space in a new creative quarter. 

The old warehouse cost £1.4 million to renovate and now hosts established artists and the award-winning Arc Theatre company. London Thames Gateway Development Corporation has splashed out an additional £1.3 million purchasing an adjacent building, also set to be turned into studios. The corporation is hoping the Malthouse Studios, together with the Icehouse building, will help turn the area into a new cultural hub.

This adds to the region's already great offer for creative businesses including having a wide variety of high quality sites, accessibility to clients and suppliers and supply of creative talent/specialist service providers.

Gill Marshall, Chief Officer Inward Investment, Gateway to London, added: "Gateway to London particularly welcomes developments which generate new business opportunities for the emerging creative sector. The Malthouse Studios development is a fabulous example of the varied premises available in the region, which more than meet creative companies needs."