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UK: Coliving developer and operator re:shape has gained planning permission from Tower Hamlets Borough in London for a mixed-use development between Bethnal Green and London Fields.
The project will deliver new coliving accommodation, social housing, and employment space while preserving part of the area’s industrial heritage.
The scheme will provide 24 new social rent homes, with a focus on family-sized units. Of these, 17 will be large family homes, including nine four-bedroom and four five-bedroom properties, aimed at addressing demand on the borough’s housing waiting list.
In addition, the development will include 222 coliving rooms, designed to appeal to local residents, key workers, and City Fringe employees seeking alternatives to HMOs or private rental housing.
The building will host 14 SME makerspaces at its base, designed to support local entrepreneurs and small businesses, while also acting as a backdrop to the new co-living amenities.
Public realm improvements form part of the project, including a new pedestrian link between Hare Row and The Oval.
Robbie Nightingale, development partner at re:shape, said: “The retained Brewery Building will be more than a relic – it will be a living landmark, shaping a unique backdrop to our co-living amenity spaces. By embedding SME maker space at its base, we’re hardwiring opportunity and creativity into the heart of the scheme. This is East London at its best: heritage, innovation, and community colliding to create something truly distinctive.”
Jermaine Browne co-founder of re:shape, said: “We are excited to share that last Thursday, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Development Management Committee approved re:shape’s planning application, which will bring forward co-living and social housing on an underutilised development site nestled along the border of Bethnal Green and London Fields, in one of East London’s most iconic neighbourhoods.”
“This is far more than just a housing consent – it marks re:shape’s continued shift towards delivering mixed-use developments underpinned by heritage, employment, and most importantly, social housing across London. The Bethnal Green scheme is described by re:shape as a flagship within its third-generation co-living platform, which focuses on developments that combine heritage, housing, and community-led uses across London,” he added.
Highlights:
- The London Borough of Tower Hamlets had approved re:shape’s Bethnal Green development.
- The project includes 24 new social rent homes, with 17 designed for larger families.
- It also features 222 co-living rooms, marketed to local residents, key workers, and City Fringe employees on co-living platform.
