Chrisp Street Market Regeneration supporting the community

An exciting new project has opened its doors in Poplar; entitled The Chrisp Street Exchange.

Alongside the £300m regeneration of the area, The Chrisp Street Exchange has been opened to provide new opportunities for local entrepreneurs and support the development of business skills within the local community.

Using investment from the Mayor of London’s High Street Fund, the initial programme was designed to address the key issues of a place in transition and build a robust foundation for the long term.

Children and Family Centre

In addition, a brand-new Children and Family Centre has opened at Chrisp Street Market.   

The new Children and Family Centre building has been delivered by Tower Hamlets Council in partnership with Telford Homes and Poplar HARCA. It aims to give every child the best possible start in life, enabling access to a range of universal services and individual support.

The new centre signals a major investment on behalf of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It also marks the start of construction works as part of the wider transformation of Chrisp Street Market. Alongside the new Centre, the scheme will deliver new homes, 35 per cent of which will be affordable.  

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said:

"It is always great to see new investment in our services, especially as we begin to recover from Covid and continue to prioritise giving every child the best possible start in life.

"Our Children and Family Centres play a particularly important role in this ambition, through supporting some of our most disadvantaged families and offering, when needed, extra support and early intervention."

Some of the existing buildings will be demolished, whilst preserving the much-loved clock tower, Festival of Britain buildings and Ideas Store. The demolition will make way for 643 new homes and 19 new buildings.

Architects Sheppard Robson have designed a new community-focused, mixed-use project to bring new life to Chrisp Street Market. The plans bring together a mix of residential, retail and cultural facilities, based around improved and enlarged public spaces.

Coherent Vision

The final design reflects the cultural and architectural identity of the surrounding context. It features a coherent vision that binds together a mixed-use plan for the site, as well as improved connectivity with the surrounding area.

The Plans for the centre consist of a series of public spaces and pedestrian routes, including the Chrisp Street Market Square. Finally, a series of podium garden courtyards connect shared and private spaces, increasing the public realm by over 10%.

The Exchange features a new co-working space and enterprise hub, which is in total 1,028 m2 of new or improved commercial or workspace. These are located in and around Chrisp Street Market and include 8 upgraded shop fronts. The exchange has so far supported 266 local businesses, created 24 start-ups and supported 20 first time market traders. 

Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs, said:

"It is always great to see new investment in our services, especially as we begin to recover from Covid and continue to prioritise giving every child the best possible start in life.

"Our Children and Family Centres play a particularly important role in this ambition, through supporting some of our most disadvantaged families and offering, when needed, extra support and early intervention."