Poplar Riverside delivers shared ownership homes by the Lea

Housing association Poplar HARCA is marketing a collection of 96 affordable apartments at the east London development by Berkeley Homes

Poplar Riverside is located within walking distance of Canary Wharf – image by Simon Taylor / simontaylorphoto.com

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Housing association Poplar HARCA is currently marketing a selection of 96 shared ownership properties on the west bank of the River Lea in east London.

The apartments form part of the wider Poplar Riverside development, which is currently under construction by Berkeley Homes and will eventually see 2,800 residences built on the site of a former gasworks.

Plans for the 20-acre site include a new one-hectare park with green spaces, play areas and extensive landscaping, commercial space for businesses and amenities, a freshly cleared riverside walk and a secondary school.

Poplar HARCA’s collection of one and two-bedroom apartments are spread across three buildings at the development. 

Prospective buyers can expect open-plan living areas, fully fitted kitchens with Bosch appliances, rainfall showers in the bathrooms, underfloor heating, fitted window coverings and private outdoor spaces.

The apartments feature open-plan design - image by Simon Taylor / simontaylorphoto.com
The apartments feature open-plan design – image by Simon Taylor / simontaylorphoto.com

facilities at Poplar Riverside

But Poplar Riverside offers buyers more besides what’s in their own property.

Residents will enjoy access to The Riverside Club, with planned facilities including a 20m swimming pool, jacuzzi and spa, a lounge area, co-working spaces, a games room and a private cinema. 

“There are many reasons why buyers should consider looking to secure an apartment at east London’s Poplar Riverside,” said Helen Mason, head of sales and marketing at Poplar HARCA.

“The developer, Berkeley Homes Group, is an award-winning company with 40 years of experience and a proven history of delivering exceptional places for people to live, work and enjoy, with sustainability in mind.   

“Poplar HARCA is an award-winning Housing Association in east London, helping to create a place where people, communities and business grow and thrive. 

“Our sales team takes pride in making shared ownership simple and straight forward with our staff on hand throughout your journey to make it stress-free. 

“Being a shared owner is one of the most flexible ways on the market to make your home your own.”

Location is of key importance to buyers and Poplar Riverside’s situation places it at the heart of widespread local regeneration. 

It’s well located for East India DLR station as well as the Jubilee Line, DLR and bus services at Canning Town. 

Canary Wharf is less than 30 minutes’ walk or a 10-minute bike ride.

Just across the Lea, ecological regeneration project Cody Dock is working to understand and boost local wildlife. 

There are plans for three bridges in the area to increase connection across the water and shorten travel times to public transport stops.

Prices for shared ownership properties start at £105,000 for a 25% share of a one-bed based on a full market value of £420,000.

Two-beds start at £117,500 based on a full value of £470,000. 

Assuming buyers purchase with a 95% mortgage that could mean 5% deposits on those properties of £5,250 and £5,875 respectively. 

Poplar HARCA is offering one and two-bedroom properties at Poplar Riverside - image by Simon Taylor / simontaylorphoto.com
Poplar HARCA is offering one and two-bedroom properties at Poplar Riverside – image by Simon Taylor / simontaylorphoto.com

key details: Poplar Riverside

Poplar HARCA has two show flats for prospective buyers to view in two blocks at Poplar Riverside. For more information or to register your interest, email

sales.enquiries@poplarharca.co.uk or call 020 7538 6460.

Find out more about the homes here

Read more: SO Resi’s Kevin Sims on the advantages of shared ownership

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Property: How Berkeley Group’s Poplar Riverside transforms a slice of east London

Head of sales and marketing Doug Acton on how 20 years of regeneration will create and urban resort

An artist's impression of the first phase of Poplar Riverside
An artist’s impression of the first phase of Poplar Riverside

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“I call it an urban resort,” said Doug Acton, head of sales and marketing at Berkeley Group and the man responsible for driving the success of its Poplar Riverside development.

“It’s close to nature and it has facilities such as a gym, a pool, a spa, a cinema room, shops, bars and restaurants.

“It could almost be a self-contained little town, but it’s open to everyone – somewhere to get away from the hustle and bustle of Canary Wharf.”

To describe Poplar Riverside as ‘tucked away’ is both accurate and somehow inappropriate.

Officially launched in June last year, the development covers a 20-acre site, will take around two decades to build and will see about 2,800 homes delivered in the East End.

This is major regeneration by Berkeley division St William – a project that will also provide a new 2.5-acre public park, a couple of bridges across the Rvier Lea, 500m of riverside walkway, 90,000sq ft of commercial space. The list goes on and on.

But take the 20-minute stroll over to the site from Canary Wharf to the soft tranquillity of Leven Road on a sunny day and you’ll find it’s something of an oasis, albeit one where the concrete superstructures of its first phase have quietly risen.

The waters of the Lea flow lazily past as cranes perform their slow-motion ballet. There’s something happening here and it’s only just begun.

Head of sales and marketing at Berkeley Group, Doug Acton
Head of sales and marketing at Berkeley Group, Doug Acton

“When people come here, they’re really excited about the regeneration story – they can see it’s a part of this massive growth corridor that’s happening along the river,” said Doug.

“They can see the potential with our investment in things like the bridges – how that improves the connectivity to Canning Town station.

“The challenge for us is getting more people to come here. Once they see it, they know it really is a transformation, that it’s a step change.”

And “step” is the right word, because Poplar Riverside is a scheme of many levels.

There are the public parks and walkways themselves and, of course, the river, all framing the buildings.

Then there are raised podium gardens for residents, underground parking and private balconies lining the pointed elevations of the brick-clad blocks.

It’s partly the attraction of these features that have seen buyers purchase about 100 of the 156 homes at the first building in the first phase of Poplar Riverside – Calico House. 

The next to go on sale will be Porter House, which is right on the river and is expected to hit the market in July.

That will be followed by Bowline House and Sisal House, which all together complete the first phase with 643 properties.

 Construction of the first phase of Poplar Riverside
Construction of the first phase of Poplar Riverside

“With Porter House we’ll be launching three-bedroom homes for the first time to go alongside the studios, one and two-bedroom homes available,” said Doug.

“It’s right next to the Lea so many will overlook the river and enjoy views across the London skyline.

“They will also benefit from the Leven Banks park, which includes a children’s playground, so it’s an exciting block to release.

“One of the things we’re really good at as a company, having learnt from projects like Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich and Kidbrooke Village in Greenwich, is that you would never know, as a resident, that construction is going on.

“We commit to the landscape nice and early, not as an afterthought, so people moving in can enjoy it.

A range of properties are available at the development
A range of properties are available at the development

“We’re also constantly speaking to our residents to get feedback and find out what they want and what they don’t.

“One of the things we’re creating at this development is the Riverside Club – 16,000sq ft of facilities that will help foster community here.”

Laid out over two floors that includes a co-working space, a cinema room, meeting rooms and a games room as well as a residents’ lounge, a spa, steam room, sauna, salt room and a 20m swimming pool.

“We also have The Great Room,” said Doug, who was recruited by Berkeley from the luxury hotel industry to help it deliver the kinds of facilities normally found at such resorts at its residential property developments. 

“It’s somewhere to work, play and meet just so people can have that strong sense of community.

“We’re really keen to create that feeling of togetherness and that goes for families as well – it’s not just for adults.”

All apartments at Poplar Riverside feature outdoor space
All apartments at Poplar Riverside feature outdoor space

The homes themselves feature floor-to-ceiling windows, underfloor heating, Bosch appliances in the kitchens and Italian terrazzo worktops.

All have some form of outdoor space and the two-bedroom show home features a jack and jill main bathroom, effectively offering both bedrooms en suite facilities.

“There’s mood lighting in the bathrooms and good storage comes as standard,” said Doug.

“There’s even a nod to the golden age of industry with the taps and that’s a theme we’ve carried throughout the properties.

“The principal bedroom has built-in wardrobes and there’s an option to have those in the second bedroom too.

“We know storage is really important, so we’ve also put full-height cupboards in the kitchens to maximise the use of space.”

Properties currently on sale at Poplar Riverside start at £410,000. The earliest completions are expected in the second half of this year. 

The Poplar Riverside sales and marketing suite, which includes a two-bedroom show apartment, is open for viewings.

An artist's impression of open space at Poplar Riverside
An artist’s impression of open space at Poplar Riverside

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