City Road

This remarkable, unobstructed tract of water in an area of central London has very little public open space and to a passer by largely hidden from view.

Following on from our very successful project at Edinburgh Quay, Miller Developments joint venture with the British Waterways board sought out other waterside regeneration opportunities and identified City Basin on the Regent’s Canal as an exiting opportunity. This purchase reinforces Miller Development's impressive record of regenerating derelict, redundant industrial sites. This began with the redevelopment of the former Edinburgh Slaughterhouses at Chesser, now home to an ASDA superstore, through to Imperial Steelworks in Airdire, where 262 new homes are now under construction, and Thurso Auction Mart.

Much of the land around the Basin is presently inaccessible and unsightly, being a combination of industrial or vacant commercial premises, and the Basin itself is all but invisible to those unfamiliar with the area. One of the key objectives of the development is to create a new civic space opening off from City Road which leads down to the basin head and to a new linear park being created to the west of the canal. As such, it has the potential to be not only a substantial resource for leisure, recreation, sport and amenity, but also a catalyst for urban renewal.

City Basin and its public perception will change. It will become publicly accessible for the first time in decades and be adjacent to facilities such as cafes, shops and apartments. Contrary to what might be expected, the site, which has been cleared of buildings is now home to an interesting variety of wildlife. These were identified in the Habitat Survey carried out by Miller's team of consultants, and we are currently in discussions with the Council to see how this habitat can be protected and enhanced as a result of the site's redevelopment.