The Royal Docks, or just “The Royals” as they’re called by locals, sits right on the eastern fringe of London. Its arrival as a fully joined up and desirable location has been a long time coming, but worth the wait. To give you a better sense of this lesser-known London ward, we took the advice, opinions and rankings of our resident HomeViews reviewers to assemble our list of the top 10 best places to live in Royal Docks.
Relaxing along the River – Living in Royal Docks
The area that’s occupied by the Royal Docks today was mostly derelict and disused land only 30 years ago. In the mid-1990s, a property development boom began and it hasn’t really stopped. While it’s hard to find many period homes left, Royal Docks is well supplied with modern-build terraces and apartment blocks.
This might sound a little soulless at first, but look a little deeper and you’ll find Royal Docks’ characterful nature. Playing to its strengths, the area is all about the riverside culture. Jogging, walking, birdwatching, cafes, food trucks – Royal Docks uses its stunning riverside scenery and ambience to the fullest.
That’s not all. 15-minutes’ walk from Royal Wharf you’ll find one of the best locations in London for watersports. Royal Victoria Dock is London’s largest urban beach and gives Royal Docks’ residents a perfect day out on their doorstep.
But what if you want to mix it up and head into central London? Not to worry, Royal Docks is very well served with its transport links, which include DLR, Jubilee Line and riverbus connections. Planned DLR upgrades and the much-anticipated £1 billion Silvertown Tunnel planned for 2024 will only boost this further. Not to mention the completion of the Elizabeth Line schedule for late 2021.
And, of course, you have London City Airport right on your doorstep. So, if you want to get away from the capital entirely, it’s easy to do so.
Average property prices in Royal Docks
Traditionally, property prices in and around the Royal Docks have remained low. This is because the area is relatively far from central London and didn’t have so much local infrastructure until recently.
However, this is changing quickly. While Royal Docks is still a good place to find attractive property prices, the averages are creeping up. Over the past year, average property prices in Royal Docks went up by 7%, exceeding £500,000. This still leaves plenty of good options for reasonably priced property, with more developments giving greater choice as they complete.
Renting in Royal Docks is still very competitively priced, with average rental rates currently at £384 per week. This is almost 31% cheaper than the London average.
10 best places to live in Royal Docks
Now that you have an overview of this unique London district, it’s time to take a closer look. The following are the 10 best new homes developments in Royal Docks according to verified resident reviewers.
Each reviewer scores their home development on its location, design, facilities, management and value for money. All of these ratings are put together to give a combined star rating. Then we aggregate the scores, while giving additional weight to developments that have more reviews, or more recent reviews. The more reviews there are, and the more recent they are, the more accurate the impression you’ll get of the development.
4.33 (22 reviews)
4.33 (22 reviews)
Top marks go to Gallions Point, our resident reviewers’ number one pick for Royal Docks. This development is part of the mixed-use Gallions Quarter development by Telford Homes and comprises 127 apartments. Alongside the modern design apartments, there are commercial spaces and landscaped courtyard gardens for residents to use. The development is conveniently located right next to Gallions Reach DLR station, and near to Royal Albert Dock. Even better, the nearby Custom House will soon be home to a new Crossrail station.
4.31 (15 reviews)
4.31 (15 reviews)
At number two we have L&Q at The Treacle Works, which offers a collection of homes ranging from studios to 3-bedroom apartments. It’s positioned just a few minutes’ walk from Pontoon Dock DLR station, where Canary Wharf is accessible in 9 minutes and Bank in under 20 minutes. Residents here benefit from an on-site concierge service, a 25m swimming pool, and leisure & fitness facilities at The Clubhouse.
Read reviews and details of The Treacle Works Private Rental by L&Q , E16
3.77 (95 reviews)
3.77 (95 reviews)
Nicely tucked into a bend of the River Thames, the large Royal Wharf development overlooks the river, offering stunning views throughout the day and night. It’s also situated close to London City Airport. Built by Ballymore and designed by David Morley Architects, there are 3,385 homes on the site, which also features its own high street, market square and waterfront park and walkway. For residents at Royal Wharf, London’s business districts of Canary Wharf and the City are within easy reach thanks to fast and frequent services from the nearby Pontoon Dock DLR station.
4.31 (14 reviews)
4.31 (14 reviews)
Set in the regeneration area of the Royal Docks in Newham, Folio London own and manage 173 apartments to rent at the Royal Albert Wharf development by Galliford Try. Again, the development offers all of the regular benefits of the area, including excellent riverside views, walks and amenities. Gallions Reach DLR station also is only a 5-minute walk away from Royal Albert Wharf, with access to Canary Wharf, Waterloo, Stratford and London City airport.
Read reviews and details of Folio London at Royal Albert Wharf, E16
4.26 (10 reviews)
4.26 (10 reviews)
Halfway through our list we find Royal Docks West. This is a 19-storey tower of 105 studio, one, two and three-bedroom homes, and it’s part of a wider story of change in the E16 postcode, as it stands tall within the £3.7bn Royal Docks regeneration zone. It’s also just a few minutes’ walk to the DLR and the ExCel centre.
4.15 (9 reviews)
4.15 (9 reviews)
Royal Victoria Residence is a development by the City and Docklands Property Group. The development offers a selection of two and three-bedroom apartments. Residents say that they love the site’s location as it gives them easy access to everything that Royal Docks has to offer. The 24-hour concierge team get a big thumbs up from reviewers too.
4.08 (12 reviews)
4.08 (12 reviews)
“Everything is on my doorstep!” is the common refrain from residents at Barrier Point. Shops, transport links, the airport, it’s all within easy access. The development itself comprises 252 apartments and residents have access to a concierge service as well as a residents’ gym and other facilities.
4.03 (77 reviews)
4.03 (77 reviews)
Not to be confused with Royal Wharf at number four, Royal Albert Wharf is another huge development made up of offices, retail and food outlets, along with residential units that range from one to four-bedrooms. Shared Ownership, affordable rent and Help-to-Buy are among the many purchasing schemes in operation here. As for transport, the nearby Gallions Reach DLR station makes things easy for accessing the rest of London.
3.98 (43 reviews)
3.98 (43 reviews)
At number nine, Hoola is a residential development by HUB Residential made up of 360 apartments across two multi-storey towers. There are multiple transport links nearby including access to the DLR via Royal Victoria station only a 6-minute walk away as well as the nearby Emirates Air Line across the River Thames.
3.83 (30 reviews)
3.83 (30 reviews)
To round off the list we have Royal Quay, developed by Country & Metropolitan and designed by Jestico & While Architects. With 447 apartments, ranging between 1 to 3-bedrooms, there’s plenty of choice for all manner of property hunters. It is located just a 4-minute walk away from Gallions Reach DLR station, which brings you into Tower Gateway station in approximately 24-minutes.
If you want to see more of what makes Royal Docks an attractive prospect, check out our dedicated area guide. There’s plenty more information on the different developments, transport links and things to do in Royal Docks.
HomeViews provides verified resident reviews of the UK’s housing developments. We’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to recognise high performers and help improve standards in the built environment.
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