Stratford is becoming the UK’s newest cultural quarter, celebrating arts, innovation and education. Located in Newham, with direct connections into central London, Stratford has become the place to work, play and live in East London. The town saw extensive regeneration over 10 years ago with Olympic games acting as a catalyst and the development of Westfield shopping centre attracting global retail, leisure and F&B brands. Additionally, the creation of the Olympic Park is now at the heart of the Mayor of London’s £1.1 billion Olympic legacy project East Bank, which opened in autumn 2023, providing an environment for unique collaboration between world leading universities, cultural institutions and the communities within the Olympic Borough. 

The education sector has played a pivotal role in Stratford’s office market. Office take-up has been growing year-on-year since Covid-19, reaching 158,000 sq ft in 2023, with 69% of this being to universities. The LMA and Teeside University leased a combined total of 109,000 sq ft at Here East in 2023. The expansion of this sector has been driven by the growing number of enrolments from non-domestic students, this has increased by 48% over the last five years, equating to an additional 50,595 students. 

Since the pandemic, creative and technology companies have also driven climbing take-up levels in Stratford to take advantage of emerging talent and student specialisms. University College London, Loughborough University and Staffordshire University, offer courses specialising in technology, design and creative arts in their Stratford campuses which has helped attract organisations such as the V&A, the new BBC Music Studios, Sports Interactive, Hawk London and Ford Mobility, creating a mini innovation hub within Here East. Sadler’s Wells East is also set to open in 2024 as a hub for creativity, offering a destination venue for dance companies around the UK and welcomes international choreographers to display their best work, with performances developed here then set to tour nationally.

Another scheme which has channelled the surrounding regeneration ambition is Vastint’s Sugar House Island, a 26-acre island mixed-use scheme where creativity, education and collaboration come together. The latest commercial development phase, Chimney Walk, comprises three buildings offering 220,000 sq ft of office space. With large floor plates of up to 23,000 sq ft, a dual office and education (F1/E) consent in process and with capacity for being self-contained, the space provides a great opportunity for higher-education providers. It is also an ideal location for creatives, being in such close proximity to East Bank. Art Publisher Phaidon recently relocated its London headquarters to Sugar House Island to utilise the world-leading cultural organisations in the surroundings to fuel innovation throughout its publishing programme. 

Stratford is a town full of legacy, creativity and opportunity, which has seen significant transformation over the past decade attracting more people to live, work and play. The area is equipped to aid future economic growth with Oxford Economics estimating an additional 16,000 new office based jobs to be created by 2030. This, alongside the new provision of best-in-class office space, provides an exciting chance for further educational institutions and corporate occupiers to become part of this new innovation hub. 

Further information

Contact Holly Purvis or Laura Harris

Chimney Walk, Sugar House Island, Stratford