Whitechapel Healthcare and Research Campus London building design, NHS property development UK
Whitechapel Healthcare and Research Campus London News
29 January 2026
Planning submitted for new 1 million sq. ft Whitechapel Healthcare and Research Campus
Design: PLP Architecture, dMFK, DSDHA and BD Landscape Architects
Location: Barts Life Sciences Cluster, Whitechapel, City of London, England, UK.
images courtesy of architects practice
Whitechapel Healthcare and Research Campus London Development
London, UK – 29th of January 2026 – A major new integrated healthcare and research campus is planned for Whitechapel, designed to meet NHS needs, deliver affordable homes for key workers, and unlock new green spaces for the local community. The 1 million sq. ft scheme sits within the Barts Life Sciences Cluster and is projected to add £1bn annually to the UK’s Gross Value Added (GVA). It represents a £0.75bn investment into Whitechapel and is expected to create 1,325 new jobs – a significant boost at a time of minimal national economic growth.
A planning application has been submitted by a collaborative team led by BGO in partnership with Barts Health NHS Trust, including PLP Architecture, dMFK, DSDHA and BD Landscape Architects, with Avison Young, Sweco, AKT II, DP9 and GIA. The proposals introduce a new model for co-locating NHS services, research and local amenity within the life sciences cluster covering Whitechapel.
In due course this development could release extra space for The Royal London, one of the capital’s busiest hospitals. It envisages a new 64,427m2 facility, designed by PLP Architecture. Alongside public-sector services, this building would oSer flexible workspaces – 10% of would be affordable – for health-tech, diagnostics, AI and robotics companies, fostering collaboration between clinicians, researchers and private-sector innovators.
The ground floor would be publicly accessible, with a large foyer and café leading to a flexible 800m² event space for up to 500 people – designed for exhibitions, community use and as a space to demonstrate MedTech innovation and research. The ground floor also includes amenity spaces for NHS staff and a proposed new home for the Royal London Hospital Museum. At roof level, a terrace for building users and staff from the Royal London Hospital would feature a 100m running track, sports pitch and panoramic views across London – a space for rest, reflection and social connection.
Across five new residential buildings and refurbished terrace housing, the development would deliver a mix of private apartments, open-market shared living, affordable family units, and specialist accommodation for key workers. 53% of housing will be affordable social rent homes. Eligibility for 167 homes prioritised for key workers, will be salary-capped to target those most in need. A further 61 private homes will also be delivered at a time when new housing supply remains low.
A generous new public realm strategy, rooted in the historic grain of Whitechapel, will create a permeable, accessible environment. The upgrade of Philpot Street into a welcoming green garden and the reopening of Walden Street will restore an east–west pedestrian route through the site. A 3,600m², 275m long fully revamped landscaped public realm and new open central courtyard in the heart of the main building will deliver fully publicly accessible gardens and amenity areas, planted with 200 new trees. These spaces are designed to support hospital workers, local residents and school pupils, while contributing positively to ecology and biodiversity.
Shane DeGaris, group chief executive of Barts Health NHS Trust said: “This is an exciting example of how we are working with local partners to bring much-needed investment into Whitechapel and regenerate the area around our flagship teaching hospital, The Royal London. The potential benefits for our staC, patients and their local communities are enormous. We will continue to work closely with BGO and others in the Barts Life Sciences Cluster to attract industry and turn our research into life-changing clinical practices and products for our patients.”
Merrik Baggallay, Managing Director at BGO, commented: “People living in Whitechapel and wider Tower Hamlets experience some of the poorest health outcomes in London. Life expectancy remains significantly below the London average, and the borough has high levels of deprivation, long-term health conditions and chronic disease. This development responds directly to that context, delivering essential NHS infrastructure, enabling space for care, and establishing an inclusive campus that reflects the social, clinical and cultural needs of the city. I am incredibly proud of BGO’s involvement in this groundbreaking and significant masterplan and look forward to working with the Cluster and local stakeholders as we move through delivery.”
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PLP Architecture
“Healthcare in London is under immense pressure, and the new Whitechapel Estate is designed to support the people who hold it together. New clinical research and outpatient facilities will free up hospital space, enable clinical-led innovation, and give NHS staC places to rest, recover and connect – things too often missing from their working lives. Alongside this, we’re delivering urgently needed specialist accommodation: safe, affordable homes designed to support wellbeing, restore dignity, and bring key workers closer to the communities they serve.”
– Lee Polisano, President, PLP Architecture
Bringing together people, planet, and technology, PLP Architecture globally drives innovation in architecture and urban design from our London hub, extending our impact through studios in Tokyo and Singapore. Our experience in design, research, and strategy is underpinned by our commitment to creating meaningful change in our cities.
This marks the latest in a series of healthcare and life sciences buildings designed by PLP in London. Their portfolio includes the Francis Crick Institute, Europe’s largest biomedical research facility; the Cleveland Clinic London, the US healthcare provider’s first hospital in Europe; and Imperial ThinkSpace, a research and innovation hub that anchors Imperial College’s White City campus and brings academia and industry together under one roof.
Website: https://plparchitecture.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plparchitecture/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/590170
dMFK
“This project represents a genuine opportunity to make a lasting social difference in Whitechapel. Alongside vital life-science and community facilities, the masterplan will provide new homes for NHS staC, families on the council’s housing register and local people, creating a truly mixed and inclusive community. Our design approach celebrates the character and texture of the East End, delivering well-proportioned, high-quality apartments that are firmly rooted in their setting – helping to foster a balanced and sustainable urban neighbourhood for the future.”
– Jonny Wong, Director at dMFK
dMFK has design responsibility for four residential blocks, comprising 50 social rent homes – the majority being much-needed three- and four-bedroom apartments – in Building C, 56 private homes across Buildings A and D2, and the conversion of a part-listed gallery into five private maisonettes. The design draws on Whitechapel’s layered architectural character, reinterpreting the robust brickwork, rhythm and scale of its 19th- and early-20th-century semi-industrial and residential buildings.
Building A: A high-quality new-build residential block providing 22 private apartments on the site of the former Horace Evans House. The five-storey design mediates between the listed terraces to the east and newer development to the west, with refined façade detailing and a mansard roof that complements neighbouring slate roofs. Residents benefit from a shared communal terrace providing outdoor amenity space.
Building C: A new seven-storey affordable housing block delivering 50 high-quality social rent apartments for local people on the council’s housing register, replacing the low-quality Kent, Hubert Ashton and Brierley Houses. The mix is predominantly three- and four-bed family apartments, with a proportion of smaller homes to support a range of local needs. Its robust brickwork and articulated façade draw inspiration from early-20th-century East End housing, giving the building a strong, grounded presence within the neighbourhood. Residents have access to a communal roof terrace.
Building D2: A new six-storey residential block providing 34 private apartments on the site of the former Clare Alexander House. The architecture continues the material rhythm of Block C, with carefully proportioned façades and high-quality detailing that contribute to a cohesive streetscape. A landscaped communal terrace provides shared outdoor amenity for residents.
Building E: A high-quality residential refurbishment converting a listed terrace on Ashfield Street – originally built as townhouses in the early 1800s and later adapted as a gallery – into five maisonettes for private sale. The retrofit and extension retains the Georgian character and domestic scale of the three-storey terraces, preserving historic fabric and sensitively returning the building to residential use.
Kentish Town Centre London design by dMFK
DSDHA
“Replacing low-quality 20th-century buildings, our approach aims to repair the street frontage with a high-quality design solution while allowing for the reinstatement of historic Walden Street. This provides a clear and welcoming route connecting Turner Street to the wider masterplan development, whilst the inclusion of shared living aims to provide the aCordable, flexible accommodation needed to sustain the ecosystem of a leading life science quarter.”
– David Hills, Founding Director, DSDHA
DSDHA is responsible for the design of Building B, whose position on the corner of Turner Street and Ashfield Street will act as a highly crafted visual marker both for the emerging Whitechapel Life Science Cluster and the area’s transitional character, where larger and smaller-scale buildings coexist.
Comprising 230 shared living units, it is designed with communal facilities on dedicated internal floors to encourage social interaction and a sense of community. These internal shared amenities also give direct connections to terraces, allowing for generous access to greenspace, whilst a ground-floor café extends onto courtyard gardens, activating the public realm.
Whitechapel Healthcare and Research Campus London building images / information received 290126
Location: Whitechapel, London E1, England, UK.
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