Royal Docks

Once an important trade hub, the Royal Docks is now a thriving waterfront neighbourhood in its own right, packed with high-rise residential blocks, offices, hotels and restaurants. It gets its name from three docks – the Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock. The ward is in the borough of Newham, with a prime spot on the River Thames. Read on to discover developments that are rated the best places to live in Royal Docks. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in Royal Docks.

4.11
Average Location Score

Excellent

38%

Very Good

41%

Average

16%

Disappointing

4%

Very Poor

1%

Best places to live in Royal Docks

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Royal Docks at sunset

What’s there to do at the Royal Docks?

One of London’s biggest regeneration areas, the Royal Docks is a hive of activity. Victorian pubs and independent eateries sit alongside contemporary offerings such as Gallions Reach shopping centre; home to high street names like Topshop and River Island, chain restaurants and a Tesco supermarket.

Culture buffs living here will be in their element, thanks to a packed schedule of exhibitions and pop-up displays. This is the home of the legendary ExCel Centre, after all, which hosts world-famous events like Comic-Con and Oceanology International. Close by, you’ve got theatrical classes and performances at the Royal Wharf Community Dock centre. And a myriad of sports facilities on offer at SportsDock.

It’s not all about indoor activities here, either. Big-hitters are the Thames Barrier Park and the Wakeup Docklands centre – the latter is a one-stop-shop for wakeboarding, paddle boarding and paddle board yoga. Alternatively, try open-water swimming in the river for an exhilarating burst of energy you’d never find in the gym.

New development flats in the royal docks

Commuting from the Royal Docks

When the Elizabeth Line is complete, Royal Docks residents will be able to reach Liverpool Street in just 11 minutes from Custom House. Until then, there are no less than 11 DLR stations serving the area, along with the Emirates Air Line. There’s a great network of walking and cycling routes available to get you from A to B, as well. And London City Airport makes jetting off for business or pleasure a doddle.

Royal Docks property

If you’re looking for a skyscraper with real wow factor, consider Royal Victoria Residence and Hoola, developments from City & Docklands Property Group and HUB Residential. Both are striking, ultra-contemporary towers with great transport links.

“The apartment is really great – modern, good quality and attractive. It’s also really spacious and this is what really swayed me – I looked at lots of other apartments but this one definitely had the most space.” – Anon, verified resident at Royal Victoria Residence

“In my building there is 24 hour security which allows me to feel very comfortable and safe in my home. The apartment space itself has a beautiful layout and (has) amazing views. There is also a dressing area which add to its modern feel. I love the electronic applications.” – Anon, verified resident at Hoola

“Really like the apartment – it’s new, modern and spacious. Everything works well.” – Michele, verified resident at Royal Victoria Residence

Royal Victoria Docks is another contender, just a hop from the ExCel and with a supermarket right next door…

“Easy access to central london, close to the station and very nice area for the kids.” – Bartha, verified renter at Royal Victoria Docks

Interior design enthusiasts should take a look at Royal Docks West, whose apartments and studios were dreamt up by the esteemed Johnson Ribolla. This property will also be the closest to Custom House Crossrail station when it’s complete.

New residential flats on the royal docks

Even more developments…

For a real community feel, Waterside Park is a real gem – a joint venture from Barratt Homes, Taylor Wimpey and the Greater London Authority. This collection of low-rise buildings contains almost 800 apartments and townhouses, all surrounded by well-tended gardens.

Ballymore’s Royal Wharf offers a similar feel on a more grandiose scale, with more than 3,385 units and a purpose-built market square and high street.

“Great new area for young professionals and families, good crowd and lots of great amenities
We also have great views good services concierge and a mail room for parcels when you’re not in. Friendly staff and very safe.” – Royalwharf1, verified resident at Royal Wharf

Another HomeViews reviewers’ best places to live in Royal Docks is Barrier Point, a Barratt Homes development near London City Airport…

“The location is very convenient, accessibility to transportation, the parks and schools are close by for the kids, overall I like Barriers Point, the rooms are soundproof having been located next to the airport is advantageous.” – Charles, verified resident at Barrier Point

“Great development with a lot of parking and a family friendly feel. The pontoon dock dlr station is very close by and in walking distance. Some new shops have opened up such as sainsburys and a Starbucks.” – Ryan, verified resident at Barrier Point

You can find out more about living in the area by reading reviews from residents. Click on the developments below to find out more about residents’ experiences and also, to discover the best places to live and rent in Royal Docks. Moreover, If there’s a property that you can’t see on HomeViews, you can add a new listing and leave your review here.

Featured developments in Royal Docks

Hoola, E16

Hoola, E16

HUB Residential, Strawberry Star Developments
4.01 (42 reviews) 4.01 (42 reviews)

Reviews in Royal Docks

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Lovely development

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2023

There aren’t many shops nearby but it does mean that the local area is quiet which I like. In general it feels like a safe corner of London. Gallons Reach DLR station is a relatively short walk away and has good connections to the rest of London.

Please review your development:

I love the design of the architecture for the development, it looks really sleek and there are nice open areas between the buildings. We have access to the concierge who take parcels and are always friendly. There is also security on site overnight in case we run into any issues which is good for piece of mind.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Our flat gets really warm in the summer due to all the insulation. While it’s bearable for us I would worry about raising a child here

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes, they have been slow to respond in the past but with enough prompting they are fair. The current property manager has been more responsive than previous ones and has a good relationship with residents.

4
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
3
Value
3
Management
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Design of the building is lovely

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2023

Amazing range of shops, cafes, restaurants, pub as well as amazing facilities such as the gym & pool. However, the gym is always super busy and the pool/ spa facilities are always breaking/ closed therefore I hardly use it because of this. There’s been an increase of targeted crime in the area i.e. post theft/ phone theft which hasn’t been the nicest part of the last year.

Please review your development:

The overall design of the building is lovely, great interior design and aesthetically pleasing buildings on the wharf. We’ve had a few minor things needing fixing in the apartment, we used to get things fixed very promptly but over the last year or so this has slowed down significantly therefore takes a few weeks to fix. Concierge is great if you need anything, just wish there was a concierge per building as it would reduce the amount of anti social behaviour happening.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I knew how busy the gym was/ the pool & spa facilities not working regularly – the area is always sold with these facilities in mind but fail to tell you that actually they’re not a bonus.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes they have, they were very prompt initially, but over the last year or so this has slowed down significantly therefore takes a few weeks to fix.

4
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
1
Value
2
Management
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Increasing fees

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2023

Plenty of cafes and park space but really lacks in a good supermarkets and is being targeted for theft and crime at the moment

Please review your development:

The landscaping is maintained really well and is always kept well, however pathways, cleanliness and general building management is not maintained very well at all by ballymore. The communal areas are also needed a lot of work with doors, cleanliness and upkeep

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The buildings being built infront and how much rent was going to increase

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Fairly prompt to address the issue but they very rarely get solved

3
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
2
Value
2
Management
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Almost five years in and still a great place to live

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Jan 2023

Having lived here for over 4 years it has been a great experience, and a joy to see the neighbourhood bounce back from the pandemic and further develop into a very pleasant area. Kind people overall, more and varied shops, there’s the bi-weekly farmer’s market and the area is increasingly offering more facilities and leisure opportunities for parents and their kids. Connectivity with the city and airports was already great, but recently it got even better with the new bus connection (bus 241) added linking Royal Wharf directly to Stratford and Custom House, thus connecting this area with the Elizabeth Line meaning direct access to Heathrow in about 45 minutes! his building itself is standing the test of time very well, kind neighbours, it’s very safe both practically and perceived, and regular inspections and maintenance keep it at a good standard. For a while the bin collections seemed to be somewhat random but it’s all good now.

Please review your development:

This building is standing the test of time very well. There are mostly kind and helpful neighbours, it’s a very safe place both practically as well as perceived, and regular apartment and building inspections plus their maintenance keep it all at a good standard. For a while the bin collections seemed to be somewhat random but of late it’s been back to normal. Personally I also find the property management doing a very good job and I think this also contributes much to the overall living experience.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Public parking especially weekends it seems can sometimes be a bit of a thing, but on the other hand I believe this does prevent the area from being flooded by too much outside traffic. This in turn would be more of a benefit than a disadvantage to the cosy, or if you will town-ish character of Royal Wharf, which is part of its charm.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

In this particular case there have not been problems or issues, but whenever there have been questions raised generally the management people are all very helpful and patient regardless of whom one deals with in their “chain of command” so to speak.

4
Facilities
3
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
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