Planning List for April 2026

Two applications affecting the East Village area were decided this month - one minor, one anything but.

Student accommodation above Westfield Car Park C expanded

Reference: 25/01534/NONMAT | Applicant: Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield

The most significant decision this month was an amendment to the student accommodation block already approved for Plot M2 — the rooftop of Westfield Stratford City's Car Park C on Hitchcock Lane.

The original scheme, granted planning permission by the London Legacy Development Corporation in November 2024, permitted a 14-storey, 520-bedroom purpose-built student block built vertically above the existing car park. That permission transferred to Newham Council when LLDC ceased to be a local planning authority on 1 December 2024.

This month's decision increases the bedroom count from 520 to 614, adds a fifteenth storey, and raises the number of bedrooms per floor from 40 to 43-44. The applicant, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, says the changes reflect greater structural capacity in the existing building than the original design used. The amendments also update the scheme to comply with revised fire safety standards and include a redesigned courtyard facade.

The decision went through as a non-material amendment under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act — a streamlined procedure that carries no statutory public consultation requirement. Newham Council had agreed to the changes in principle at pre-application meetings in April and July 2025 before the formal submission.

The affordable student accommodation proportion remains at 35%, though the absolute number of affordable units rises in line with the higher total.

EVH has a full piece on this decision — including what the non-material amendment procedure means in practice and what residents have said about the scheme.

Belvedere Phase 1 landscaping approved

Reference: 26/00399/AOD

A more routine approval this month: soft landscaping details for Phase 1 of The Belvedere, the residential development within the Olympic Park, have been signed off. The approval covers planting works for the new park area associated with the first phase of the scheme. No significant changes to what was already consented.

That's the two decisions for April. If you spot a planning application affecting East Village or the Olympic Park area that we've missed, send it to us!