DLR at 21: East London comes of age

This year London's Docklands comes of age, with the 21st birthday of Canary Wharf, the DLR and London City Airport. It was in the summer of 1987 that the master building agreement was signed between developer, Olympia & York and the London Docklands Development Corporation for a 12.2 million sq ft development at Canary Wharf. In October of that year, London City Airport opened for business and the Docklands Light Railway, Britain's first-ever automated light rail transit system, started running.

Since opening, over half a billion journeys have been made on the DLR and many East London locations have been opened up by this rail network, which has brought regeneration and a new vibrancy to these neighbourhoods. Vast swathes of East London are now within easy reach of Canary Wharf and the City, with new homes such as those at Caspian Wharf next to the Limehouse Cut in E3 benefitting from its proximity to the DLR.

Over £1 billion has been spent upgrading and extending DLR since it opened and further improvements are planned. Extensions to Woolwich Arsenal and Stratford International are now well underway, and are due to open in 2009 and 2010 respectively. DLR will play a crucial role in the success of the London 2012 Olympics, transporting passengers to and from competition venues, including the Olympic Park.

Located to capitalise on this ongoing regeneration in East London, Caspian Wharf is strategically positioned between Canary Wharf and the Olympic zone. From its peaceful waterside setting overlooking the Limehouse Cut canal, it is within easy walking distance of three DLR stations: Bow Church, Devons Road and Langdon Park. The scheme offers 82 private studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 306 sq ft to 835 sq ft.

Most of the apartments have their own private balcony with some benefiting from terraces of up to 1426 sq ft, as well as spacious communal landscaped terraces for residents' use, from which to enjoy the waterside setting and the fabulous views toward Canary Wharf. Inside, the apartments are well-appointed with the high quality specification Berkeley Homes is known for.

Individually designed kitchens with fully integrated appliances, underfloor heating and flexible open plan layouts make for stylish contemporary living.

Piers Clanford, Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (South East London) Ltd comments: "The face of East London has evolved enormously over the past 21 years. At Canary Wharf, there were once disused docks and now it is now one of the world's leading financial centres. The benefits of regeneration have been experienced by an area much wider than the Isle of Dogs, thanks to investment in infrastructure and transport systems such as the DLR.

“Homes along the DLR route are now in great demand from those who work at Canary Wharf - Caspian Wharf is just nine minutes away from Canary Wharf by DLR from Bow Church station, and four minutes to Stratford for the 2012 Olympics, making it a well connected development."

Current prices at Caspian Wharf are from £205,000. The Sales and Marketing Suite and the new show apartment are located at 99 Leman Street, London, E1 8EY (within the City Quarter Sales & Marketing Suite). Opening hours are weekdays 10am to 6pm (late night until 8pm Tuesday), weekends 10am - 5pm.

For more details, log on to Cityquarter.co.uk.