LONDON mayor Boris Johnson revealed plans yesterday to create the UK’s largest “floating village”, as part of his ongoing drive to transform London’s Royal Docks.

His plans will see 15 acres of water at the Royal Victoria Dock site in east London converted into a new community “twice the size of Soho” with homes, hotels, restaurants and transport links to Canary Wharf, including Crossrail.
Johnson used his keynote speech at Mipim, the property’s industry annual conference in Cannes, to launch a competition for developers to work on what he called “London’s answer to Venice”.

“This site is unique. It has the potential to become one of the most sought after addresses in the capital while breathing new life back into London’s waterways. But it’s not alone.
“Right across London there are incredible investment opportunities that I’m determined to bring to market creating more homes and jobs for Londoners,” he added.

The formal procurement process will begin this summer and the Greater London Authority hope the scheme will get underway within Johnson’s remaining three and a half year tenure as mayor.
The site sits directly under the Thames cable car, the Emirates Airline, which Johnson – who masterminded the scheme – insisted yesterday “will cover both its capital and revenue costs by 2019”.