Architects have been invited to pitch for the £300m Ocean Estate regeneration scheme in the east London borough of Tower Hamlets.
Ocean Estate is one of the largest stock transfers ever proposed in the UK. However, it follows two similar schemes in the London Borough of Southwark and Birmingham which were vetoed by residents.

Architect HTA has drawn up a masterplan for the 2150-house project in Wapping and Stepney, but Tower Hamlets council now wants to appoint a practice to produce a more detailed scheme that can achieve planning consent.

The council placed an advertisement last Friday in the European Union’s Official Journal inviting expressions of interest.

It said: “Tower Hamlets Council working with the New Deal for Communities Board for Ocean Estate wish to appoint consultants to progress the housing masterplan, the principles of which have been agreed by the NDC Board.”

An architect is expected to be appointed by October, with a detailed scheme likely to be drawn up by June next year.

If the transfer goes ahead, the architect would work closely with an as-yet-unselected registered social landlord, which would be responsible for financing and managing the project.

The Ocean Estate scheme involves replacing 750 homes with about 1150 new-build units. About 1000 homes would be refurbished.