The city of London will soon be welcoming its first modular build-to-rent apartment complex, located 500 metres from Greenwich town centre. Developed by rental specialist Essential Living, and designed by Assael Architecture, the new development, known as Creekside Wharf, will include a building designed specifically for families, a first for the UK property market, while a quarter of the apartments will be discounted to accommodate low-income households. Discount market rent (DMR) homes will be priced from 55 per cent of market rent and blended in with the market-rented apartments. As such, it will be the first housing development to include DMR apartments.

The build-to-rent development is made up of one 23-storey block and a 12-storey block designed exclusively for families. Creekside Wharf will be one of the tallest residential buildings to be constructed using pre-manufactured off-site methods. It won a Project Award for Private Rented Sector Development at the Housing Design Awards and Best Housing Project at the Sunday Times British Home Awards.

Over 1,400 square metres of shared amenity space is planned, including exercise areas, cinemas, communal lounges and kitchens, workshop space for school projects or DIY, and barbecues, pizza ovens and rooftop allotments provided on the external terraces.

Greenwich town centre includes the Greenwich Maritime UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with a vibrant range of shops, restaurants and bars. Deptford town centre, to the west of the site, is increasingly popular with artists and creative professionals, not least due to the proximity of the Stirling Award winning Trinity Laban Conservatoire, which is adjacent to Creekside Wharf.

Construction work on this first of its kind modular build-to-rental apartment community commenced in 2016 with completion expected in mid-2018.