A ground-breaking ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of construction on London’s largest and tallest Premier Inn hotel.

Developer Rockwell was joined by representatives from contractor Sisk to celebrate the project milestone, which also includes plans for new homes alongside the 400-bed hotel adjacent to Westferry DLR station.

The £151 million mixed-use scheme, which sits in a derelict site between West India Dock and Limehouse Causeway, was granted planning permission in October 2018 by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

When complete, the 30-storey development will also include a restaurant, café, gym facilities and a landscaped pocket park, alongside communal gardens for new residents. It is designed by architects SimpsonHaugh.

Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell commented: “We are immensely proud to break ground on this landmark building which will be an important asset for the area, providing significant benefits for the local community with the creation of numerous jobs for local people, enhanced public realm and much needed new homes. We look forward to working with our contractors John Sisk & Son to deliver this high-quality hotel-led scheme, and look forward to delivering similar high-quality schemes in the future.”

Ajaz Shafi, Regional Managing Director at John Sisk & Son added: “We are delighted to be working with the Rockwell team on this exceptional project. We have used smart thinking and an innovative approach to the design, planning and delivery of this high rise building on a tight footprint in London. Sisk works in close collaboration with all the key stakeholders to ensure we deliver quality projects, safely, which meet the needs of the community and our client. Our track record in this type of project and our strong supply chain partnerships in the region are key to the successful delivery of this development.”

This mixed-use scheme is scheduled for completion in early 2022.