Tobacco Dock - Redevelopment

Redevelopment

In 1990 the structure was converted into a shopping centre at a development cost of £47 million and it was intended to create the "Covent Garden of the East End"; the scheme was unsuccessful, though, and it went into administration. Tobacco Dock is not in a major retail area and has only moderately good public transport access. Since the mid-1990s the building has been almost entirely unoccupied, with the only tenant being a sandwich shop, and a plan to convert it into a factory outlet did not come to fruition.

In 2003, English Heritage placed it on the Buildings at Risk Register. In 2004, a meeting was arranged with the owners, investment company Messila House which is owned by the Al-Hasawi family of Kuwait, to find a way to ensure the survival of the historic structure. An English Heritage spokesman commented: "We see Tobacco Dock as a future priority because it is too large and important a site to be left standing empty. It is one of the most important buildings in London and if brought back into use it would reinvigorate the whole area." In 2005 the owners announced that they were working on a mixed-use scheme for Tobacco Dock which may incorporate a four-star hotel, shops, and luxury apartments. As of July 2012, the upper areas of the complex are still accessible to the general public whilst the majority of the lower areas are now cordoned off.