Arada to Acquire Majority Stake in £2.5bn Thameside West Development, Unlocking One of London’s Largest and Most Connected New Waterfront Neighbourhoods

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 17, 2025--

Arada, the UAE’s fastest-growing master developer, announces that it has agreed the acquisition of an 80% stake in Thameside West, a landmark waterfront mixed-use development located at the western end of London’s Royal Docks.

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Master-planned by Foster + Partners, the vibrant new urban destination will deliver at least 5,000 homes, with half of the site dedicated to green space and a kilometre of active waterfront. Boasting unrivalled transport links, the integration of air, road, rail, river and tunnel links makes this one of the most connected sites in London.

Spread over a 47-acre area – twice the size of the Hudson Yards mixed-use development in New York - Thameside West represents one of Europe’s largest and most strategically important regeneration opportunities, with a Gross Development Value (GDV) of £2.5 billion. It occupies central London’s longest stretch of undeveloped riverfront, with views across Canary Wharf and Greenwich Peninsula. Already awarded consent, Thameside West will see 1,000 homes delivered in the first stage of the project, with construction set to begin in 2027.

The acquisition from private developer Keystone represents Arada’s second large-scale investment in the London residential market in the space of less than two months, following its purchase of local developer Regal in September.

Arada will work alongside the London Borough of Newham, Greater London Authority and Transport for London to transform this former industrial site into a vibrant, new neighbourhood. GLA Land and Property Limited (“GLAP”), as the other major landowner, will work closely with Arada to unlock this significant project.

Thameside West is one of the most well-connected sites in London and benefits from the recently completed Silvertown Tunnel, Custom House station (Elizabeth, Jubilee and DLR lines), City Airport, and the IFS Cable Car. Arada aims to deliver a new DLR station, in partnership with Transport for London.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada, said: “Our entry into this market was grounded in our unwavering faith in London and its attractiveness as one of the world’s leading capital cities. At the time of the Regal acquisition, we articulated our ambition to scale our London residential pipeline to 30,000 units over the next three years, and we have swiftly delivered on growing that pipeline. Thameside West represents a unique opportunity to create a landmark riverside development, and we look forward to working with our partners and utilising our long-standing track record in large-scale, amenity rich residential schemes to unlock the delivery of new housing for London.”

Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development said: “I am delighted that Arada is investing in London to transform Thameside West – one of the key sites within the Royal Docks. This really is a fantastic example of how we can unlock London’s potential to deliver the homes our city so urgently needs.”

Giorgio L. Laurenti, Chairman of Keystone, said: “One of the most significant development opportunities in Greater London, Thameside West is a transformational destination designed to deliver thousands of new homes while generating substantial economic and social value for the wider community.”

*Source:AETOSWire

The Thameside West master plan, designed by Foster + Partners (Photo: AETOSWire)

HH Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada (centre) with members of the Arada and Keystone executive teams (Photo: AETOSWire)

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s monarch said Monday the Spanish conquest of the Americas included “much abuse” and “ethical controversies,” striking a conciliatory tone amid a yearslong row between Spain and Mexico over colonial era abuses committed by the Spanish crown centuries ago.

King Felipe VI made the remarks while speaking with Mexico’s ambassador to Spain, Quirino Ordaz, during a visit to a museum exhibition in Madrid about the role of women in pre-Columbian Mexico.

About the centuries-old Spanish conquest, Felipe said: “There are things that, when we study them, we come to know them, and well, with our current values, they obviously cannot make us feel proud.”

“But they must be understood in their proper context, not with excessive moral presentism, but with an objective and rigorous analysis,” he said.

The Bourbon king’s symbolic remarks came after years of a diplomatic spat between Spain and Mexico over the Mexican government’s demands that Spain apologize for its 1519-1521 conquest of Mexico, which resulted in the death of a large part of the country’s pre-Hispanic population.

Colonial Spain ruled one of the largest empires in history with colonial holdings spanning 5 continents at its peak between the 16th and 18th centuries. That included much of Central and South America.

Mexico City was the seat of Spain’s colonial power in the Americas after the Spanish and their Indigenous allies toppled the Aztecs in 1521. Mexico City was built over the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.

In 2019, former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador demanded that Spain “publicly and officially” recognize the abuses committed during the conquest of Mexico in a letter sent to the Spanish king and Pope Francis. Spain refused to do so, which soured relations between the two governments.

In 2024, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not invite Felipe to her inauguration over the palace’s refusal to issue a formal apology, a move that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called “unacceptable.” Spain refused to send a representative to Sheinbaum’s inauguration.

But tensions appeared to thaw last fall when Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares acknowledged the “pain and injustice” suffered by Mexico’s Indigenous population at the hands of Spanish conquerors. Those comments came at the inauguration of the same museum exhibit attended Monday by the king.

“There has been pain, pain and injustice toward the indigenous peoples to whom this exhibition is dedicated,” Albares said at the time.

Sheinbaum recognized the foreign minister’s remarks as a first step, saying then that “this is the first time that a Spanish government authority has spoken of regretting the injustice.”

Felipe’s comments do not constitute a formal apology by Spain’s royal palace. Sheinbaum on Monday said she would look into his remarks.

FILE - Spanish King Felipe attends commemorations marking the 10th anniversary of the proclamation of Spain's King Felipe VI at Royal Palace in Madrid, June 19, 2024. (Juan Medina/Pool Photo via AP, File)