Housing secretary Angela Rayner has granted permission for the £500m redevelopment of the former Truman Brewery site in Tower Hamlets, east London, into a new mixed-use scheme with a data centre following an appeal.
CGI of Chimney Yard at Truman Brewery. Source: Conica Studio
Developer Grow Places originally submitted the plans to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in September 2024 for the creation of 377,000 sq ft of floorspace across a collection of eight new and some retained buildings.
The proposals included the demolition of some existing buildings on the site to make way for the construction of a 55,970 sq ft data centre.
The phased scheme included plans to repurpose the Boiler House as an exhibition and event space, along with a combination of new and revamped buildings containing homes, offices, retail space, a cinema, a café, a microbrewery and a market.
In June 2025, Grow Places filed four appeals to the planning inspector on the grounds of non-determination. The appeals were then recovered by the housing secretary in October 2025, after the inspector recommended all the appeals be approved.
A public inquiry was also held that same month looking into the appeal and the council’s failure to determine the application, leaving the controversial scheme in limbo.
While the council called on the inspector and the housing secretary to dismiss the appeals to protect the site’s heritage, Rayner concluded the redevelopment’s design and public benefits outweighed the “minor heritage harm” caused by the scheme.
Rayner also noted that the data centre’s “scale would relate in a reasonable way to the other buildings in the vicinity”, adding that the environmental impact complied with regulations and the wider proposals would “very clearly enhance both the character and appearance of the Brick Lane and Fournier Street Conservation Area”.
Grow Places submitted the plans on behalf of site owner Truman Brewery, working with masterplanner Buckley Gray Yeoman, which worked alongside five locally based architects.
Tom Larsson, founder and chief executive of Grow Places, said: “We are pleased to confirm that the secretary of state has agreed with the inspector’s recommendations, granting planning permission for the three appeals, together with listed building consent, at the Truman Brewery.
“This is a significant milestone and a testament to the efforts of everyone involved in this unique project. The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, Spitalfields and Banglatown are ever-evolving places, as all cities are, and we are proud to continue supporting this place growth.”
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