Plans to redevelop the long derelict 10-acre site in east London have been underway since 2014, but have faced continual public kickback over the height of the proposed buildings. It was called in by then-mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2015 over concerns the proposed towers, the tallest of which was 46 storeys, would prevent sunlight reaching the area and did not provide enough affordable housing.

When the Greater London Authority advised Johnson to reject the plans in 2016, the JV requested time to rework them. Johnson deferred the hearing on the scheme which meant that it ran past his time in office. Sadiq Khan later agreed to give the JV more time to redesign rather than reject the planning application.