Silvertown's £3.5bn redevelopment given the go-ahead

It is hoped the development of Silvertown will create 20,700 jobs over the next 10 years

Plans for a £3.5bn development of an area of east London have been given the go-ahead.

The Royal Docks site, in Silvertown, will provide offices, leisure and retail facilities and 3,000 homes including affordable housing.

It is also hoped the development will create 20,700 jobs over the next 10 years.

Newham Council gave planning permission to The Silvertown Partnership (TSP) on Tuesday night.

The project includes the renovation of the Millennium Mills building, once home to Hovis MacDougall

The Millennium Mills building has been out of use since the early 1980s

The council said it hoped, once completed, the 62-acre site would attract about 13 million visitors a year from across the country and abroad, providing a £33m-a-year boost to the local economy and adding about £260m to London's economy.

A school will also be built on the site.

The first phase aims to be finished by 2018, in time for the new Crossrail connections.

This stage will include the renovation of the historic Millennium Mills building - once home to food manufacturer Rank Hovis MacDougall - which will be a centre for start-up businesses.

Warehouse of the world

The building has been out of use since the early 1980s.

The Royal Docks was once known as the warehouse of the world and at the height of its success, the Docks employed more than 100,000 people.

"This part of London is now destined to be a creative hub for our capital, offering a new, easily accessible location for innovative businesses, as well as housing for Londoners and amazing new brand experiences to attract visitors from the UK and abroad," said Simon Webster, TSP's Chief Executive.

The Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: "This multi-billion pound transformation is a fantastic opportunity to reinvigorate the Royal Docks area, giving it a new lease of life benefiting Newham and the capital as a whole."