Security guards in Tower Hamlets

Where in Tower Hamlets can we provide officers?

All of it, from Spitalfields on the City’s eastern edge to the Isle of Dogs and the River Lea. Its premises fall into four broad areas, and each has a different mix.

• Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs. Canary Wharf is a Metropolitan centre in the London Plan, and the Isle of Dogs Opportunity Area has capacity for 29,000 homes and 110,000 jobs. The council’s Local Plan expects Canary Wharf’s growth to push demand for business space into areas such as South Quay, and the London Plan marks Crossharbour as a future district centre.
• Aldgate, Spitalfields and Whitechapel, in the City Fringe. Creative, digital and technology firms cluster around Shoreditch, Whitechapel and Cambridge Heath, and a medical research cluster linked to Queen Mary University of London is growing in Whitechapel, where the Royal London Hospital stands on Whitechapel Road. The Aldgate Connect Business Improvement District reaches into the borough from the City.
• Bethnal Green, Bow, Stepney and Mile End. The Local Plan picks out Bow and Stepney for their traditional East End character. Bethnal Green and Roman Road have district centres, Mile End Hospital is here, and the borough’s large parks include Victoria Park and Mile End Park.
• Poplar and the Lower Lea Valley. Poplar Riverside is an Opportunity Area, with a Housing Zone on the Tower Hamlets side of the Lea. Chrisp Street is Poplar’s district centre, and Bromley-by-Bow is marked as a future one. Industrial land is protected at the Empson Street Strategic Industrial Location and at Fish Island and Marshgate Lane, shared with Newham.

The borough also has 58 conservation areas, covering about 30% of its land, more than 2,000 listed buildings and the Tower of London, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

What needs guarding in Tower Hamlets?

Offices. From Canary Wharf to Aldgate, offices need someone to manage reception, visitor passes and the building out of hours: see office security.

Residential blocks. The Local Plan records a rise in tall buildings across the borough in recent years. In blocks with a front desk, concierge officers can welcome visitors, handle deliveries and sign contractors in and out.

Building sites. Several Opportunity Areas reach into the borough, including the Isle of Dogs, Poplar Riverside and the City Fringe. Officers can control who comes through the gate on a working day and guard the site overnight, as our construction site security page describes.

Market streets and shops. The council runs Monday-to-Saturday street markets on Whitechapel Road, Chrisp Street, Watney Street, Bethnal Green Road and Roman Road Square, a Roman Road market three days a week, and Sunday markets on Brick Lane, Columbia Road and Middlesex Street for Petticoat Lane. Shops on those streets can use uniformed retail security officers on their busiest days.

Events. Large commercial events in Victoria Park run under the council’s major events policy. Our event security officers can work to an organiser’s event plan, checking tickets and bags and managing queues and crowds.

What makes security planning in Tower Hamlets different?

• Brick Lane has a cumulative impact area. The council decided to keep its Brick Lane cumulative impact assessment, which runs from 20 November 2024 to 20 November 2027, and to drop the one in Bethnal Green. If you run licensed premises there, new and varied licence applications get closer scrutiny, so think about door staffing when you prepare one.
• Three council markets trade on Sundays in the west of the borough. Brick Lane market trades from 10am to 3pm, Columbia Road flower market from 8am to 2pm and Petticoat Lane on Middlesex Street from 9am to 3pm. Plan shop cover and deliveries to nearby sites around those hours.
• Two office districts, two styles. Canary Wharf is a cluster of tall office buildings, while the City Fringe mixes offices with homes, markets and late-night venues. Set reception hours, visitor checks and out-of-hours patrols to suit your building rather than a standard pattern.