The SBM will ensure the continuity of the world-class education Queen Mary offers. There will be improved education and research facilities for students and the school will be better equipped to continue serving the local community. The redevelopment will also provide a new, more publicly accessible site for the University’s free citizens’ legal advice centre, which serves students and local residents.

Improvements will also be made to the canal walkway, so more students and members of the public can enjoy the surroundings during the day. A new café at Lock Keeper’s Cottage, which will be open to the public, will complete the development. The new building will stand in place of the Hatton House site, comprising six storeys and is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

Professor Colin Bailey CBE, President and Principal, Queen Mary University of London said: “Following a public consultation, we are delighted that the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has approved the application to build a dedicated home for our School of Business and Management. This development is due to be delivered in early 2026 and will ensure the continuity of the world-class education we offer to our students, who come to us from the Tower Hamlets community and across the globe.”

Professor Frances Bowen, Vice-Principal (Humanities and Social Sciences) said: “Our University sits within a unique place in the East End, and this new, contemporary home for our School of Business and Management will offer significant benefits to Queen Mary students and staff. And it will also benefit the local area through improvements to the public spaces in and around the site during the day. It is an investment in the future of the University and the vital role we are proud to play in East London.”

Professor Mike Noon, Dean for School of Business and Management, said: “I’m delighted we are one step closer to completing this exciting project. The School has had many successes of late, including our recent accreditation, and it’s important to have a new facility that will significantly help our education and research efforts as the School goes from strength to strength.”

In 2021, the School of Business and Management was recognised by the UK’s Chartered Association of Business Schools as an exemplary business school for its commitment to the public good. Earlier this year, the School’s stellar reputation was enhanced when it was accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The AACSB has granted accreditation to fewer than six percent of business schools worldwide.