DP World Breaks Ground On £13m Skills Hub At London Gateway

DP World and Thames Freeport have started construction on ‘The Hive’, a new multi-million innovation and wellbeing hub located at London Gateway Logistics Park that will provide a central facility for skills, community connection, and collaboration across the Thames Freeport area.

Image: DP World

Opening in March 2026, The Hive will be a 29,000 sq. ft. centre featuring flexible meeting rooms, a dedicated training and innovation centre, a state-of-the-art gym, two sports pitches, and food and drink facilities, DP World said in a news statement.

Sustainably built to the highest standards, DP World said the centre will bring together businesses and the wider community to power the next chapter of growth and innovation. 

Describing The Hive as a “game-changer”, Alan Holland, Chief Executive Officer, DP World London Gateway Logistics Park, said: “Not only will it address the need for a flexible and connected shared space at the heart of the Logistics Park, but it will also support new jobs and the continued economic growth of the region, further enhancing our nationally significant logistics hub.” 

Driving Opportunity In The Community

Forming a key part of the joint venture between DP World and Thames Freeport, the project aims to deliver a positive long-term impact in the community. 

As such, The Hive is designed to be a focal point for local businesses, employee training, and community engagement within the London Gateway and wider Thames Freeport ecosystem. 

It will offer “world-class” amenities that support workforce wellbeing, personal development, and collaborative innovation among occupiers of the logistics park and the surrounding community.

Once complete, DP World said The Hive will provide over 100 days of industrial and employability skills programmes per year, supporting around 1,125 trainees annually.

The centre supports Thames Freeport’s mission to drive skills, innovation and opportunity across the Thames Estuary, including the council areas of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, and Thurrock.

Image: DP World

Supporting Growth At London Gateway

The Hive will sit at the centre of London Gateway’s 9.25 million sq. ft. logistics park, of which around half has been developed already, and benefits from a 10‑year Local Development Order from Thurrock Council. 

It complements a wider £1 billion expansion of the adjoining port and rail terminals, which includes two new all‑electric berths and a second rail terminal, underpinning DP World’s ambition for London Gateway to become the UK’s largest throughput container port.