Royal Academy of Music to expand facilities at London City Island

Ballymore is proud to welcome the Royal Academy of Music to London City Island, as the 200-year-old institution announces its plans to create a major new educational and rehearsal facility within the development

The move marks a significant step in Ballymore’s long-term ambition to establish a cultural quarter at London City Island, which is already home to English National Ballet’s HQ. The Academy joins a growing list of world-renowned organisations including the BBC, V&A, and Sadler’s Wells, who are expanding to east London.

As part of a 100-year peppercorn lease agreement, Ballymore and development partners EcoWorld are providing the Academy with an existing building on the Island to be transformed into more than 2,000 square metres of new rehearsal and teaching space. The facility will feature four large, acoustically isolated studios, 10 fully equipped teaching rooms, and cutting-edge recording infrastructure – all delivered with the highest sustainability standards.

John Mulryan, Group Managing Director, Ballymore, said: “The Royal Academy of Music's extraordinary cultural centre will not only be a place of musical excellence and learning, but will also strengthen the Academy’s social impact – improving access to music education for all. Future talent will grow and thrive in a world-class facility, surrounded by a creative ecosystem of dance and the visual arts. Welcoming the Royal Academy of Music to our Islander community is a moment of real pride for all of us at Ballymore."

The new centre will provide essential overflow capacity for the Academy’s primary Marylebone Road campus in central London, just 22 minutes away by tube. It will improve day-to-day facilities for students while also supporting the Academy’s acclaimed Widening Participation programme, which reaches over 5,000 people each year – including young musicians from under-represented backgrounds, hospital patients, care home residents and SEND learners.

The scheme’s architectural design, by the award-winning AOC Architecture, will prioritise sustainability and wellbeing. The retrofitted building will be designed to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards, maximising the reuse of existing structures and low-carbon materials.

Geoff Shearcroft of AOC Architecture said: “The Royal Academy of Music’s new building is conceived as a stacked village of studios that support new forms of collaboration and creativity. Diverse in scale and form, the family of distinct, acoustically tuned rooms provide the ideal conditions for practice and learning, integrating analogue and digital production. The designs maximise the reuse of the existing building and prioritise the use of natural and biogenic materials, minimising embodied carbon and creating a healthy, sensory environment that actively supports well-being.”

Construction is due to begin in 2026 following completion of RIBA Stage 4 designs and a competitive tender process.

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music, said: “This acquisition is a game-changer for the Royal Academy of Music and integral to our future as we take our already-world-class facilities to a new level and to a new place – a place in the east of London with endless possibilities, as we extend our reach across the city and beyond.”

The project is being funded through philanthropic support, with an initial £5 million donation already secured.