It was in 1994 that Peabody Homes took the first steps towards what would later be called Britannia Village by starting 85 homes for rent on the four-acre site off Fort Street. The following year the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) sold 28 acres of land to Wimpey Homes to build 777 private dwellings and six shops in what was billed at the time as the largest housing development by a single private developer anywhere in Docklands. As part of the deal Wimpey agreed to provide the Village Hall and contribute £30,000 towards providing a GP surgery at the centre.
The village plans included the £3.9 million Royal Victoria Dock Footbridge built by the LDDC to provide a direct link from the village to the DLR station at Custom House on the north side of the dock.
