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Canada Water is an area of Rotherhithe in the London Docklands of south-east London. It is named after a freshwater lake and wildlife refuge. Canada Water tube, Overground and bus station is immediately north of the lake, along with Canada Water Library which overhangs the lake and Deal Porter Square. Surrey Quays Shopping Centre is also adjacent, sitting immediately to the south. The surrounding area, which forms the town centre of Rotherhithe, is now increasingly known as Canada Water, after the transport interchange as much as the lake itself.
Following the earlier gentrification of the parts of Rotherhithe along the river, the extension Line facts | Transport for London of the Jubilee line in 1999 moved the focus to the area immediately around Canada Water. The opening of the new Canada Water Underground station gave the area rapid connections to the rest of London, with Canary Wharf one stop, Westminster less than 10 minutes, and Bond Street around 15 minutes away by underground train. The station's connection to the London Overground network in 2010 added a quick connection to the City of London, with a journey of around 10 minutes to Shoreditch High Street station, near Liverpool Street Station.
The area has since been further developed, with additional residential developments, a library which opened in November 2011, and plans to redevelop the shopping mall in a first step towards creating a more traditional town centre. In 2018, architect Allies and Morrison submitted a masterplan for area's continued development, but some of the plans for tall buildings were revised after Historic England said the proposals would harm views of capital landmarks. Approved by Southwark Council in 2020, the masterplan was revised in 2025 to increase the height of some buildings due to fire safety requirements for second staircases. The masterplan covers a former printworks, the shopping and leisure centre near the Dalton Cross roundabout, the dock offices and the former Rotherhithe police station, with tall buildings playing "a significant role in transforming Canada Water into a new town centre". The whole masterplan was expected to take about 15 years to deliver, though Allies and Morrison's plans received over 1,000 objections.
In August 2022, Phantom Peak (attraction) opened on Surrey Quays Road as a proof-of-concept and popup venue. As of July 2025, it is still operating and has received some positive reviews
In November 2024 the Canada Dock Boardwalk, a 170-meter boardwalk spanning the length of the lake, was opened to the public. A parade featuring giant puppets took place on the boardwalk to celebrate its opening.
In April 2025, an experience based on the video game Minecraft opened in a specially built building called Corner Corner.
The lake's support a variety of such as lesser reedmace, and are home to a variety of waterfowl including , , , and . A non-native terrapin, known locally as Señor Tortuga, has also been sighted in the lake.
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