new river village the new river village is not what it might seem. the 'new river' is neither new nor a river, but rather a man-made 18th century waterway, originally created to provide drinking water for London. the 'village' is actually a development of over 1000 high-density residential apartments. In 2006, it hadn't been built yet. these images show the developer's idealized 'view when finished', as seen on the hoardings surrounding the construction site.