Transport for London (TfL) and its partners have submitted a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) to Government for a plan to deliver new transport links, homes and regeneration in Thamesmead and Beckton Riverside. The programme includes a DLR extension from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside. A new DLR station would be built at Beckton Riverside, with a new tunnel under the River Thames linked to another new DLR station at Thamesmead.
TfL is working with local partners the Royal Borough of Greenwich (RBG), London Borough of Newham (LBN) and the three major landowners – Thamesmead Waterfront (a joint venture between Peabody and Lendlease), abrdn (formerly Aberdeen Standard Investments) and St William (a Berkeley Group company) – to collaboratively develop plans for the area. There has been continuous engagement with Homes England, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
The DLR extension to Thamesmead would build on experience from 2009 when the DLR was extended to Woolwich Arsenal tunnelling beneath the River Thames, with housing growth following in areas including Woolwich, Canning Town, Pontoon Dock and West Silvertown.
Providing the infrastructure for this growth is vital to ensure viable alternatives to cars, helping Londoners to access public transport and preventing congestion which could have a negative impact on air quality, public health and economic performance. Investment to support growth and regeneration is therefore one of TfL’s capital investment priorities, alongside asset and rolling stock renewals and upgrades, decarbonisation and mitigating the delays to HS2.
While a key part of this work will be to identify options for maximising local and regional sources of funding, as well as driving cost and creating efficiencies, the scale of the projects mean that some degree of Government support will be required.
Funding for the feasibility work has been provided to date by a partnership of private and public sector bodies with an interest in regenerating the area. The SOC reflects this work and the scale of opportunity at Thamesmead and Beckton Riverside. To support the further feasibility work and build a strong business case, the partnership has committed to further funding contributions itself, alongside requesting further Government contributions.
A further £6M is being raised by TfL and the Greater London Authority (GLA) as well as other partners, and partners welcome a conversation with Government on the project’s future. This includes progressing to Outline Business Case stage and securing the consent required to deliver the transport infrastructure.
The aim is to agree an affordable solution by 2025, in order to enable construction to begin as early as 2028 and opening the DLR extension to customers in the early 2030s.
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