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Gateway to jobs and homes for thousands of east enders

Published 7 May 2008

A major new package of investment in housing, jobs, infrastructure, community facilities and green spaces is set to rejuvenate areas of  east London and transform the lives of people living there, announced Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint today.

Improving the quality of life for residents and creating a sense of community is at the heart of a new £237million programme of measures to reinvigorate eight areas in the London Thames Gateway. Over the next three years, around 7,900 new jobs will be created and 8,200 new homes built by creating the right conditions for investment. 

Spearheading this transformation is the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), which will drive forward the plan for regeneration in eight key areas; Canning Town, Lea River Park, Olympic Arc, Bromley-by-Bow, and the London Riverside areas of Barking Town, London Riverside Parklands, South Dagenham and Rainham Village. 

Along with creating jobs, affordable family homes and parkland spaces, a programme of infrastructure improvements will be carried out to ensure communities that have, until now, been isolated are interlinked to each other through road improvements or installing pathways and bridges.

Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint said: 

"I am delighted to approve the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation's action plan to create jobs and homes for thousands of East Enders.

"We want to see real change in these parts of East London, which is why the Government is backing these plans with millions of pounds of investment. 

"Throughout the London Thames Gateway a lot has been achieved but now we need to see a gear change.  Today's plan is part of a comprehensive programme which will bring a real acceleration in momentum to maximise the opportunities the Gateway brings."

Chairman of LTGDC Lorraine Baldry said:

"This investment in the London Thames Gateway demonstrates our continued commitment, and that of Government, to make significant changes to the quality of life in east London.  Regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley and London Riverside means more than just building houses.  Our plan for the next three years is to drive forward schemes which will create a sense of place and belonging for local people and an environment that attracts new residents and businesses to settle." 

Regeneration in the eight areas will ensure major changes by 2016. The benefits the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation will bring about include:

Canning Town

  • 3,900 new homes
  • 2,150 new jobs
  • New town centre and public squares
  • Improved pedestrian connections to transport interchanges

Olympic Arc

  • 3,100 new homes in Stratford Centre and Hackney Wick
  • 2,800 new jobs in Stratford Centre and Hackney Wick
  • Major refurbishment of Stratford Shopping Centre
  • High profile education campus in Stratford
  • Reconfigured traffic system at Stratford Gyratory

Bromley-by Bow and Leaside

  • 3,840 new homes
  • 31,000 sq m commercial space and 925 new jobs
  • New community facilities including a primary school
  • New road junction

Lea River Park

  • Creation of a continuous route from the Olympic Park to River Thames with two new major parkland destinations

Barking Town

  • 6,300 new homes planned in Barking Town Centre
  • 5,000 new homes at Barking Riverside
  • 13km improved dedicated bus route
  • Development of a cultural hub
  • New transport interchange

London Riverside Parklands

  • 132,500 sq m green space
  • 1.5 km new pedestrian and cycle routes
  • Wildspace which will be a flagship green space for the Thames Gateway

South Dagenham

  • 90,000 sq m commercial space
  • 2,050 new jobs
  • 1,250 new homes
  • New primary school
  • 25,000 sq m green or open space

Rainham Village

  • 3,200 homes in Rainham Village centre
  • New library and lifelong learning centre
  • Improved transport interchange

Notes to editors

  1. The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) is the Government's lead regeneration agency for London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley. 
  2. The £273m funding is made up of:  £120m from Department of Communities and Local Government and £117m predicted investment from the sale of LTGDC land assets.

 

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