Chapter 1: Barking and Dagenham – Description of the Borough · Chapter 1: Barking and Dagenham – Description of the Borough 7 . Figure 1.3: Deprivation in the Borough Chapter

Chapter 1: Barking and Dagenham – Description of the Borough

Contents Page Number

Introduction 3

Geographic Context Town Centres

3 5

Population 6

Social Conditions 7

Housing 9

Employment 11

Regeneration and Development Areas Regeneration Vision Major Development Sites London Riverside Barking Riverside

12 12 13 16 16

London Thames Gateway Sub-Region Thames Gateway London Partnership London Thames Gateway Development Corporation

18 20 24

Chapter 1: Barking and Dagenham – Description of the Borough 1

List of Figures Page Number

Figure 1.1: Location of the Borough 4

Figure 1.2: Age Distribution in the Borough 6

Figure 1.3: Deprivation in the Borough 8

Figure 1.4: Housing Densities in the Borough 10

Figure 1.5: Major Development Sites 15

Figure 1.6: Thames Gateway Areas 19

Figure 1.7: Strategic Transport Schemes 23

Figure 1.8: London Thames Gateway Development Corporation 25

List of Tables Page Number

Table 1.1: Ethnicity of Population 7

Table 1.2: Standard Occupational Classifications for Barking and Dagenham

11

Table 1.3: Employee Jobs 12

Table 1.4: Major Development Sites 14


Introduction

1.1 This Chapter provides some background information about Barking and Dagenham, its geography, economy and demographic information. Included in this chapter are the plans for the regeneration of the borough, which combined with the earlier sections set the context for the remainder of the Local Implementation Plan (LIP).

Geographic Context

1.2 Barking and Dagenham is an outer London borough within the Thames Gateway area, and is one of the smaller London boroughs in terms of area and population. It borders to the east the London Borough of Havering, to the west the London Borough of Newham and to the north the London borough of Redbridge. It faces, across the River Thames, the London Boroughs of Bexley and Greenwich. Figure 1.1 shows the location of the borough within London.

1.3 Barking and Dagenham is part of the Thames Gateway London sub-region, which stretches on both sides of the Thames from the City of London and Lewisham in the west across the London boundary to Thurrock and Dartford in the east. Further on this chapter provides more information on the London Thames Gateway sub-region, the Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP) of which Barking and Dagenham is a founder member, and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC).

1.4 The south of the borough falls within London Riverside, which is one of the ‘Opportunity Areas’ identified in the London Plan. ‘Opportunity Areas’ are areas that are capable of sustaining substantial jobs and homes.

1.5 The borough is predominantly flat which is advantageous for walking and cycling. The borough has a large river frontage that provides an opportunity to develop riverboat services for passengers. It also contains well over half of London’s safeguarded wharves identified by the Mayor of London.

1.6 The borough's main advantage is its prime location, close to Docklands, Stratford, Central London and the M25 motorway, with good road, rail and underground transport links and the proximity of significant job opportunities in and adjacent to the borough. The borough is also close to London City Airport, which has connections to international destinations, the River Thames and the proposed Crossrail route.


Figure 1.1: Location of the Borough


1.7 Barking and Dagenham is mainly residential but includes several large employment areas and extensive areas of brownfield land between the A13 trunk road and the River Thames. Although employment land is concentrated to the south of the borough, there is also employment land in the north of the borough, for example along Rainham Road South.

1.8 Barking and Dagenham has 25 parks and open spaces, including Eastbrookend Country Park, two nature reserves and the Thames Chase Community Forest. Some of the parks and open spaces are part of the ‘Dagenham Corridor’, which is a wedge of Green Belt land separating the built up areas of Hornchurch and Romford from Dagenham.

Town Centres

1.9 The borough has two town centres, Barking Town Centre and Dagenham Heathway. There are also a number of local centres.

1.10 Barking Town Centre is the largest and most important commercial and retail centre in Barking and Dagenham. The London Plan lists Barking Town Centre as a ‘major’ centre. It has the largest volume and range of shops within the borough, a major transport interchange (Barking station) and a concentration of public facilities. The surrounding area is mainly residential.

1.11 Barking Town Centre has undergone some change over the past decade although new development has been limited, with an increase in fast food outlets, bars and lower quality shops. Since the opening of the Vicarage Field Shopping Centre in the early 1990s, the only new commercial investment in Barking Town Centre itself has been two new offices, and a Lidl supermarket. A new street market started in June 2000, which has dramatically increased footfall within the town centre. Development has taken place in the wider area, including a Tesco superstore off Abbey Road.

1.12 People living in Barking Town Centre experience high levels of deprivation and severe health problems. The town centre also has a disproportionate share of the borough’s crime total.

1.13 The Council has developed two strategies to guide the regeneration of Barking Town Centre: the ‘Barking Town Centre Strategy’ and the ‘Barking Town Centre Movement Strategy’. The Council’s vision for Barking Town Centre is for an urban mixed-use town centre, incorporating housing, leisure, employment and retail uses with a quality transport hub at its heart. The Council aspires to Barking Town Centre being the primary shopping centre for Barking Riverside, which is set accommodate 11,000 new homes.

1.14 Dagenham Heathway is the borough’s other town centre. It is smaller than Barking Town Centre and is classed as a ‘district centre’ in the London Plan. Shops and services including the Mall Shopping Centre stretch along the Heathway (A1240). Dagenham Heathway has seen a decline in the number and choice of shops in the past few years and difficulties with parking, congestion and a poor pedestrian environment are issues. The Council has developed a strategy called the ‘Dagenham Heathway Public Realm Strategy’, to ensure that Dagenham Heathway remains a key centre for the retail and local service provision.


Population

1.15 According to the 2001 Census the population of the borough is approximately 164,000, making Barking and Dagenham the second smallest borough in terms of population in outer London. Only Kingston-upon-Thames has a lower population. The total population consists of 78,000 males and 86,000 females.

1.16 The age distribution of the population illustrates that the population of the borough is comparatively young. Sixty-seven per cent of the population is under 45, of which 28 per cent of the population is under 20 (ONS). Since 1991 the population has grown by 7 per cent, which is a similar level of growth to that experienced across London as a whole but greater than the growth of population in outer London.

Figure 1.2: Age Distribution in the Borough

28%

14% 23%

16%

4% 15% Under 20

20 to 29 30 to 44 45 to 59 60 to 64 over 65

Source: ONS Census (2001)

1.17 In mid-2003 Barking and Dagenham had an estimated 165,900 residents. This compares with the 2001 Census figure of 163,944 residents (ONS). Barking and Dagenham’s population is forecast to continue to increase by around 10,000 between 2001 and 2011 (GLA SDS Technical Report 23). Anticipated growth in population will increase the demand on public transport, the road network and parking facilities.

1.18 Historically the borough has had a relatively stable, predominately white working class population. Currently the diversity of the population is changing at as fast a rate as anywhere in the country. Data from the 2001 Census assessment of the ethnicity of the borough’s population shows that 85 per cent of the population of the borough are white, 5 per cent are Asian, 7 per cent are black and 1 per cent are Chinese. Compared to the average outer London split of 75 per cent, 13 per cent, 7 per cent and 2 per cent respectively (2001 Census ONS) it is clear that Barking and Dagenham has a


lower level of ethnic diversity than other boroughs in outer London. This distribution is illustrated in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1: Ethnicity of Population

White Mixed Asian Black Chinese Barking and Dagenham 85% 2% 5% 7% 1% Outer London 75% 3% 13% 7% 2%

Social Conditions

1.19 Barking and Dagenham residents have the lowest average income level in the capital. Despite exceptional improvement in the performance of schools, there continues to be low educational attainment in the adult population and a high proportion of young people not in employment, education or training. High levels of teenage under-18 conception rates, heart disease, cancer and long term illness also disadvantage the area. Health outcomes for residents are less favourable than in most parts of the country.

1.20 The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), formerly known as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), collates a variety of data to produce Indices of Deprivation across a number of ‘Domains’. These include:

• Income and employment deprivation; • Health deprivation and disability; • Education, skills and training deprivation; • Barriers to housing and services; • Living environment deprivation and; • Crime and disorder.

1.21 The most recent Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) were released at the end of April 2004, largely based on information gathered in the 2001 census and other national data sets. The new indices are based on localised ‘Super Output Areas’ rather than at ward level, as was the case in 1998 and 2000. In Barking and Dagenham there are 109 Super Output Areas, of these 33 or 30 per cent are ranked in the bottom 20 per cent of IMD.


Figure 1.3: Deprivation in the Borough


Housing

1.22 In Barking and Dagenham, there are over 22,000 properties in Council ownership. Over 38 per cent of the housing stock in the borough is affordable housing, the vast majority being socially rented. In 2001, there were over 67,000 dwellings occupied in the borough. Of these, the vast proportion consisted of terraced housing (55 per cent) with purpose built flats accounting for 22 per cent of the occupied dwellings. Only just over 1000 (2 per cent) dwellings are classed as vacant. Of all the dwellings in the borough, 56 per cent are owner occupied. The current population of the borough is spread over quite a range of housing densities, with densities of less than 10 dwellings per hectare around the parks and green belts and very high densities of up to 350 dwellings per hectare in some of the estates. The majority of the urban areas in the borough are in the order of 50 dwellings per hectare. This is illustrated in Figure 1.4.


Figure 1.4: Housing Densities in the Borough


Employment

1.23 Sixteen per cent of land in the borough is either currently used for employment use or is capable of being used for job creation. Almost half (43 per cent) of all the employment land in the borough is used for general industrial usage. Only a small fraction (1 per cent) is employed for offices and businesses. Almost 20 per cent of all employment land in the borough is currently used for storage purposes.

1.24 The most recent data from the Annual Population Survey (April 2004 to March 2005), states that there were 67,700 economically active residents in the borough, of which 6,500 or 9.6 per cent were unemployed. This survey also provides the Standard Occupational Classifications (SOC2000) of those residents who were in employment during that time, presented in Table 1.2 below. The data indicates that Barking and Dagenham has a lower level of the working population within the managerial and professional categories than the average for London or the UK as a whole. Instead, the borough has a higher level of machine operatives and elementary occupations than London or the UK as a whole.

Table 1.2: Standard Occupational Classifications for Barking and Dagenham

Standard Occupational Classification

Barking and Dagenham

Barking and Dagenham London GB

(Numbers) (%) (%) (%) 1 Managers and senior officials 6,000 10 18 15

2 Professional occupations 6,100 10 16 13 3 Associate professional & technical 8,200 13 18 14

4 Administrative & secretarial 8,900 14 13 13 5 Skilled trades occupations 6,400 10 8 11 6 Personal service occupations 5,000 8 7 8

7 Sales and customer service occupations 4,400 7 6 8

8 Process plant & machine operatives 7,300 12 5 7

9 Elementary occupations 10,300 16 9 11 TOTAL 62,600 100 100 100

Source: Annual Population Survey (Apr 2004-Mar 2005) Office for National Statistics (ONS)

1.25 The Table of Employee Jobs from the 2004 Annual Business Inquiry provides only the number of employees of VAT registered businesses. In this regard, it will not capture all employment but does provide a good reference to the types of industries prevalent in the borough. As Table 1.3 illustrates, manufacturing employs almost 20 per cent of all jobs, 3.5 times the London figure and 1.8 times the Great Britain figure. Furthermore the table also


highlights the deficiency in ‘Finance, Information Technology, other business activities’, with only 12.9 per cent of jobs, compared with 31.6 per cent and 20 per cent for London and GB respectively.

Table 1.3: Employee Jobs

Barking and Dagenham

Barking and

Dagenham

London GB

(Employee jobs) (%) (%) (%) Total employee jobs 47224 Full-time 34459 73 74 68 Part-time 12765 27 26 32 Manufacturing 9098 19 6 12 Construction 1478 3 3 5 Services (made up of:) 36596 78 91 82 Distribution, hotels & restaurants 11757 25 22 25 Transport & communications 4294 9 8 6 Finance, IT, other business activities 6072 13 32 20 Public admin, education & health 12622 27 23 26 Other services 1851 4 7 5 Tourism-related 2661 6 9 8

Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2004 (ONS)

Regeneration and Development Areas

1.26 In the next 20 years, Barking and Dagenham will undergo its biggest transformation since the borough was first industrialised and urbanised. The London Thames Gateway, of which the borough forms the heart, is the largest regeneration area in Europe. It is crucial to the Government’s plans to develop sustainable communities in the south-east and to the London Mayor's ambition to ensure prosperity is more evenly shared between east and west in London.

1.27 The borough is set to gain some 25,000 new homes and 60,000 new residents. The challenge facing the borough as well as the whole of the Thames Gateway is how to support substantial housing and employment growth whilst avoiding and mitigating unsustainable levels of traffic growth, congestion and pollution.

Regeneration Vision

1.28 In 2001, the Council produced its Regeneration Strategy ‘Barking and Dagenham – An Urban Renaissance in East London’. The Council’s regeneration vision is for a well-educated, highly skilled population, able to access new jobs, from the varied opportunities available within the borough and elsewhere. The Council wants Barking and Dagenham to become a place where people choose to live, work and invest because of the provision


of excellent work, education, health, housing and recreation facilities for individuals and the family.

1.29 The Council aspires to increase local people's access to jobs, leisure, waterways, local parks and community facilities through various means:

• Safe and attractive public realm and environment; • Safe walking and cycling routes; • Accessible and affordable public transport, and new and improved

transport links: • East London Transit scheme; • Docklands Light Railway extension to Dagenham Dock; • A metro service on the C2C line; • Improvements to the Barking – Gospel Oak line; • New station at Renwick Road; • A direct train service to Stratford; • Improved north-south bus links.

1.30 The regeneration strategy for the borough is built on the Council’s Community Priorities and the Barking and Dagenham 2020 Vision. The 2020 Vision sets out aspirations of all the borough’s citizens. In terms of transport, the 2020 Vision aims to influence the future by encouraging:

• Fast, reliable, accessible, affordable, convenient, safe and attractive bus services serving all sectors of the community;

• A new tram/guided bus system; • The development of Barking as a premier transport hub in the Thames

Gateway including a connection to the Docklands Light Railway and a direct connection to Stratford;

• Regeneration and renewal of Barking Station; • A fast reliable, convenient river bus serving the Thames and perhaps the

River Roding through to Town Quay; • A shift to walking and cycling for local journeys; • Everybody who wants a car to be able to own one but choose to use it

less often.

Major Development Sites

1.31 As part of the regeneration of the borough, the Council and its partners are seeking to provide new housing, schools, shops and employment at a number of major development sites in the borough. The sites that will see the most of the new development are listed in Table 1.4, and shown in Figure 1.5.


Table 1.4: Major Development Sites

Location Type of Development Barking Riverside Mixed use, including 11,000 new

homes and 1,500 jobs Barking Town Centre (number of sites within the town centre area)

Mixed use, including 4,000 new homes

Dagenham Dock Employment, 4,000 new jobs South Dagenham Mixed use, including 5,000 new homes Lymington Fields Mixed use, including 800 new homes University of East London Mixed use, including 500 new homes

1.32 Within the borough, additional windfall sites are likely to provide over 3,000 additional dwellings. These sites are in the following areas of the borough:

• Dagenham Heathway; • Roding Valley Area; • Beacontree Heath; • Martin’s Corner.


Figure 1.5: Major Development Sites


1.33 The London Plan defines London Riverside as an ‘Opportunity Area’, which is an area capable of sustaining substantial jobs and homes. London Riverside is part of the wider London Thames Gateway sub-region. The LTGDC has been set up to secure the regeneration of London Riverside and other areas in the London Thames Gateway sub-region.

London Riverside

1.34 Barking Town Centre, Barking Riverside, Dagenham Dock and South Dagenham are part of London Riverside. London Riverside covers 3,500 hectares of land extending along the north bank of the Thames, from Beckton to Rainham and is a priority area for development. A London Riverside Action Group, of which Barking and Dagenham is a member, has been established through London Riverside Limited to prepare a strategy for the area.

Barking Riverside

1.35 Barking Riverside is one of the most important sites in the ongoing regeneration of the Thames Gateway area, providing a major new community development between the A13 and River Thames within the Borough.

1.36 The proposals consist of a phased development to be built out over 20 years, eventually providing homes, shops and services for approximately 26,000 people. The finished development will provide:

• 350 acre site, including 40 acres of open space; • 10,800 dwellings; • Community facilities and amenities; • 1,500 new jobs; • Two new primary schools and one secondary school; • Neighbourhood and district shopping centres; • New and improved public transport links.

1.37 In order to be able to adequately serve the travel needs of the development, a significant number of transport schemes are required. The aspiration for Barking Riverside is to promote sustainable transport behaviour, with particular emphasis on providing high quality public transport links wherever possible.

Funding of Improvement

1.38 Public transport and highway infrastructure improvements associated with the Barking Riverside development will be entirely funded by Department for Communities and Local Government, Transport for London, and Private Developer funding streams.

Public Transport

1.39 In terms of public transport, the major schemes will involve a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) link west to the City and east to Dagenham Dock, and a segregated East London Transit (ELT) route throughout the site. It is proposed that all dwellings within the development will be situated within 400 metres of a public transport stop.


Highways

1.40 In terms of highways improvements, a number of strategic and local schemes will be implemented to cater for the increased number of vehicle movements associated with the site. These will include:

• A new grade separated roundabout at the junction of the A13 and Renwick Road;

• Renwick Road/Bastable Avenue junction improvements; • Renwick Road/Choats Road junction improvements; • River Road/Thames Road junction improvements; • Lodge Avenue/Woodward Road junction improvements; • Off site bus and ELT priority measures.

Triggers

1.41 There are a number of triggers that will be built in to the planning agreement for the development, which will require particular transportation infrastructure schemes and measures to be in place before further numbers of housing units can be occupied. These triggers are as follows:

Before first occupation • A13/Renwick Road interim works to be completed to allow the junction to

operate satisfactorily until the grade separated junction is in place.

Before 500 occupations • Provision of the initial pedestrian and cycle network, including the

Riverside Walkway.

Before 1500 occupations • Provision by the developer of a safeguarded route for Phase 1B of ELT

through the western quarter to the District Centre; • Bus Service Route 1 to be provided to the Local Centre to coincide with

the conversion of the 387 bus service to provide ELT Phase 1B; • Renwick Road/Bastable Avenue junction improvements to be completed; • Renwick Road/Choats Road junction improvements to be completed; • Lodge Avenue/Woodward Road junction improvements to be completed.

Before 2000 occupations • Review to ensure that the programme for delivering DLR is on track,

including the confirmation of the Transport and Work Act (TWA) order; • Review of A13/Renwick Road grade separated junction implementation

programme; • River Road/Thames Road junction improvements to be completed; • Further ELT priority measures to be provided along River Road.

Before 2500 occupations • A13/Renwick Road grade separated junction to be completed, or

mitigation measures to be put in to place to extend the life to 4000 occupations. If the grade separated junction is completed, traffic management measure will be put in place to restrict the capacity until it is needed.


Before 3200 occupations • Provision of a temporary route for Phase 1B of ELT or similar through the

eastern quarter on a phased basis to correspond with spatial phasing; • DLR review to give confirmation of the funding for the delivery of DLR

through the site.

Before 4000 occupations • A13/Renwick Road grade separated junction to be completed.

Before 5000 occupations • Provision of junction improvement and bus priority facilities at Renwick

Road/Thames Road.

Before 6000 occupations • Provision of final segregated route for ELT Phase 1B through the site,

and provision for Phase 1A extension to Dagenham Dock; • DLR to be operational through the site, linking to Beckton and Dagenham

Dock.

London Thames Gateway Sub-Region

1.42 Barking and Dagenham is part of the London Thames Gateway sub-region, which consists of a corridor stretching eastwards on both banks of the Thames from the City of London and Lewisham in inner London across the London boundary to Thurrock and Dartford in the east. This area has a diverse range of urban and peri-urban environments. It is the largest development opportunity for growth in population and employment in London and South East England. The Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP) sub-region is part of the wider Thames Gateway corridor that extends out to South Essex (Thurrock, Basildon, Castle Point, Southend and Essex County Council) and North Kent (Gravesend, Medway, Isle of Sheppey and Kent County Council). The area is illustrated in Figure 1.6.


Figure 1.6: Thames Gateway Areas


1.43 London Thames Gateway has a population of 2.4 million (2001 Census ONS) that is diverse, but deprived. Unemployment across the sub-region is in excess of 10 per cent, rising to over 20 per cent in some areas. In addition, parts of the area suffer from disappointing education attainment, a high incidence of crime, concentrations of poor health, low accessibility and a persistent poor image compared with boroughs on the west side of London.

1.44 The London Plan, the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Sustainable Community Plan all clearly recognise the Thames Gateway as the key expansion opportunity for London and the South East. It is also acknowledged that social exclusion and deprivation need to be tackled in order to meet projected increase in regional population.

1.45 Opportunities are concentrated particularly into six ‘Zones of Change’:

• The Isle of Dogs; • Stratford-Lower Lea Valley-Royal Docks; • North Greenwich; • Deptford-Greenwich-Lewisham; • Charlton-Erith; • London Riverside.

1.46 Overall, the London part of the Thames Gateway has the capacity to accommodate over 91,000 homes and 249,000 jobs by 2016. (The London Thames Gateway Development and Investment Framework).

Thames Gateway London Partnership

1.47 In order to address these opportunities the TGLP has forged a unique sub-regional alliance of 13 Local Authorities, the London Development Agency (LDA), the East London Learning and Skills Council, 5 universities and 2 strategic health authorities. This partnership was formed in 1995 and is working to bring about sustainable physical, economic and social regeneration of London Thames Gateway and the delivery of cross cutting priorities for education, health, social inclusion and environmental enhancement.

1.48 TGLP aims to promote an approach to sustainable regeneration and community building which meets the current and future employment, residential and service aspirations of the sub-region based on the concepts of multi-modal and socially equitable accessibility without commensurate and unsustainable increase in traffic levels and congestion.

Policy Objectives

1.49 The partnership has identified five key policy objectives. These are central to the attainment of sustainable transport in the TGLP area and fully consistent with the MTS and London Plan:

• The enhancement of local and regional accessibility and transport capacity to support growth and regeneration, ensuring that all social groups benefit from the regeneration project;


• The improvement of environmental amenity including enhancements to the public realm, preservation of natural resources and ensuring access by all the sub-region’s communities to open spaces;

• The promotion of social inclusion with respect to access to opportunities, ensuring that the benefits of wealth creation are equally distributed and promoting ease of use of the transport system by target groups, especially those without access to a car;

• The enhancement of safety and personal security in relation to public transport, road safety and public realm;

• The maximisation of resource efficiency, including capacity utilisation within and between modes and transport networks, energy conservation and cost effective investment.

1.50 The partnership believes that major committed and proposed investment in the sub-region’s transport infrastructure is essential if the momentum for regeneration is to be maintained and the aspirations of the London Plan and London Thames Gateway Development and Investment Framework are to be achieved sustainably. Whilst welcoming the additional capacity and new connections offered by recent infrastructure investments, it continues to press for firm and funded commitments to new infrastructure.

Priorities for Transport Improvements

1.51 TGLP has produced The London Thames Gateway Transport Agenda that sets out the partnership’s vision for future access and mobility in the Thames Gateway London and how transport investment can deliver the wider economic and social vision.

1.52 The partnership sees the following schemes as being priorities for enhancing local and regional transport within the gateway:

• Crossrail 1 forming the spine of the London Thames Gateway, providing a fast, high capacity connection through the West End and Canary Wharf to Abbey Wood and Ebbsfleet;

• The north and south extensions to the East London Line with onward access to the gateway via an upgraded Jubilee Line;

• Extensions of DLR to London City Airport, Woolwich Arsenal and, in the longer term, London Riverside Area;

• Construction of the Thames Gateway Bridge; • A Thames Gateway Transit network with initial implementation of East

London Transit and Greenwich Waterfront Transit and their connection via the Thames Gateway Bridge;

• Comprehensive and effective international and domestic services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link serving new communities and employment centres in Stratford and Ebbsfleet;

• South London Metro, implementation of the Integrated Kent franchise and other increments to the C2C and North London Lines;

• Improvements to the sub-region’s bus network in terms of priority, service coverage and vehicle quality, particularly for key development sites and town centres;

• Enhancements to regional transport interchanges accessed by comprehensive, safe and convenient local pedestrian and cycle links;

• The development of a Green Grid of interlinked open spaces providing connectivity to and between town centres, public transport interchanges,


the Green Belt, River Thames and key employment and residential centres;

• The proactive management, including through the planning process, of the need to travel through the promotion of employer and school travel plans, flexible working and measures to promote travel awareness and behavioural change;

• Selective improvements to highways where this is justified on environmental, access and regeneration grounds, such as the duelling of Thames Road, Crayford, which now has funding approval, Ferry Lane Access Road and key routes in London Riverside.


Figure 1.7: Strategic Transport Schemes


London Thames Gateway Development Corporation

1.53 The Government set up in 2005 the LTGDC to tackle the regeneration of the three core areas in the London Thames Gateway, one of the biggest individual components of the government’s Sustainable Communities Plan. The LTGDC will have an indicative lifespan of 10 years, with a full review after five years.

1.54 The LTGDC area contains over 5,000 hectares of land extending across East London Boroughs – Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Newham, Havering, Barking & Dagenham and Waltham Forest, as illustrated in Figure 1.8.

1.55 The Development Corporation will focus on three areas, namely:

• Stratford and Lower Lea; • Thamesmead, Belvedere and Erith; and • London Riverside

1.56 From 31st October 2005, the Development Corporation became the local planning authority within a designated area in the Lower Lee Valley and London Riverside, from Beckton to Rainham with responsibility for determining strategic and large scale planning applications.

1.57 The LTGDC will help bring forward with partners the regeneration of major sites in those parts of Barking and Dagenham for which it is the local planning authority. It will be responsible for deciding what goes into Section 106 agreements and may be able to assist projects using its Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers.


Figure 1.8: London Thames Gateway Development Corporation


This page is left blank intentionally.


Documents

Chapter 1: Barking and Dagenham – Description of the Borough · Chapter 1: Barking and Dagenham – Description of the Borough 7 . Figure 1.3: Deprivation in the Borough Chapter