London Thames Gateway comprises more than 35 square miles of land, running along the River Thames, from the Isle of Dogs to the edge of London. The area once served as the heart of London's manufacturing industry and trading economy, and is now finding a new lease of life as London's prime growth corridor. It is a priority area for the Mayor and Government for new housing and employment in London. The next twenty years will see partners working together to build on the success of Canary Wharf, Crossrail, and the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in order to make the most of the area's extraordinary opportunities.
London Thames Gateway is a diverse place, with two main character types:
* towards the centre of London, City East is characterised by a dense web of public transport infrastructure and local centres, and a close-textured and complex mix of land uses.
* further east, Woolwich and Barking mark the change to the eastern riverside areas, with fewer town centres, larger areas of single land uses and less concentrated public transport infrastructure.
In the period up to 2016, 100,000 new homes - one third of London's housing need - can be built in the area. Realising this capacity means building where transport and local services already exist, whilst putting in place the infrastructure for longer-term developments. This will help revive existing town centres and neighbourhoods, as well as creating new places.
Recent years have seen a huge boost in transport accessibility in the inner areas of London Thames Gateway: the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extensions to City Airport, Lewisham and Woolwich have been completed. Other major new transport schemes include Crossrail, the DLR extension to Stratford International and DLR 3 Car works. Further projects include the new London Overground network including the East London Line extension, Thameslink and the East London Transit (ELT). These improvements to the transport network offer unparalleled prospects for growth and regeneration in Thames Gateway.
The area already contains some amazing public spaces, from the sweeping set piece of Greenwich Maritime, to the wild marshland space at the edge of London, to the River Thames itself. Protecting, enhancing, linking and adding to these assets is central to the strategy for London Thames Gateway - so that new and existing communities can benefit from a unique network of high quality public space, and from the boost to environmentally responsible development that these offer.
Design for London is working with partners on a large number of spatial strategies, masterplans, development and public space projects. We are leading engagement of the Mayor in numerous planning frameworks and advise the GLA Planning Decisions Unit on design issues of most strategic planning referrals in the area.
Key projects include the East London Green Grid, Woolwich Squares, Dagenham Heathway to the Thames, Erith Western Gateway, Rainham Village and the Bow Flyover.
