DLR extension into Thamesmead is on – but who pays what has yet to be thrashed out
By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans to extend the DLR to Thamesmead have received ‘overwhelming’ support from residents in Greenwich and Newham.
Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed it will be progressing with work to extend the line following feedback from its public consultation earlier this year.
The project would extend the service from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside, which the transport authority has claimed would support up to 30,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs.
The six-week consultation received 1,283 responses, including contributions from the public and stakeholder groups such as local businesses and politicians.
Results showed that 58 per cent of respondents felt the extension would make their journeys quicker, while 75 per cent believed it would make journeys to east and South-east London easier.
Sample polling in Beckton, Gallions Reach, Thamesmead and Abbey Wood also found that 85 per cent of the 356 residents polled in such areas supported the proposal.
Labour councillor Averil Lekau, deputy leader and cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport for Greenwich council, said: “The overwhelming support for the DLR extension is no surprise. Residents in Thamesmead deserve better connectivity and the jobs and housing this could bring.
“This is a significant and positive step forward and we will work closely with TfL and our partners to develop detailed plans for the project and discuss the funding options to keep this momentum going. We are committed to making the borough easier, safer and greener to move around.”
TfL has stated it will continue to develop a funding and financing strategy for the project, which Newham council documents from last year claimed could cost up to £1.7 billion. Cllr Lekau said last month that both Greenwich and Newham councils were concerned about their abilities to fund the extension.
Cllr Lekau said at a Greenwich council meeting on July 25: “We are, I would have to say, being asked to front a considerable amount of money [alongside] Newham and both authorities are concerned that we would just not be able to do that so we’re still negotiating with the Mayor and the government to see how that goes.”
Newham council said it had not been formally asked to commit funding. Greenwich council claimed partners aimed to agree on an affordable funding package by 2025, to allow construction to start in 2028 and the extension itself to open in the early 2030s.
Pictured top: The DLR extension would go from Gallions Reach (pictured) in Newham to Beckton Riverside and would then cross the river to Thamesmead (Picture: Google Street View)