No DLR extension will be 'missed opportunity'

The rain is coming down and the wind is whipping in off the grey Thames.

It feels an unlikely location for what could be one of London's largest new housing developments.

There isn't much here at Thamesmead Waterfront apart from trees and a lonely section of the Thames path. But this brownfield site in south-east London is where 15,000 homes could be built.

The problem is even though it isn't far from central London, the transport links are non-existent. It's very difficult to get to the site.

What the developers really want is an extension to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). And all eyes are on the budget.

The site is one of the few remaining undeveloped waterfront sites in London. The cost of extending the DLR from Gallions Reach underneath the River Thames to this site is about £1.7bn.

It would mean you could get to the West End from Thamesmead via the Elizabeth line in about 35 minutes.

It would also unlock more land for thousands of homes on the north side of the Thames at Beckton Riverside.

Most business leaders and the local council want the DLR and the scheme to go ahead.

Jonathan Seager, policy delivery director at the business group BusinessLDN, agrees the DLR extension is a vital part of the scheme.

"I think that absolutely it will be a missed opportunity if they don't go for it now. The government is keen to deliver economic growth, it's keen to deliver on its housing mission. We have heard the Secretary of State talk about 'build, baby, build'.

"This is a great example of delivering on the government's ambitions and we are keen to see it approved now."

And the case for Thamesmead has got stronger.

In September, the New Towns Taskforce which advises government, recommended Thamesmead as the site for a new town.

But the report states very clearly it can only happen if it gets a DLR extension.

"Thamesmead Waterfront is a credible opportunity with existing momentum and support.

"However, if taken forward as a new town, the key challenge would be the significant new DLR infrastructure required to unlock the necessary housing density to achieve the full vision for place.

The report continues: "If selected as a new town, there would need to be confirmed government support for the DLR extension before it can move forward to delivery.

"Without this being the case, Thamesmead Waterfront's opportunity cannot be realised."

That view is also backed by Majid Rahman, the cabinet member for planning, estate renewal and development for Greenwich Council.

"If we don't get funding it will be a real shame. One of the things that was mentioned was that these new towns would be infrastructure led. That is exactly what we are saying in our case for Thamesmead.

"If we had the infrastructure then everything else would fall into place. So it would be a real missed opportunity.

"We are one of the largest brown-field sites in London and one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK."

We have been here before.

Prior to the Spending Review back in June, the mayor and the developers Peabody who own the site at Thamesmead Waterfront, said they thought a DLR extension was "critical".

No funding was forthcoming from government. It said it would continue to work with TfL on the business case.

Ed Mayes from the developer Lendlease says that without a public transport link, it wouldn't be able to deliver high density homes that are required.

"Thamesmead is one of those forgotten areas of London. It's got two miles of river frontage, it has some natural assets that are inaccessible to the public at the moment.

"Our scheme creates new parks, blue waterways, river frontage for a community of 15,000 homes. A workplace community and a town centre for the local area. It will have nature embedded at it heart and a place with growth and culture on every corner. It will be incredible. We just need that green light from government."

The government's target is to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.

And if London can't deliver a large number of new homes, there is little chance the government will hit that number.

To do that, it will mean transport infrastructure being funded to reach the undeveloped sites in Thamesmead and Beckton.

And as the government own advisors spelt out very clearly, if it won't fund transport links like the DLR extension and provide some certainty, the project won't happen at all.

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