Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity Area
Key information
Growth corridors make it easier to manage development in London as they group similar or nearby OAs
OA boundary and policy status will either be: 'Adopted', 'Emerging' or 'To be defined'
London planning documents are accurate at the tie on publication. These include key planning documents that directly relate to the OA. They must be read in the context of the relevant statutory planning policies contained within the borough’s Local Plan.
London Plan AMR Category (AMR, 2018) will either be: 'Nascent', 'Ready to grow', 'Underway', 'Maturing' or 'Mature'.
Overview of the OA
Thamesmead and Abbey Wood is identified in the Mayor’s London Plan1 as an Opportunity Area (OA) with potential for 8,000 new homes and 4,000 new jobs by 20412. The OA was designated in 2004 and is part of the Thames Estuary Growth Corridor. See Figure 1 and 2.
What is an Opportunity Area (OA)?
Opportunity Areas or OAs are London's key locations that have potential for large scale development, providing substantial new jobs and homes. OAs typically have capacity for at least 2,500 homes or 5,000 jobs, and many are linked to potential public transport improvements.
1 The London Plan is the statutory Spatial Development Strategy for London. As the overall strategic plan for London, it sets out an integrated economic, environmental, transport and social framework for the development of London over the next 20-25 years.
2 Figures based on London Plan evidence. Homes figures are based on 2017 Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA, 2017) for the period 2019 – 2041. Jobs figures are based on London Employment Sites Database (LESD, 2017) for the period 2016 – 2041.
How many new homes have been delivered?
Since 20191, over 70 new homes were completed in TAW OA2. Since the OA was designated in 2008, over 650 new homes have been completed2. See Figure 3 and 4.
1The London Plan 2021 homes figures are based on the SHLAA (2017) evidence and capacity from 2019 to 2041. As such, 2019 is used as the starting point for measuring housing completions in the OA. Source: Strategic Housing Land Availability (SHLAA, 2017).
2 Source: London Datahub, Greater London Authority.
How many of these new homes are affordable?
Of the total new homes completed in TAW since its designation, approximately 54% of these new homes are considered affordable homes1. See Figure 7 and 8.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) provides a definition of affordable housing for planning purposes. Within this broad definition, sections 4.6.3 - 4.6.9 of the London Plan sets out the Mayor’s preferred affordable housing tenures and other genuinely affordable housing products.
1 Source: London Datahub, Greater London Authority.
Thamesmead and Abbey Wood OAPF
Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity Area is one of the largest regeneration areas in London. Prepared jointly by the Mayor of London’s office (Greater London Authority, GLA), Transport for London (TfL), Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Bexley, the Thamesmead and Abbey Wood Opportunity Area Planning Framework (T&AW OAPF) supports and plans for the Mayor’s proposal to extend the DLR to Thamesmead and beyond. With transport improvements, the OAPF identifies the potential for the OA to provide over 15,000 new homes and 8,000 new jobs.
OAPFs represent the first stage in planning for significant numbers of new homes and jobs, improved infrastructure and access to local services. It sets out long-term planning, regeneration and design guidance that helps to guide development in an OA.
OAPFs consider how London Plan policies can be implemented to address the strategic challenges and opportunities in an area. They influence and are informed by policy from national to local level. See Policy SD1 Opportunity Areas in the London Plan for more information.
Transport Proposals and Good Growth
T&AW OAPF supports and plans for proposals in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy to extend the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead. In addition, the T&AW OAPF contains a Transport Strategy and Local Connections Study which proposes a range of improvementOAPFs to support higher density development. These include a bus transit linking with the Elizabeth line at Woolwich and Abbey Wood and walking and cycling improvements across the Opportunity Area.
A cross-river DLR would enable access to job, amenities, and education opportunities at the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs, Stratford and Beckton Riverside where there is emerging work on the Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside OAPF.
With this suite of transport improvements, the T&AW OAPF identifies the potential for the Opportunity Area to accommodate 15,500 new homes and 8,000 new jobs. This is an uplift of 7,500 new homes and 4,000 new jobs from the indicative capacity in the Intend to Publish London Plan.
Funding
The T&AW OAPF has been guided by the Mayor’s Good Growth objectives in the London Plan. To deliver wider regeneration benefits in the OA, a range of interventions are needed to support and catalyse growth in the OA. This includes investment in public transport and walking and cycling connections, intensification of employment areas to enable a range of new jobs and workspaces, better use of open spaces, revitalisation of town centres and high streets, and careful planning of social infrastructure and public spaces. The concept of Good Growth ensures that the benefits of growth is inclusive and provides opportunities for both new and existing communities.
The transport improvements considered in the OAPF are currently unfunded. Delivering major new public transport schemes is partly dependent on the scale of new growth. As development in the T&AW OA is intrinsically linked to the delivery of strategic public transport connections, new public transport is needed to support housing and employment growth, and vice versa. By illustrating how significant new development can align with Good Growth principles, the T&AW OAPF contributes to a strong case for the investment needed.
Next Stages
TfL has begun further feasibility work on a proposed extension of the DLR to Beckton Riverside and Thamesmead, following the confirmation of the T&AW OAPF. The feasibility work will be fully funded by external partners through a £1m joint funding agreement between the London Borough of Newham, Royal Borough of Greenwich and developers at Thamesmead Waterfront (a joint venture partnership between Peabody and Lendlease), Aberdeen Standard Investments and St William (a joint venture between Berkeley Homes and National Grid).
This next stage of technical work will allow further development of the route and the potential locations of stations to be considered. Support work on other transport options within the OAPF will also be carried out including options for a rapid bus corridor and new walking and cycling links. Further assessments on both the potential environmental and transport impacts of these schemes will ensure that the best options to support growth in the area are taken forward once appropriate funding has been identified and secured.
Public consultation and engagement
Effective and ongoing engagement with local communities, landowners and stakeholders has played an important role in the preparation of the T&AW OAPF. Public engagement has comprised:
- A 12-week formal public consultation on a draft version of the T&AW OAPF between 17 December 2019 and 10 March 2020
- A 6-week early public engagement on the ‘Vision and Objectives’ of the OAPF between August and September 2019
- A series of 1-2-1 meetings and workshops with key stakeholders in the OA throughout the development of the OAPF
An online engagement platform and online map was launched during the public consultation and engagement. The website provided information on the baseline analysis, key priorities, potential transport options and overall vision for the area and collected feedback from local communities.
The OAPF was amended following a detailed review of the feedback received during the engagement and consultation phases. Details on the feedback received and their impact on the final OAPF has been recorded in Appendix B Engagement and Consultation Summary.
Next steps to monitoring progress in the OA
The London Datahub is the GLA's main source of development data. The Datahub holds detailed information on planning applications, permissions, commencements and completions in Greater London enabling the tracking of development progress across London. The data received is supplied by applicants for planning permissions and may be subject to inherent issues and errors. For more information on how the data is collected please see the Planning London Datahub.
While delivering affordable homes and creating and protecting jobs are key components of the London Plan, the Mayor also recognises that future development in the city must be sustainable and inclusive.
The London Plan, therefore, sets out a new way of doing things, something that is called Good Growth. Good Growth is about working to delivery a more socially integrated and sustainable city, where people have more of a say, and growth brings the best out of existing places while providing opportunities to communities. Good Growth is not about supporting growth at any cost.
To understand the impact of the London Plan, the Mayor is legally required to keep the London Plan under review. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the approach to monitoring the Plan is set out in its final chapter and provides the basis for an ongoing and iterative assessment of the effectiveness of the Plan. Performance against the KPIs is reported in the statutory Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) which is published by the Mayor each Spring.
In additon to monitoring the progress of homes, jobs and infrastructure, the AMR will also monitor a range of other data that relates to the Good Growth objectives and the Mayor's vison for London to be socially and economically inclusive and environmentally sustainable. These will be measured through a combination of KPIs listed in Table 12.1 of the London Plan 2021 and other performance measures which will be developed as part of the London Plan AMR.
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