Success story

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The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) currently runs a two car service east and west from Canning Town to Beckton in east London. It runs adjacent to a range of development sites the majority of which are owned by the London Development Agency (LDA).

The Agency has a range of residential and mixed use sites either under construction, in planning or yet to be developed. These projects will therefore rely heavily on this service to allow residents and employees to travel to and from their homes or places of work.

Data provided by DLR indicated that overcrowding of the service will occur if all development in the area were brought forward as currently planned.

The completion of Crossrail will help regeneration of this area considerably, but it was thought that if commuters and residents struggled to get on a DLR service the impact of this regeneration would be significantly reduced and an opportunity missed.

The LDA worked with DLR to help facilitate the upgrade of the service from a two car to a three car service. The LDA contributed £2m towards the upgrade works out of a total of £18m secured from the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Department for Communities & Local Government.

By funding this increase in capacity the LDA aims to unlock the future development potential of its sites. There is a clear financial rationale behind the decision to support this project, which allows the LDA to protect and enhance the value of its landholdings within the area.

Investment in this project has clearly demonstrated to developers, investors, local people and local authorities that the LDA is committed to the regeneration of this deprived and marginalised area. The Crossrail project is due for completion in 2017. Investment now will ensure that the benefits of this pan-London infrastructure project are maximised for local residents now and in the future.