TfL develops plans for river crossings in the east

03 March 2015
TfL to progress work on two new crossings - at Gallions Reach and Belvedere
"Delivering new river crossings to the east is going to be vital to the future success and prosperity of the Capital. They have the power to unlock areas for development, creating jobs and new homes, better connecting people, businesses and communities and helping manage the impact of population growth"
Boris Johnson
Mayor of London
  • More detailed plans to form part of a public consultation in the autumn

Transport for London (TfL) has today published the consultation report for new river crossings east of Silvertown, which has demonstrated there is overwhelming support for more crossings linking east and southeast London as part of the long term growth plans for this area.

Over 7,500 responses to the consultation were received of which more than 90 per cent of respondents supported the need for new river crossings in east London. The majority of respondents were more supportive of fixed link crossings, for example bridges, rather than ferry crossings although there were some concerns about local impacts such as increased traffic.

In response to this, TfL is now progressing work on two new crossings - at Gallions Reach connecting Thamesmead with the Royal Docks and at Belvedere, connecting north Bexley with Havering. These two new crossings would form part of a package that alongside the Silvertown tunnel would play a key role in supporting the population and employment growth forecast for London. The population of east London is forecast to increase by 600,000 in the period to 2031.

The new crossing at Gallions Reach would put an additional 70,000 businesses and 570,000 jobs within an average commuting time (37 minutes) of Thamesmead, supporting the regeneration plans for Thamesmead, and a new crossing at Belvedere would mean an additional 70,000 businesses and 165,000 jobs within an average commuting time of North Bexley. Creating a denser network of cross-river connections would greatly enhance the resilience of the road network in east and south-east London.

These two new crossings would also provide opportunities for new public transport connections and a range of different public transport options are now being considered. Over the next few months extensive work will take place to develop proposals for these two new crossings at Gallions Reach and Belvedere, taking into account the findings of this consultation report.

This work will:

  • Assess different bridge and tunnel options in both locations;
  • Consider public transport options on both crossings alongside facilities for pedestrians and cyclists;
  • Enable a greater understanding of likely impacts new river crossings could have on traffic flow and the environment and the type of mitigation necessary; and
  • Produce a clear business case for new river crossings, including options for funding the new crossings and the role of user charging to manage demand and fund the construction and operation.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said:

'Delivering new river crossings to the east is going to be vital to the future success and prosperity of the Capital. They have the power to unlock areas for development, creating jobs and new homes, better connecting people, businesses and communities and helping manage the impact of population growth. We've built the Emirates Air Line and we're pressing ahead with the Silvertown Tunnel, but we're going to have to do much more if we're to meet the challenges that an ever-growing city presents. We know from this consultation that Londoners are overwhelmingly in support of new crossings and TfL will now be pushing full steam ahead with plans for Gallions Reach and Belvedere.'

Richard de Cani, TfL's Managing Director of Planning, said:

'With the Capital's population forecast to grow to 10m people by 2030, with much of this growth expected in east London, it is vital we develop a network of additional river crossings in east London. With the Silvertown tunnel progressing towards an application for statutory powers at the end of 2015 and being completed by 2021/22, we are bringing forward work on these two additional crossings so they could be delivered by 2025.'

A further consultation on these new crossings at Gallions Reach and Belvedere is planned for autumn of this year.

Subject to securing funding and the necessary approvals, both crossings could be completed and open by 2025.

 

Notes to Editors:

•The results of the consultation are available online at: www.tfl.gov.uk/new-river-crossings
•The results of the consultation on the Silvertown Tunnel will be published by the end of March
•Further information on the Silvertown Tunnel proposals can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk/silvertown-tunnel