Sadiq Khan has suggested that he would like to see the DLR extended even further than planned. The Mayor of London said that this would help address the ‘paucity’ of Transport for London (TfL) services in South East London.
New Conservative London Assembly Member Thomas Turrell, who was elected to represent Bexley and Bromley in May, said during the first Mayor’s Question Time of Mr Khan’s third term on Thursday (May 23) the Bexley Council is ‘very supportive’ of TfL’s plan to extend the DLR to Thamesmead.
He added that it ‘would like that extension to run all the way to Belvedere to link with the existing rail network’. AM Turrell then asked Mr Khan if he or his deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, would meet with himself and the council to discuss it further.
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The mayor said: “I’m more than happy to arrange for the deputy mayor to meet with you and the leader of the council as well. You’ll be aware of the difference it could make to your community. I’m also well aware of the paucity of TfL services currently to your borough. So I’m really keen to do whatever we can to assist.
Current plans for DLR extension
In February, TfL announced that it is planning on building two brand new DLR stations as part of an extension of the network from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead via Beckton Riverside. This would involve building a new tunnel under the River Thames.
A public consultation was launched and residents had their say from February 5 until March 18. Contributions are now being reviewed by officials.
Bosses say up to 30,000 new homes could be ‘unlocked’ along the route extension in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Newham – where the new City Hall is located. The extension would also support the creation of up to 10,000 jobs, TfL adds.
Bexley Council said in its infrastructure delivery plan in 2019: “Potential routeing beyond Thamesmead to provide an interchange with the North Kent Line was looked at in early modelling and an extension to Belvedere was found to be technically feasible.” The authority added that a further extension beyond Thamesmead to Belvedere ‘is a future aspiration’.
The document also said: “DLR to Belvedere provides the council with a potential to include considerably higher density development around Belvedere station in the last five years of the plan period. Likewise, an intermediate station near Yarnton Way could be a catalyst for additional development to the east side of Southmere lake in South Thamesmead.”
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