Thames Gateway Bridge plans ditched for housing

Plans dating back more than 85 years to build the £500m Thames Gateway Bridge have finally been axed to free up land for development.

A safeguarding order protecting land around the proposed bridge has been lifted by transport minister Simon Lightwood.

In a written statement to parliament last Friday (18 July), he said the move reflected the government’s commitment to ensuring transport and infrastructure supports housing delivery and drives growth as part of its Plan for Change. 

He said the outdated order had been an “obstacle” to vital development and was no longer needed as London’s transport needs were now different following major investments in London’s river crossings – notably the Dartford Crossing and the Silvertown Tunnel.

“Safeguarding is an important planning tool used to protect land for future transport schemes from conflicting development,” Lightwood said.

“It was intended to protect land for a road crossing that has not been delivered. Since then, London’s transport priorities have evolved. 

“The safeguarding directions therefore no longer align with the direction of transport policy or the evolving needs of this part of London.

“The continued safeguarding of this land has been an obstacle to much-needed development, and I am therefore lifting these directions. 

“The government is keen to deliver new homes and unlock economic opportunity, and we are taking steps to remove unnecessary barriers to progress.”

In May, the Crown Estate and Lendlease signed a £24bn partnership to develop housing, as well as science and innovation districts, across the UK.

The partners said the programme would deliver 26,000 homes, of which about one-third would be classed as affordable, and up to 930,000 square metres of laboratory and workspace.

Sites named for development include areas around Euston station, Thamesmead Waterfront and Silvertown in London.

The idea for the Thames Gateway Bridge was first raised in the 1940s, and in 2004 it was proposed once more with preliminary planning permission, but in 2008, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London at the time,  cancelled the scheme.

In 2009, a scaled-down version was proposed but this too was axed in 2016.