Massive
change
The Trust's area is that part
of the London Borough of Newham which lies to the south of the A13 (Newham
Way. The area, stretching from Bow Creek to Barking Creek, has
a proud history rooted in the Royal Docks and the industry which came with
them. Today, though, the ships are long gone, and much of the
industry too, and the area is well on its way through a period of renewal,
refurbishment and huge change.
There are still many reminders of the past. The dockside
cranes on the south side of the Royal Victoria Dock have been carefully
preserved along with a good number of listed buildings such as the Gallions
Hotel and the old Warehouses now successfully incorporated into the
ExCel Exhibition Centre. Even in the new Thames Barrier park there is
the large Green Dock structure which seeks to remind us of the docklands
past. But mostly now the area has a very modern feel. Dotted
about the area are pockets of housing which survived the heavy bombing
of the Second World War but most people live in homes built after the
war. In Beckton and West Silvertown and elsewhere the housing
is very new - one of the fruits of the massive regeneration of the area
launched in the 1980s and 1990's under the auspices of the London Docklands
Development Corporation (LDDC) and which continues still, six years
after LDDC left the scene.
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Less
Isolated
And the area is now much less isolated and cut-off
than it used to be. With the LDDC came the Docklands Strategic
Highways which sought to open up the Docklands north of the River. In
the Royal Docks the new network included the Lower Lea Crossing, an
improved North Woolwich Road, a new Connaught Crossing, Royal Albert
Way and Royal Docks Road. The Docklands Light Railway was extended through
the area to Beckton and now a new branch is operating from Canning
Town to the City Airport - which offers flights to many of the major
destinations in Europe. The new line is now being extended to Woolwich Arsenal and consultations are in progress about an extension of the line eastwards into Barking.
The long awaited scheme to upgrade the A13 all the way to the M25 is
now complete much of the congestion on the Docklands
roads has now evaporated. In the future there is the prospect
that Crossrail might one day serve the area and there are plans for new river crossings.
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Economic Change
Some of the industrial activity of the area remains,
notably along the River. But the employment generated by the docks
has gone and much of the industry for which the area was well known
has now closed or moved elsewhere. But with the improved access
the area now enjoys, and its high profile as an area ripe for regeneration
with large sites for development, a new local economy is now growing. The
Airport was an early enterprise to bring new jobs to the area and now
there is ExCeL, Norton Healthcare and Phase I of the Royals Business
Park. The new hotels attracted by ExCeL, and the large retail
developments in Beckton, have also brought large numbers of new jobs.
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More
change to come...
But the process of change, and the growth in the population,
is far from complete with many new developments
still to come.Planning permission has now been granted for Silvertown Quays, a massive mixed development around
the Pontoon Dock with the new National Aquarium at its core. To the south the Minoco
Wharf and Peruvian Wharf developments are on the agenda and there is
the prospect of further development in the Royals Business Park on the
north side of the Royal Albert Dock. To the north in the Lower Lea Valley
there is the prospect of the huge developments centred around the bid
for the 2012 Olympic Games which will certaily have an impact on the
Royal Docks too.
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Facts and Figures
Location
The Trust's area is made up of the Royal Docks, Beckton
and Custom House wards of the London Borough of Newham and that part
of the Canning Town South Ward which lies to the south of the A13. The
area lies mostly in the E6 and E16 London Postal Districts.
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Services and Facilities
For information on local authority services visit Newham Council's website.
For details of local shopping and services, and on how best to reach
the area, visit Royal
Docks.info
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Census Data
The 2001 Census results provide a good insight to the
people living in the wards making up the Royal Docks - click below for
the detailed statistics reproduced here by kind permission of the National
Statistics Office:
Royal Docks
Ward
Beckton Ward
Custom House Ward
Canning Town South Ward*
* Only that part of this ward to the south of the A13
lies within the area of the Trust.
Note: The Census files
are in .pdf format and to view them you will need an Acrobat Reader.
This can be obtained free of charge by clicking the "Get Acrobat
Reader" icon.
Last updated: 8th May 2006
