Mayor of London consults on 26,500-home London Riverside Opportunity Area Planning Framework

The London Riverside Opportunity Area (LROA) is one of 38 areas of Greater London identified by the Greater London Authority as being capable of accommodating large scale development. It covers 3,000 hectares of land stretching from the Royal Docks in the west to Rainham Marshes in the east, and includes parts of the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham.

The LROA has been allocated for the delivery of at least new 26,500 homes and around 16,000 jobs in draft further alterations to the London Plan, which are proposed to be adopted next month. The draft LROA Planning Framework, published for consultation yesterday, is intended to form supplementary guidance to the London Plan. Once adopted, it will form a material consideration for planning applications and decision making in the LROA.

The Framework has proposed to support new residential developments at Barking Riverside, the Gascoigne Estate and "at sites along the River Roding and the A1306, including the housing zone bid areas in Barking town centre and at Beam Park/Rainham". It has proposed changing strategic industrial land at Thames Road in Creekmouth to residential use and the increased provision of intermediate housing through the mayor of London's First Steps programme.

Whilst Barking town centre would remain "the main focus for retail development" under the draft Framework, new district centres have been proposed at Barking Riverside, Beam Park and Chequers Corner. The document also recommends key changes to the transport infrastructure in the LROA, including a London Overground extension linking Barking town centre to the Barking Riverside development, a new railway station at Beam Park and improvements to Barking Station and the A13.

London's deputy mayor for planning, Sir Edward Lister, said in a statement: "The capital is now home to a record number of people and we are working tirelessly to ensure we have the homes, jobs and transport infrastructure to support the city's unprecedented growth. London Riverside can deliver genuinely affordable high quality housing for Londoners in a fantastic Thameside setting."

The consultation will be open until 20 March.