Mayor asks TfL to apply for powers to start work on London Overground extension to Barking Riverside

A London Overground extension to Barking Riverside has been given the green light by London mayor Boris Johnson.

The mayor has asked TfL to apply for powers to start construction, who will now apply to government for a Transport and Works Act Order to start work on a 4.5km extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

The extension would deliver Overground services to a new station in the centre of Barking Riverside, with construction beginning in late 2017 and train services starting by 2021.

Johnson said: “The unequivocal support for this extension shows what an impact the line will make to Barking, and I’m delighted that we’re ready to take it forward and ensure Barking Riverside realises its full potential.”

Around £70m of the £263m project will be funded by housing association London and Quadrant (L&Q), as part of a 51% stake in a 10,800-home regen scheme at Barking Riverside that it bought from Bellway Homes.

GLA will provide £102m in funding for the Overground extension and the rest will be provided by TfL.

L&Q will deliver the scheme in a joint venture with the Greater London Authority, and plans to quadruple the level of housebuilding on site to 600 homes a year.

Bellway Homes has retained an option in the joint venture to build a “significant” number of the planned new homes on the site.