Panel of experts to oversee Thames Gateway development

A board of experts is to be established to oversee the delivery of more than 140,000 homes by 2016 along the area known as the Thames Gateway in east London.

The body, to be set up by the Greater London Authority, will draw upon experience from a number of key players including the Housing Corporation, the London Development Agency, the Association of London Government and the Government Office for London.

The announcement came at a meeting at the GLA’s new City Hall headquarters, where further details were also revealed about the breakdown of the 140,000 new homes, announced as part of the July comprehensive spending review.

Deputy prime minister John Prescott has talked of the potential of a number of sites in the South-east such as the Thames Gateway for providing as many as 200,000 homes (HT 25 July, page 7).

The GLA-led group that is overseeing the plans for the area proposes to create six “zones of change” that will see the construction of new homes and extended transport links.

As many as 80,000 homes could be delivered in the London area of the Thames Gateway in the next 20 years, including 20,000 by 2007.

The partnership board will be established by December and further details of special purpose vehicles used to deliver the 80,000 homes will be released at the same time.

Referring to the deputy prime minister’s comments, Neale Coleman, the housing policy adviser to Ken Livingstone, said: “This fits extremely well with plans in the mayor’s London Plan. It is clear that [Prescott] is putting enormous emphasis on achieving new housing here.

“A clear, integrated policy framework is coming together. We are putting partnerships in place and are working very closely with the Housing Corporation on its investment strategy next year,” he added.

The GLA’s influence stretches to the London borough of Havering, although the Thames Gateway continues beyond this point into Kent.