Planning for
Newham
Planning in Newham forms part of
Physical Regeneration and Development Services, a close grouping of
our planning, regeneration, transportation and building control
functions.
Planning is split into two parts:
- Forward Planning comprises policy, research
and transportation functions.
- Development Control comprises two service
units:
The Major Sites service unit deals with all major applications, the
majority of which fall within the Council's designated Arc of
Opportunity.
The Whole Borough service unit deals mainly with all other
development control functions, including all other applications,
and all appeals, enforcement and heritage matters.
Each unit is led by a Service Unit Manager: Victoria Geoghegan for
Major applications, Peter Rose for Whole Borough.
Administrative and technical support staff supplement all parts of
the planning service.
Staffing
Planning services are based at Newham Dockside,
London, E16.
The lead officers are:
Clive Dutton - Executive Director for
Regeneration, Planning & Property
John East - Divisional Director for Development
Services
Peter Rose - Service Unit Manager, Development
Control (Whole Borough)
Victoria Geoghegan - Service Unit Manager,
Development Control (Major Applications)
Karen Dennis - Head of Technical Support
Current challenges
As economic activity in the capital moves relentlessly eastwards,
the borough is facing ever-increasing pressures for development.
New infrastructure, new businesses and thousands of new homes have
begun to transform the landscape. Driving forward the development
of the borough are our planning and regeneration services.
Planning and regeneration services in Newham are central to our
overall vision for the Borough. This states that, 'By 2010 Newham
will be a major business location, a place where people choose to
live and work.'
Our Unitary Development Plan, adopted in June 2001, is reflective
of this vision and provides the framework through which our
planning services are directed and through which our vision is to
be realised, principally in the borough's Arc of Opportunity. The
Council's forthcoming Local Development Framework will develop this
further.
Our Arc of Opportunity extends from Stratford to the River Lea then
down the Lea to the Thames and eastwards to Beckton including the
former Royal Docks. It is the area where most of the Borough's
major development sites are concentrated. The sites include:
- Stratford City. A multi million pound scheme
centred on the new Stratford international station providing a new
shopping centre, offices, hotels, residential development, schools
and a range of community and leisure facilities. The station opens
in 2006/7 and development will be phased over the following 15
years or so.
- Olympics 2012. The site is west of Stratford
City extending to the Lea and is mainly within Newham. This area
will be the focus of a very high level of investment, funding
regeneration for residential, commercial, leisure and open space
uses plus support facilities.
- Other development sites along or near the Lea.
These are a series of large underused sites which we are happy to
see redeveloped. These are likely to provide significant
residential communities which will also require planning of
adequate education, health, open space and community services.
- Canning Town. Work will start in the next
couple of years and extend over a 15 year period to provide new and
refurbished homes as well as a new market and a Sainsbury's
supermarket, offices, better tube/bus/rail links and revised road
layouts.
- Developments in and around the Royal Docks.
Whilst many sites around the former Royal Docks have already been
developed with residential and offices schemes, and with
developments by East London University, ExCel Conference Centre and
City Airport, several major development sites remain. There is a
current application for an international Aquarium and some 4,500
residential units at Silvertown Quays opposite the Excel centre.
The University will be providing more accommodation for students as
well as extra teaching space and more residential sites are to be
built, as well as an expansion of City Airport. All this
development will benefit from an extension of the Docklands Light
Railway (DLR) from Canning Town to Silvertown via the Airport and
then under the Thames to Woolwich.
- Developments to the south of the Docklands Light
Railway extension and fronting the Thames. These are a
series of large sites which are vacant or contain general and
special industries as a legacy from when the docks were fully
active. In many ways this is the area of greatest challenge in
terms of ensuring there is sufficient industrial/commercial space
of the right type and size for the borough's needs in the future as
well as providing residential uses, shops, open space etc. to
create lively and viable communities as part of the overall
regeneration.
- New river crossing. There is to be a new
bridge across the Thames from Beckton linking in with the A13 and
A406 (North Circular Road) to the east end of the London Borough of
Greenwich near its boundary with the London Borough of
Bexley.
In addition to addressing these particular major development
pressures, a range of other day-to-day development pressures are
experienced across the borough.
Whether it's Stratford City, or just a single storey rear
extension, our aim is to respond through an efficient and effective
development control service. This means meeting the standards set
by the government's' Best Value Performance Indicators.
The Council's development control service operates a role of
specific performance indicators (PI's). Full details of these
indicators and of the Council's performance will be published
shortly.
Planning in Newham is not for anyone seeking a quiet life. But it
is for anyone seeking to help manage real change in a dynamic urban
environment, for anyone seeking to make their own contribution
through a forward-thinking professional service, whilst developing
their own skills and experience, and for anyone seeking to make a
difference.
Contact details
POSTAL ADDRESS ONLY:
Development Control Service
Regeneration & Development
London Borough of Newham
Newham Dockside
1st Floor, West Wing
Dockside Road
London
E16 2QU
Email:
development.control@newham.gov.uk
Duty Officer availability
Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm
Development Control Service
Regeneration and Development
London Borough of Newham
Town Hall Annexe
330-354 Barking Road
East Ham
London
E6 2RT
By telephone:
020 8 430 2000
By fax:
020 8 430 2901