What should planners in the new Millenium learn from the redevelopment of the London Docklands?
What should planners in the new Millenium learn from the redevelopment of the London Docklands?
I will look, in detail, at the different areas of the London Docklands, and how each one has been developed. I will look at the facilities, and the housing. I will also be commenting on whether the redevelopment have solved the problems that existed before the redevelopment. I will see if the redevelopment have created any new problems in the area, and which parts of the redevelopment have been a success, and which haven't.
My project will be in four sections. The first one will be background information on the Docklands, where they are, why did they decline, and background information on the LDDC. The second section will be about what the LDDC has achieved, what type of housing has been built and are there enough facilities. The third section will explore whether the developments have been a success, and who has benefited from their development. The fourth, and final section, will be my plans for the only undeveloped dock, the Royal Docks. I will take into account the present redevelopment, and design mine according to the successes and failures of the current developments.
I visited the London Docklands area on a school field trip, and while I was there I collected primary data, in the form of leaflets, newspapers, photographs etc. I visited the different areas of the London Docklands, and saw how each one is different. I traveled on the Docklands Light Railway, and visited the London City Airport. These are both new facilities, and I collected data on each. I collected as much primary data as I could, and I noted down any observations of each area. I also had a booklet to fill in, provided by school. I have been provided with a data booklet, and I have also done research on the Internet to find more secondary data.
Background to the London Docklands
The London Docklands are situated 10 kilometers down stream from Tower Bridge. They cover 55 miles of waterfront, and 10 miles of the River Thames runs through the Docklands area. The soft London Clay was very easy to excavate in Victorian times. The redevelopment covers 22 square kilometers of derelict docks. £11 billion was invested in the redevelopment, and it took less than 15.
Between 1760 and 1960, London was the largest trading port in the world. 30 to 40% of Britains imports came through the London Docks. The first, smallest, and oldest docks were built upstream near the city. The area was covered in warehouses guarded against theft and smuggling. At the end of the 19th century, there were many industries operating in the Docklands area. These included tobacco, furniture manufacturing, processing of imported food and drink, leather goods and shipbuilding. Lots of engineering and transport wharves, warehouses and factories were built in the area to cope with the dramatic increase in industry. The narrow streets in the area were filled with cheap accommodation for the dock-workers. There were a few larger houses and estates for the dock officials, but these tended to be further away from the docks themselves. The docks, at this stage, covered over 5500 acres of land and nearly 50,000 ships visited the docks each year.
In the years up to World War II, the docks were receiving up to 1000 ships a week. During World War II, the docks were over used. The technology in other docks around the world also began to improve, and the London docks started to loose some business. During the 1960's, the docks continued to decline, and at the end of the sixties, the docks began to close. Entire industries lost all business, and left the area. This effected other industries, with a chain reaction style effect. Newer and more hi-tech docks, which were easier for larger ships to access, were built up stream near Tilbury. There was also more room for expansion. As the docks declined, un-employment and poverty in the area grew.
The London Docklands declined, due to a number of reasons:
. The River Thames began to silt up. This made it very difficult for ships to get up the river.
2. The London Docks were not equipped to cope with containers. Sacks, which were used to transport goods, took days to load onto ships. Containers could be loaded in a matter of minutes, and they held a much larger volume of goods. Larger ships were needed to transport the containers, and these ships couldn't travel up the Thames.
3. Shipping was no longer the main method of transporting goods.
4. Larger ports were opened in central Europe, and the size meant that their prices were cheaper.
5. Britain was losing its empire, and as a result of country's independence, they were not forced to trade with Britain and chose to trade with different ports
6. High labour costs in the area were not competitive, so business moved elsewhere.
7. The Docks were poorly managed, and so the workers did not have a good relationship with Port of London Authority.
The below table shows when each dock opened, and when they closed:
OPENED
CLOSED
St Katherine's
828
969
West India
832
980
Millwall
866
980
Albert
880
981
King George V
921
981
Royal Victoria
855
981
The table shows that all but one of the docks closed between 1980 and 1981. The docks obviously declined at a very fast rate, and once one dock closed, the rest quickly followed.
The decline of the London docks caused problems for the local businesses. Lots of the big businesses from the area were leaving such as ship making factories. The smaller local firms made parts for the larger firms and as the larger firms disappeared so did the small firms. It was estimated that for every job that was lost in the docks 3 jobs in local business disappeared. The registered dock employment fell from 25,000 in 1960, to 4,000 in 1981. Between 1961, and 1971, the Docklands lost 106,000 jobs in manufacturing and transport. The population of the docks fell dramatically, as the locals moved away to find more work. Land values in the area decreased. The Docklands area became an area with a high un-employment rate, and high crime rate.
The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC)
The LDDC (London Docklands Development Corporation) was set up by the government in 1981. It was established under the Local Government Planning and Land Act of 1980 and folded on the 31st March 1998. The Act allows the Secretary of State for Environment to designate areas that need urban development (UDA), and to establish an Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to regenerate the UDA.
Michael Heseltine, the Secretary of State for Environment at the time, was flying over the London Docklands in a helicopter when he had the idea of developing the Docklands into what it is today. The open land inspired him, and he immediately started to plan the Docklands. The London Docklands Development Corporation was the first UDC. The targets of the LDDC were:
. Develop the land into an effective and economic area for work and living
2. Create an attractive environment for people to live and work in
3. Build new housing and social facilities that were available to everyone, especially those living and working in the Docklands
The LDDC was given complete control over the development process in Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Newham. The LDDC invested the government's money in the areas by building new roads and improving communications. It then sold the land onto private developers, who in-turn built houses and work places. Between 1981 1987 the LDDC invested in £250 million, and brought in £2,200 million. These show a profit ratio of 1:9. Between 1981 and 1995, the LDDC used £1 billion of the government's money, but brought in eight billion pounds of private investment.
The LDDC had the power to acquire freehold and leasehold of land from private owners, the Port of London Authority (formally the main landowner in Docklands) and public bodies (electricity boards etc). In 1987 the LDDC owned 1,000 acres of the 5,000 acres of land in the Docklands. Private developers and public bodies owned the rest. At one point, the LDDC owned 400 acres of water, the Royal Victoria Docks, West India Docks, Millwall Docks, and the remains of the Surrey docks. It also had a lease on the Royal Albert Docks and the George V Docks.
Some people opposed the LDDC because the local residents were not consulted over any of the decisions. They also felt that the new private housing was too expensive for the locals that already lived there, and they thought that the new jobs didn't go to the locals. Others supported the LDDC as they felt that it solved the big problem caused by the docks effectively, and that the cost was not too high. The unemployment rate in the area was high, and the young people were leaving, as there were no opportunities for them at the Docks. The local councils couldn't agree on how to solve the problem, but couldn't afford to solve it anyway. The LDDC developed the west Docklands first. This was because the west Docklands is nearer the city, which means that it is easier to sell than the east. The LDDC had a limited source of money, and needed to make more money, so they could develop the rest of the Docklands. To do this, they developed the west, sold the land, and with the money made, started to develop the east. The west was easy to sell, but the east would be hard to sell as it is away from the city. Local residents living in the east were very upset about this decision, as they felt that the area that they lived in, needed re-developing more than the west. They felt that the LDDC was set up to develop the Docklands, not just the west Docklands. They had only been given an airport, which provided noise and pollution, and a college with rowdy students. They had been given a DLR connection, but this was expensive to ride every-day.
The LDDC spent one thousand nine hundred million pounds on developing the Docklands, and the below table shows how the money was spent.
Buying Land
9%
Reclaiming land
7%
Installing electricity and water
8%
Road and transport
32%
Environment
6%
DLR
6%
Low cost housing
8%
Community and industry
5%
Advertising
%
Administration
8%
This shows that 48% of the money was spent on improving transport connections to the Docklands. If the Docklands were not easily accessible, then business and residents would not be attracted. The LDDC felt that transport was the most important factor in attracting people to the area, and so they spent the most money on it. Al this money was spent on only preparing the Docklands for private developers to develop it.
Transport
If the Docklands re-development was to be a success, the transport had to be improved so that the area was accessible. There are 6 main modes of transport in the Docklands, Docklands Light Railway, Jubilee Line Extension, London City Airport, Buses, Roads, and River Buses.
Docklands Light Railway
The aim of the Docklands Light Railway was to improve access to the Docklands by connection to the underground and the main rail network. It was the largest investment in transport in the Docklands re-development. The overall cost of the DLR was £77 million, and the government and London Regional Transport (LRT) jointly funded it. It was built by GEC/Mowlem and was completely computerised. The computers automatically control the trains, but there is a Passenger Service Agent on each train. Their job is to control the doors, check tickets, and assist any passengers that may require it. The ticket prices are the same as the underground. Docklands Light Railway Ltd run the DLR and they have a 7 year franchise, which started in April 1997. Before this date, the DLR was wholly owned by the LRT, and after that, part of the LDDC.
Construction on the DLR started in 1984, and was completed within 3 years. The first section was opened on 30th of July 1987 by Queen Elizabeth II. This section linked the Tower of London to the Isle of Dogs. In 1986 the DLR was granted planning permission to build an underground link, connecting to the London Underground at Bank. This extension cost £200 million. It was again jointly funded, this time by the LTR and the developers of Canary Wharf. The 1 1/2 kilometer twin tunnels were opened in 1991. Trains double the length of the regular trains could travel along these tunnels and this doubled the capacity of passengers able to travel along the line. A 2 coach train could carry 84 seated passengers, and up to 120 standing passengers. The DLR was carrying 32,000 passengers a day in 1988.
In 1993, a new signal system was installed, which was 98% reliable. This meant that more trains could travel along the DLR, and the trains could travel at higher speeds. In 1994, an 8 kilometer extension was installed, linking the DLR to Beckton, and including 11 new stations. At Prince Regent, there was a shuttle bus system installed, carrying passengers to the LCA.
In 1996, work began on a £200 million, 4.2 kilometer extension to Greenwich and Lewisham. This section is now open. It includes another 7 stations, and provides a link to the London Arena; a popular destination for concerts, gigs, and ice hockey matches (London Knights).
It is expected that 15 million people will travel on the DLR each year. It provides access to Beckton, Lewisham and Bank for over five hundred thousand people living in South London, and commuters from Surrey and Kent as shown in fig. 1. A new one and a half kilometer extension, to the LCA is planned to be opened in about two thousand and three. By then, it is predicted that the LCA will handle over 2 1/2 million passengers a year. The DLR will save a predicted 500,000 car journeys each year.
The DLR is ...
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It is expected that 15 million people will travel on the DLR each year. It provides access to Beckton, Lewisham and Bank for over five hundred thousand people living in South London, and commuters from Surrey and Kent as shown in fig. 1. A new one and a half kilometer extension, to the LCA is planned to be opened in about two thousand and three. By then, it is predicted that the LCA will handle over 2 1/2 million passengers a year. The DLR will save a predicted 500,000 car journeys each year.
The DLR is now over 20 kilometers long, and is open 7 days a week, 364 days a year. It is capable of carrying 18,000 each hour, and carries, on average50,000 passengers each day. It is a £700 million system with 36 stations.
Fig.1 shows a map of the DLR destinations
STICK IN MAP IN GREEN LONDON DOCKLANDS AND GREENWICH LEAFLET ON THIS PAGE
Fig.2 shows the sites that can be visited using the DLR
Fig.3 shows a DLR train
Jubilee Line Extension
The London Underground was first opened on 10th January 1863, using steam trains running over four miles (six km) of track between Paddington and Farringdon Street. Nowadays there are eleven lines covering 254 miles (408 Km), with 270 stations.
During the early 1980's, the need for a direct rail link between central London and the London Docklands was recognised. An East London Rail study commissioned by the department of transport was conducted, and it was revealed that the best option would be to install a second line going to the Docklands. This line is the 16 kilometer extension to the existing London Underground Jubilee Line, with 6 main tunnel sites, 11 station sites, 1 depot, and 18 operating sites. The extension goes from Green Park, to Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Bermondsey, Canada Water, Canary Wharf, North Greenwich, Canning Town, West Ham and Stratford. The Line is underground from Green Park to Canning Town, and then over ground from there to Stratford. There is a connection to the DLR at Stratford.
The North Greenwich Peninsula, a derelict industrial site, appears an unlikely location for an underground station, let alone the biggest underground train station in the world. However the area was the location of the Millennium Dome, and even before these plans were announced it was part of the Port Greenwich development planned by British Gas. The new station is very important in the regeneration of the area. The station, designed by Alsop and Stormer , is about 400 yards long, 22 yards wide, and 22 yards deep. It's hanging concourse and banks of escalators show off the architecture and structure work. 42 massive pillars support the roof and the whole area has a light blue tiled colour scheme to maximise light and the feeling of space. This improves the public's view of the station, if they appreciate the atmosphere of the station. The station has park and ride facilities for 1,000 cars and a major bus interchange within a few hundred yards of the Blackwall Tunnel motorway approach road, the A102.
The Jubilee line extension cost £2.76 billion to build and relief of the central area traffic in Central London and Docklands is 1 of it's objectives. It is the only underground line that is connected to all the other London Underground Line. The trains come every 2 1/2 minutes (23 each hour), and this means that 50,000 passengers can travel on the Jubilee Line extension every hour.
Below is an extract from "Benefits of the Jubilee Line Extension: A Summary", produced in July 1995 by the Jubilee line extension project Public Relations Department.
"The Jubilee line extension will:-
* Provide two extra strategic river crossings to the area; east to Canning Town & Stratford and west to the Isle of Dogs, Inner South London and the West End, firmly anchoring the area to the rest of Docklands.
* Act as a catalyst to regenerate this inner city contaminated site through encouraging and supporting the proposed housing and office scheme.
* Relieve road traffic on river crossings, particularly the Blackwall Tunnel.
* Give access to Underground services for a wider area of south London via a major bus network from North Greenwich bus station to areas such as Charlton and Eltham bringing the benefits of Docklands developments within easy reach of wide areas south of the river.
* Link the large SE London population ([London Borough of] Greenwich population is 220,000, [London Borough of] Lewisham 230,000 and [London Borough of] Bexley 220,000) with the growing employment north of the river.
* Provide a 500 space new park and ride facility with scope to expand to 1,000 spaces if justified. This facility could help ease pressure for car access into the Isle of Dogs.
"The North Greenwich Peninsula is very isolated at present. The Jubilee line extension direct link to Stratford of 7 minutes compares to the present 33 minutes by bus. To the West End a future journey of 20 minutes to Bond Street compares to current journey of 49 minutes by BR and the existing Jubilee line via Charing Cross.
"The greatly improved journey times and easy access afforded by the Jubilee line extension was a vital factor taken into account for the successful Greenwich Millennium celebration bid."
Fig.4 shows the jubilee line's destinations
Fig. 5 shows the building of the Greenwich tube station
River Boats
The LDDC built a number of piers on the Thames to allow the use of the river for access for commuters. IN May nineteen eighty-eight, the riverboat service was started. The Riverbus Partnership owned it, and operated it. The boats used were jet-powered catamarans. This craft was chosen according to the criteria of a riverbus:
. NO wash
2. Easily manoeuvrable
3. Not damaged easily drift wood
4. Travel at forty k/h to compete with roads
The riverbuses could hold 62 people, and travelled at 24 knots (over 40k/h). They ran between Chelsea Harbour and Chelsea, calling at Charing Cross, South bank and London Bridge Station. Another route ran between Charing Cross Pier, and the London City Airport, in the Royal Docks.
The riverbus service was closed in 1998 as only 70% of the passengers needed to travel to cover cost used the boats. Now only pleasure boat services operate for tourists.
Roads in Docklands
A good road system was essential if the Docklands re-development was to be a success. 30% of the office workers in the Docklands area drive to work. The A13 was the main road in the area, running east to west. This was busy with heavy goods vehicles and traffic going west across the country. The department of transport undertook improvements on the A13 and surrounding roads. New roads south of the A13, connecting Wapping, I the west, to the Royal Docks, in the east. These roads were linked to the Docklands, and the A13.
In November 1989, work began on the Limehouse Link, a 1.8 kilometre, 4 lane tunnelled east to west link from Poplar road to the Highway in Wapping. It cost £250 million1, and was over 2,000% more expensive to build per mile than the M25.
Some council houses were destroyed during the building of the Limehouse Link, and the LDDC re-homed all the residents of these homes. The LDDC built lots of local access roads, in and around the London Docklands. New lighting, drainage and electricity were installed during these improvements, to make the roads safe, and long lasting. Over 130 of roads were built in the Docklands.
London Docklands Bus Services
Thousands of locals, commuters and visitors use the buses each day. 25% of all commuters use a bus within their journey. The London Docklands has the fastest growing bus network in the country. 90 new networks have been set up around the Isle of Dogs and the Surrey Docks. 91 more new routes connect Canary Wharf, London Bridge and Liverpool Street Station.
In 1992 there was a bus every 2 minutes on the main routes. New interchanges in Canada Water and Canning Town, in conjunction with the Jubilee Line Extension. All the bus routes connect with at least one of the following:
. Docklands Light Railway
2. Jubilee Line Extension
3. Connex South East Stations
The bus station at the Docklands Light Railways Prince Regent Station is only a 3 minute ride from London City Airport.
The basic routes for the buses are:
D1-docklands express- Isle of Dogs to Waterloo and London Bridge
D10-Canary Wharf and
D11-London Bridge and Liverpool Street
Cycle Routes
Bridges, subways, and cycle paths at the side of the roads were supplied, as the LDDC wanted to ensure that the needs of cyclists were not neglected.
London City Airport
The idea of having an inner city airport in the Docklands was first thought of in 1981. Later in 1981, the first study for a short take off and landing airport (STOL-port) by Mowlem and Co., with backing from the LDDC. The London Borough of Newham conducted two public opinion polls. The result was that 2:1 majority were in favour of the airport. In February 1986, after 3 years planning, work began on the LCA. On 26th October 1987, the LCA opened for commercial flights only. The terminal cost £30 million, and had an area of 33,000 square feet. On 5th November, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the LCA to all business. In 1992, the runway was extended.
The LCA's range covers most UK and European airports. There are over 700 flights a week from the LCA, and during peak time, there are 10 flights each hour. At peak time, a plane takes of or lands every 5 to 10 minutes7 The airport is open from 6 am to 10 pm. It is busiest with business people from seven to 9 am, and from 4 to 7 pm.
Only small planes use the LCA, due the length of the runway. The runway is 1/3 of the length of the runways at Gatwick Airport. There is no room for an extension to the runway, and planning permission would not be granted anyway. This is because the LCA is situated in the middle of a built up area, with residential areas near-by. The problem with there only being small planes, is that the flights are very expensive (more than flights from larger airports) and there are lots of flights to cater for the fact that each plane doesn't hold many people.
The location of the LCA is perfect for it's criteria. It is on the quay in-between Albert Dock and George V Dock. It is only 6 miles from the City of London. Heathrow is 16 miles from the City Centre, and Gatwick 25. The LCA is only a 3 minute bus ride from the nearest DLR station, Prince Regent Street. There are buses from the airport to Liverpool Street Station that only take 10 minutes. This service runs every 20 minutes. The Silver Metro Bus, running to Richmond, leaves the Airport every 30 minutes. 3 London Buses stop at the Airport, the 473 to Stratford, the 473 to North Woolwich, and the 69 to Walthamshow. The Airport has easy access to 2 motorways, the M11 and the M25. Fig 6 shows access to LCA by public transport.
2 airlines fly to and from the LCA; Aer Lingus, Air France, British European, Crossair, Gandalf Airlines, KLM Alps, KLM uk, Lufthansa, Luxair, Sabena, ScotAirways and VLM.
They fly to 26 locations; Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Basel, Belfast-City, Berne, Bordeaux, Brussels, Clermont-Ferrand, Dublin, Dundee, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Jersey, Le Harve, Luxembourg, Milan, Münster, Paris, Rennes, Rotterdam and Zürich.
Fig 7 shows the number of flights to each destination per day. It shows that Dublin is the most flown to airport. Dublin is not a business centre like Paris, or Edinburgh, so business is not the reason of most of the flights. The reason that Dublin is the most flown to airport from the LCA is that there is a large Irish community in the area surrounding the LCA. In the early 19th century, communities of Irish people were established in the Wapping area, and many still remain today. Another reason could also be that Dublin is the most visited capitol in Europe at the moment, and business there is booming.
The LCA is aimed at business people, not holidaymakers. The airport suites business people, as no time is wasted. Check in time is 10 minutes before take off, and there are no queues in the terminal, because on average, only 200 people are in the building at once. There is also no plane queuing as there are a limited number of flights per day, meaning that only 1 plane is trying to get on to the runway at once.
The services provided at the LCA are mainly aimed at business people. The facilities consist of; a business and conference centre, restaurants and bars, brassiere, florist, telephones, fax machines, cash points, bureaux de change, newsagents, bookshop, travel/hotel reservations, car hire, shoe repairs, baby feeding room and toilets. The duty free shopping section is very small, as business people don't generally have time to buy things in shops. The shops in the duty free section are; clothing, gifts, leather products, business products, luxury foods and footwear. Fig 8 shows all the shops in the airport in a pie chart.
PASSENGER INFO BOOKLET
Fig. 6 shows how the LCA is accessed by public transport
It shows that the LCA is easily accessible from all areas via public transport, encouraging people to fly from there, as they don't have to leave their car at the airport.
Fig 7 shows the number of flights that go to each destination from the LCA each day.
It shows that Dublin is the most flown to airport, although a lot of flights also go to Edinburgh each day, only one less than to Dublin.
Fig. 8 shows the services available at the LCA
It shows that there are not many shops, and most of the facilities are aimed at business people. Mostly the services are restaurants and bars, which business people may use on their way through the airport. The are not many shops as business people usually don't have time for shopping.
Who has benefited from the developments in transport?
The improvements in transport have benefited local residents, commuters, and visitors. The extensive public transport system ensures that most places are accessible. The local residents can easily access the centre of London easily, and from here they can visit the whole country. The commuters have also benefited as a reasonably priced, quick alternative to driving to work has been provided. This has reduced the number of cars in the area. The London City Airport also provides transport for business, who can visit other areas of the world, or can fly in clients, very close to their business in the Docklands. The London City Airport has also benefited the local residents as they also have quick access to the airport, which they can access by public transport.
Have the developments been a success?
The transport developments have encouraged people to use public transport, and reduced the number of cars on the roads. They provide a reasonably priced alternative to travelling by car. The improved transport will help attract business and residents to the area, as easy accessibility to the centre of London is very important. The Jubilee Line makes this journey a lot easier as well.
The improved transport has attracted more people to the area, and the Docklands can cope with this increase in people. It has been designed to cope with large numbers of people. The planning of the London Docklands co-ordinated all the aspects of the development well.
I believe that the improvements in transport have been a success, as they have attracted more people to the area, and have also reduced the number of cars in the area, therefore reducing pollution, and making the area more pleasant.
Leisure in the London Docklands Area
With an expanse of 55 miles of waterfront in the Docklands, it is no surprise that water sports are very popular.
There are lots of water sports facilities available in the London Docklands area, with fully qualified instructors to teach you:
. Canoeing
2. Water-skiing
3. Sailing
4. Rowing
5. Jet-skiing
There is also a wide range of other sports available in the Docklands area. These include
. Golf driving range
2. Health clubs
3. Fitness gyms
4. Ten pin Bowling
5. Ski slope
6. Sports grounds
7. Sports centres
There are lots of leisure activities available in the London Docklands Area. These include:
. Pubs, Clubs and Bars
2. Cinemas
3. Theatres
4. London Arena (Ice Hockey, Concerts, Boxing etc)
5. Ski Slope
6. Fishing
One sports centre, situated near Crossharbour DLR station, has bowls, tennis, cricket, football, squash and badminton. This is open to the public as well as members.
There is also a farm in the London Docklands. It is aimed at the younger generation, and it is called Mudchute Farm. It covers thirty-two acres of land, and has three urban farms within its vaccinity. It offers riding lessons, a nature trail, and wide range of animals and the opportunity to try the farms produce. Over twenty thousand school children visit the farm each year, and it is a commercial farm.
The Millenium Dome closed on 31st December 2000. The Millenium Dome housed 15 exhibitions with the following themes: Work, Learning, Money, Body, Play, Journey, Shared Ground (communities), Living Island (a look at the UK's environment), Home Planet (global travel), Talk (communication and the future), Faith (and Belief), Rest, Mind, Self Portrait (UK people and places) and Skyscape (two two-thousand seat cinemas, hosting live events and concerts).
Up to 6 live shows were performed in the central arena of the Millenium Dome every day, featuring a cast of up to 200 performers, music and visual effects.
The Dome is a huge construction, large enough to fit Wembley Stadium inside - twice! 100,000 square metres of fabric are stretched across 43 miles of cable inside its one kilometre circumference. At its centre the Millenium Dome reaches a height of 50 metres.
Fig. 9 shows the Millenium Dome, and it's futuristic design.
Fig. 9 shows the Millenium Dome
Who has benefited from the developments in leisure facilities?
I think that visitors have benefited more from the developments in leisure activities than the locals. The locals would most probably use the Sports Centres, and the fitness gyms, but I think that people will travel from other locations to use the Water-sports facilities. I think that the water-sports would be too expensive for the locals, and also they are very time-consuming. The developments in leisure will attract more people to the area, which in turn will help local business.
Have the developments been a success?
I believe the developments have been a success, but not in the fact that they provide a service to the locals. I think that the developments have been a success in the fact they will attract more people to the area, and therefore aid the development of local business. If major events are hosted at the facilities, this will promote the London Docklands, and maybe attract more visitors. The London Arena will attract lots of people, due to the events that re hosted there, but few of these people will be locals.
Business
One of the tasks of the LDDC was to:
"Encourage the development of existing and new industry and commerce"
The Enterprise Zone was set up by the LDDC in 1982, and it lasted for 10 years. The aim of the project was to encourage business into the London Docklands area. The Enterprise Zone gave businesses that set up in Docklands, the following benefits:
. No land tax
2. No rates on industrial and commercial property
3. 100% allowances for corporation and income tax purposes for capital expenditure on industrial and commercial buildings
4. No need to apply to local council for planning permission (the LDDC was the planning authority in the Enterprise Zone
,300 companies have arrived in the London Docklands since 1981. There has been a 56% increase in employers in the area since 1981. Companies that had premises in the Docklands, and other parts of London have re-located to the Docklands, as there is lot of space. The Daily Telegraph is one example of this. The Daily telegraph offices were in Fleet Street, Central London, and they were small with no room for expansion. They have now moved to the Docklands (Canary Wharf), and under the benefits of the Enterprise Zone, have expanded the new offices cheaply and easily. Hotels have been built, which are aimed at business people, not tourists. They have facilities that a businessperson might need, computers, fax etc.
Most of the businesses are situated near a method of public transport. This is so the workers can access their work place via public transport. Also customers can easily access the business. The Isle o Dogs is the most popular business place, and is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street on Water.
Canary wharf is at the centre of the business developments in the London Docklands area. It has over 1 million square feet of floor space, and it employs over 25,000 employees. 99.5% of Canary wharf is let. It is predicted that 2002, Canary Wharf will employ over 43,000 employees. Queen Elizabeth opened Canary Wharf in 1985. The tower is situated in West India Dock, 1 1/2 miles east of the old central business district of Central London. Canada Tower is in the centre of the complex, and is 250 tall. It is the tallest building in England, and is the tallest office block in Europe.
Canary wharf has:
. Ten office buildings
2. Conference centre
3. Health club
4. Shops
There are 61 retailers, 33 bars, cafes and restaurants and 7 banks. The shops cover all needs and interests, and a few of them are aimed at locals. Boots is one example, but most of the other shops are specialist clothes or food shops.
The developers of Canary wharf, Olympia and York went bankrupt during the development. In 1992, their worldwide debts were £2.11 million American dollars. Canary Wharf has still been a very successful project. In 1997, the complex was estimated too have the value of £2 thousand million.
Fig 10, on the next page, shows the major tenants at Canary wharf.
COMPANY
FIELD
Agence du Madeicament
Pharmaceutical
Bank Of China International
Finance
Bear Stearns International
Finance
CS First Boston
Finance
Credit Suisse Financial Products
Finance
Credit Suisse
Finance
The European agency for the evaluation of medical products
Pharmaceutical
Eurotunnel
Transport
The Independent
Media
KPMG
Accountants
Live TV (now closed due to violation of broadcasting rules and regulations)
Media
London Underground
Transport
Maersk Company
Transport
Mirror Group Newspapers
Media
Morgan Stanley UK Group
Accountants
Ogilvy and Mather
Advertising
The Personal Investment Authority
Finance
State Street bank and trust
Finance
Texaco Limited
Oil
The Telegraph
Media
Fig. 10 shows the main tenants at Canary Wharf
Fig. 11 shows the types of company that are the main tenants at Canary wharf
The table and Doughnut chart show that the majority of the main tenants at Canary wharf are in Finance. The least number of companies in a particular field is Oil and Advertising.
This shows that the types of businesses attracted to the area have brought skilled jobs, as finance requires qualified workers.
Employment in Canary Wharf
Most of the main tenants at Canary Wharf are businesses that have moved from other parts of London. This means that they will probably already have employees, and that the only jobs available to locals would be in cleaning, and shop assistants in the shopping complex. Lots of people feel that this is not what the LDDC set out to achieve, and that taxpayers money has been wasted on giving existing businesses a cheap place to move to. The LDDC set out to improve the high rate of un-employment, and if businesses are bringing their own employees with, then it defeats the object of attracting new businesses to the area.
The average cost of creating a job is about £3,000 to £6,000. The LDDC spent £1.96 million on developing the London Docklands, and they have only so far created 86,000 jobs. This means that each job that has been created has cost 23,000 pounds. This may seem a lot of money, and well over the average, but no more money is being put into London Docklands, but more and more jobs are being created. Over time, the figure should balance itself out as more jobs are created.
Fig. 12 (next page) shows the unemployment in Tower hamlets in nineteen eighty-nine. This should show whether the developments have reduced unemployment in the London Docklands for residents of the area, or if most employees commute to work in the Docklands.
Fig.12 shows the unemployment in tower Hamlet in nineteen eighty-nine in a choropleth map
The above choropleth map shows that the areas developed by the LDDC do not have a lower percentage of unemployment than the other areas not developed by the LDDC. The average percentage of unemployment in the areas developed by the LDDC in 1989 was 13.25%. This is 0.005% higher than the areas not developed by the LDDC.
This shows that the LDDC had in 1989 attracted business that didn't help the development of the local residents to the area. The jobs that were created by the new businesses were not for unskilled workers, and most of the locals are unskilled workers. Also, a lot of the businesses were just moving premises, so they already had employees.
Shopping in Beckton, St Katherine's Dock, and Canary Wharf
Beckton
St Katherine's Dock
Canary Wharf
Drink (specialist)
0
0
Food (specialist)
0
0
Supermarket
0
Clothes
0
0
2
Electrical
2
2
Carpets
0
0
Furniture
0
0
0
Sports
0
0
Gifts
0
2
5
Florist
0
0
2
Books
0
0
2
Pets
0
0
0
Jewellery
0
0
Cameras
0
0
0
Records/CD's/
tape
0
0
2
Bank
0
0
5
Post office
0
0
2
Building society
0
0
Travel agent
0
0
2
Optician
0
0
Hair dresser
0
Pub
2
Takeaway
0
0
3
Café
0
0
3
Restaurant
Vacant
0
0
0
Car park
0
0
Office
0
0
Large amount
Dry cleaners
Estate agents
0
2
0
Beauty
Art
0
Shoes
2
2
Newsagents
3
2
Fig.13 shows the shops available at each location
The above table shows that there are a much wider variety of shops available at Canary Wharf, but that is what it is designed for. The shops at St Katherine's Dock and Beckton are basic, but they are aimed at the locals, and they fulfil the needs of the locals.
Fig. 14 shows the shops available at Beckton in a pie chart
Fig. 15 shows the shops available at St Katherine's Dock
Fig.16 shows the shops available at Canary Wharf (excluding offices)
Who has benefited from the developments in business?
If you look at the number of jobs that have been created, 90,000, then it looks as if the LDDC has done a very good job. The fact is that 60,000 of these jobs are not new jobs, but hey are just jobs that have relocated from elsewhere. A good example of this is the new Daily Telegraph Offices:
,240 jobs were created in the new offices, but of these jobs, 1,200 of the jobs were just relocations, the remaining 40 jobs were created, but were unskilled, low paid jobs such as security, cleaning etc.
This is just one example of the problem. In 1995, only 15% of the workforce were locals. The new businesses are not in need of unskilled workers, as they either don't use unskilled workers in their field, or they already have employees of this type. In 1991, the same amount of people were unemployed in the Docklands as were in 1981, 45,000.
The business people who have relocated to the Docklands have certainly benefited from the developments in transport, leisure facilities and accommodation. They can but accommodation locally, and travelling to work is very easy.
The LDDC has benefited from the new businesses moving to the area, as the employees have brought the near-by accommodation, which means that the LDDC has made a profit.
Have the developments been a success?
The developments have been a success, in the fact that they have attracted new businesses to the area, which has brought in money to the area, as the employees have brought the nearby accommodation, and they use the public transport. The local residents have not benefited from the improvements as not many jobs have been created for the local unskilled workers. This means that the LDDC has failed in its task to reduce unemployment in the area. Fig. 12 shows this very clearly in a choropleth map. The LDDC has tried to ignore the fact that jobs have not been created for the locals, and the following two extracts show the LDDC being biast, and a report criticising the LDDC.
Fig. 17 shows the LDDC being biast towards the unemployment problem in London Docklands
They are trying to show the number of jobs created has increased, but they fail to mention that most of tye kobs that they are talking about are just re-located.
Fig.18 shows the number of permanent jobs in each industry in 1981 and 1990
The graph shows that between 1981, and 1990, the number of jobs in financial services went from 1,500, to 12,500. The number of jobs in Primary industries, construction and communication went down, while all the others went up. This shows that the type of businesses being attracted to the Docklands is mostly in manufacturing/industry or financial services.
The Docklands landscape and wildlife
The LDDC has reclaimed over 72 hectares of derelict land, and has planted 160,000 trees. It has built walkways along the River Thames, created parks, refurbished old parks and playgrounds, and improved the cleanliness of pavements. Lavender Pond was built in 1981, and it is a large pond, with reeds and walkways. The idea is that visitors can see lots of species of fish, birds, and other aquatic creatures. Southwark Council jointly came up with the idea with the trust for Urban Ecology. There is also a wild flower meadow, and a fungi garden at the site.
0 bird rafts were launched in 1993 to try attract more birds to nest in the area. The rafts had chick shelters, ramps and gravel tops. The exercise has proved to be very successful, and Texaco has sponsored it by placing information plaques along the river to help people identify the birds.
The LDDC has replanted the banks of the River Lea, which runs through the Docklands area. The reeds which were planted have helped to clean the water and attract more wildlife to the area. It has helped to re-establish it's old food chain, and more fish are now present in the area than ever before.
The LDDC has placed a number of sculptures around the Docklands area, the most famous one being the Traffic Light Tree in Westferry Circus.
The LDDC has improved the area as a whole, and a lot more wildlife has been attracted to the area by the developments.
The landscape of the Docklands has also been improved, with more attractive buildings being built, and there is a law regarding the maximum height and size allowed for a building to be built at. This has stopped lots of large buildings being built, and it also makes Canary Wharf more exclusive, as being the tallest building in England.
Fig. 19 shows the re-developments, and the open spaces created
Housing
The LDDC planned to improve low cost housing, as well as more luxury apartments. This meant building houses of all shape, size and price.
The LDDC outlined its priorities as being:
. Promote mixed tenure within development sites to foster balanced communities
2. Enable the growth of home ownership
3. Assist local authorities in accelerating the refurbishment of estates most in need of it
4. Encourage housing associations to build as well as to purchase more dwellings for rent, shared ownership and sale
5. Secure the provision of housing for rent at affordable prices and to give priority to local tenants
6. Encourage self-build housing developments for local people
In this section I will look at each area of housing that has been developed by the LDDC, to see if the LDDC developments have been a success, and have helped the people that it was intended to help.
Beckton and Silvertown
Fig. 17 shows a typical house in Beckton
Fig. 18 shows the main supermarket and shops in Beckton
Beckton
Beckton is the largest area re-developed by the LDDC. Barratt built the first houses in the area, and there are a number of styles because the LDDC sold the plots of land to different developers. This was a deliberate move to try and make the housing in the area varied, to improve the look of the area. The housing is low cost housing, aimed at the local residents in particular, and was built between 1988 and the early 1990's. Beckton has some of the cheapest re-developed housing in the Docklands area.
Beckton was designed to be a self-contained town, and the aim of this was to develop a community. Most facilities required for every day use are within walking distance. The "Beckton Globe" was built, and contains a library, creche, sports hall and community centre. Also in Beckton there are hotels, pubs, a Travel Inn, restaurants, a health and dental care centre, church, parks, dry ski slope, a number of small shops and a playing field. Most of these services are aimed at the locals, although a wider audience uses a few, like the Ski slope. The DLR has a station in Beckton, and is only six miles from the City Centre.
Silvertown
(Picture of housing on next page)
A number of low-rise blocks of flats were built in Silvertown, and the old 19th century housing was knocked down. There were already a few high rise blocks of flats in the area, which were built in the 1960's. These still remain, but they were re-furbished. All these houses are in the 'new' part of Silvertown. The accommodation here is nearly double the price of that in the 'old' part of Silvertown. The housing in the 'old' part of Silvertown is terraced, and all very similar. Most of the houses are three bedroom, and not very good quality.
This part of Silvertown has had little re-development, although it is very near to the LCA. Many locals have campaigned to get Silvertown re-developed, but their attempts have failed. They are upset as Silvertown is in obvious need of re-development, but money is still being put into the LCA.
Fig. 19 shows a typical house in Silvertown
Royal Docks
Fig. 20 shows the university at the Royal Albert Docks
Royal Albert Docks
There is very little housing in the Royal Albert Docks, as the LCA is on the south side, and the university is on the north side. There is some student accommodation near the university.
Royal Victoria Dock
'West Silvertown Urban Village' (see next page) is situated on the south side of the Royal Victoria Docks, and the north side is un-developed.
West Silvertown
Fig. 21 shows the plans for the 'West Silvertown Urban Village'
West Silvertown-Britannia Village
West Silvertown is the location of London's first urban village. It is 78 acres big, and is situated on the south side of the Royal Victoria Dock. There are going to be 1,500 houses, housing 5,000 people. The development is half way through at the moment, and is expected to take about 5 more years. When finished there will be shops, leisure facilities and places to work for the residents.
The first section to be built was 'Britannia Village'. It was built by Wimpey Homes, and fig. 22 shows that it contains a mixture of 900 2 and 3 bedroom flats and houses. It covers a 28 hectare site, 75% of the houses are owned by the occupier, and the rest are rented. The houses and flats that face Victoria Dock, are £10,000 more expensive than those that don't. The needs of the locals have also been carefully considered, and in Britannia Village there are six shops and a community centre with health care facilities.
Pontoon Dock will next be developed within Silvertown, and it will contain more shops, facilities and services for the residents.
Fig. 22 shows that Britannia Village is very near to the water, and contains a variety of housing.
St Katherine's Dock
Fig. 23 shows the luxury apartments at St Katherine's Dock
St Katherine's Dock
St Katherine's dock has been developed to attract business people who work I the city, but live far away. The luxury apartments are designed to be lived in during the week, but most of the business people who inhabit them leave the city at the weekends. They have a view of the Dock, which contains pleasure boats. The local shops consist of mainly clothes shops, gift and ornament shops and a beauty treatment centre. There is a pub and a café in the Dock, which provides a place to eat and talk to other residents.
Limehouse
The Limehouse Link, £250 million development, has greatly improved Limehouse as an area. Housing developments have been built, and the Limehouse area already had a number of Georgian buildings, which attracts more visitors to the area, and improves the look of the area.
West India Docks
The warehouses at West India Docks are currently being developed into flats. The West India Dock is linked to Canary Wharf by a footbridge. Under development in the area at the moment are shops, an art gallery, a hotel, a leisure centre, restaurants, a cinema and a supermarket. One of the developed warehouses, called 'Canary View', has been developed by Capitol and Provident, and contains over 70 flats, ranging in price from £120,000 to £600,000.
Isle of Dogs
Fig. 23 shows the re-developments at the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs got its name from the fact that henry VIII kept his dogs there. It was intended to be a district business, but luxury apartments were built instead due to a booming economy. The economy collapsed, and people left the area. Buildings stood empty. During recent years, the Isle of Dogs has improved and people have moved back to the area.
Luxury apartments were built to attract people back to the area, 'Canary Riverside' being one example of these establishments. The apartment blocks offer lots of facilities and services, including, twenty-four hour security, car parking, health and fitness club, a swimming pool, a tennis court, gardens, a hotel and restaurants. The apartments cost from £300,000 to £2 million.
The design is such that people can walk to work at Canary Wharf. These apartments are designed for people to live in all the time. There are good transport links, with DLR easily accessible, and the Limehouse Link nearby.
Vinegar Street
Fig. 24 shows the area of Vinegar Street
Vinegar Street
Vinegar Street is an area that has been developed, and detached houses have been built inside a secure, walled community. The houses are relatively new, and although relatively similar, are attractive. Each house has its own garden, and the roads are safe for children, as speed limits are set. There are quite a few trees in the area, and lots of space for car parking. There was very little litter, and there was no visible vandalism.
There is a negative side to Vinegar Street, and that is that there are no shops within the boundary. This means that a long walk, or a car journey, is needed to access any shops. There is also a lack of public transport in the area. This means that the residents have to drive to most places. Vinegar Street is also very near to a couple of main roads, which means that the air is slightly polluted, and there is noise pollution.
Reardon House
Reardon house is almost the opposite too Vinegar Street and it has not been developed. While I was visiting the area, two incidents occurred that gave me the impression that the local residents did not care for the area, and that they don't respect other people living in and visiting the area. The first was someone came out of his or her flat on the top story of Reardon House, and through a bag of rubbish onto the pavement below. The second incident was that as my party was passing Reardon House, a groups of youths drove a car very fast past us. They had music on very load, and were shouting insults at passers by.
The area was reasonably heavily littered, and there was a lot of graffiti and vandalism. The building looked dirty, and some parts derelict. There was a lot of pollution, and noise from surrounding roads. The cars were parked on the side of the road, and this was a danger when crossing the road. There was not a lot of greenery in the area, and the greenery that was present had been vandalised.
Fig. 25 shows Reardon House
Who has benefited from the developments in housing?
I think that the locals have definitely benefited from the developments in housing as the areas that they live in have been improved. Business people who live in the developed areas in the week have also benefited from the developments, as they now have good transport, clean and pleasant areas to live in, and good facilities. Fig. 26 shows a matrix of the housing areas that I visited.
Indicator \ area visited
St Katherine's Dock
Vinegar Street
Reardon house
Silvertown
Beckton
housing layout & design
3
3
5
4
2
attractive
2
5
4
2
trees and grass
2
2
4
3
2
open space
2
3
5
5
3
gardens
5
3
5
4
2
car parking
2
4
4
2
pavements
2
2
2
kerbs
3
2
4
traffic noise and fumes
2
2
4
4
3
road crossing
2
2
4
5
3
litter
2
3
4
2
vandalism
2
4
4
TOTAL
25
25
47
47
24
Fig. 26 shows a matrix of the housing areas that I visited
I scored each area that I visited out of 5, 1 being the best and 5 the worst, on 12 criteria. Therefore, the lower the score the better.
From the matrix I can see that Beckton has the benefited the most from the re-developments. I have put the housing areas in the matrix in order of their position from west to east. The west has been developed first, and by looking at my matrix, it looks as if the far east has benefited from being developed later. St Katherine's Dock and Vinegar Street both scored twenty-four, but Beckton, which is furthest east, scored twenty-five. This could be that Beckton has been developed the best, but it could also be that the residents of Beckton take pride in where they live, and have themselves improved the area. They can reduce litter and vandalism, and work together to generally improve the area. My matrix shows that Beckton is the best place to live, but this may not be true, as different people need different criteria. For example, a business person may need good transport connections, a fitness gym and an easy connection to the airport. A local resident may need or want a clean environment, a health centre, local shops and a school. These are just two examples of people with different needs.
Have the developments been a success?
The LDDC's objectives, which are listed in the introduction to housing, said that they wanted to enable the growth of home ownership. They succeeded in this criteria, as fig. 27 shows.
Fig. 27 shows the percentage of housing rented from local authorities, owner occupied, private rented and rented from housing association.
The percentage of owner occupied housing before the LDDC started developing the areas was 5%. It has now increased to nearly 40%. 8,000 existing local authorities homes have been re-furbished, and the LDDC has therefore achieved another of its goals.
By 1995, the LDDC had built 8,600 new houses. It is predicted that by the end of the developments 30,000 new homes will have been built. 1981 to 1990, the LDDC spent £30 million on housing in the Docklands area.
80% of the housing has been sold privately, and at the end of 1995, only 4% of the new housing had been sold to locals. From this I can see that the LDDC didn't build enough low cost accommodation. The number of homeless people in the area increased by 4 times between 1981 and 1986. This is because lots of low cost accommodation was demolished to make way for more expensive luxury accommodation.
Fig. 28 shows the number of homeless people in the Docklands area rising over six years.
The developments have been a success in some areas, like Beckton, where they have benefited local people. They have also benefited business people in certain areas, like St Katherine's Dock. However, they have also effected people's lives in a negative way, and the count of homeless people proves this. Many local residents have been made homeless by the lack of cheap accommodation. The business people are benefiting the area, as they bring with them new business, but one of the objectives of the LDDC was to;
"Assist local authorities to accelerate the refurbishment of estates in most need"
I do not believe that the LDDC has achieved this, as many estates are still in need of re-development, and will not receive it. In some aspects the housing re-developments have been a success, but overall, they have not been. Fig. 29 (see next page) shows the prices of housing in the Docklands. This shows that the prices are too high for the local residents.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF DOCKLANDS
Fig. 29 shows the prices of housing along the River Thames running through Docklands
Conclusion
Have the developments been a success?
The developments in the London Docklands area have been a success, but only to a certain section of the society. The developments in transport, housing, leisure facilities and business have helped the local residents in some cases, but mostly the developments have made travel, accommodation and business very easy for business people.
The developments in transport have probably benefited the locals the most out of the four sections. The DLR has provided a relatively cheap and easy form of public transport. With stations in most of the main docks, wharves and areas, there is always a DLR station near. The DLR travels to most major sites, shopping centres and connections to other forms of public transport. This makes the rest of London, the rest of England, and the rest of the world (via LCA) accessible. This has also helped businesses a lot as they can fly clients into LCA, which is much closer to the centre of London than Gatwick or Heathrow. The DLR has also helped businesses as it provides a quick and easy form of transport for getting to and from work. The LCA has mainly aided business developments in the area, as it attracts businesses due to the ease of access to the rest of Europe, and beyond. The Jubilee Line Extension has created another form of access to the centre of London. This has benefited locals as much as businesses as lots of the locals find work in the centre of London. The improved bus services have benefited locals more than business people, as the business people tend to travel by the DLR, but the bus service provides access to areas that do not have a DLR station.
The developments in housing have definitely benefited the business people more than the residents. The housing built is too expensive for the locals, and the LDDC realised that the luxury apartments created more profit, and so they built these first. This ignored the priority of improving the housing in the areas to be developed. Fig. 30 (see next page) shows how the developments have been a success in certain areas, and how low cost accommodation can also be attractive. Fig. 31 shows the luxury apartments that are too expensive for the locals, and do not provide permanent accommodation to the business people as many of them leave the city at the weekend.
Fig. 30 shows how the developments in housing have been a success in certain areas
Fig. 31 shows the luxury apartments, with the leisure boats in the dock.
The developments in leisure activities have also benefited the business people and visitors more than the locals. The facilities include water sports, exclusive beauty and fitness clubs and expensive restaurants. These facilities are aimed at visitors and business people, as they are very expensive, and some of them cannot be found in many places in South East England. There are facilities for the locals, like a swimming pool, but these can be expensive if visited regularly.
The developments in business have also benefited visitors and business people. The jobs that have been created do not suite the locals, as they are mostly for skilled workers and qualified professionals. The locals need un-skilled manual work, and this has not been provided. Lots of business has been attracted to the area, and this has brought money into the area, but locals are being forced to leave the area, as there is no work for them. This is leaving empty houses, which are demolished and luxury accommodation is built.
The area has been developed in such a way that locals have to leave, due to a lack of work and high house prices, and they are replaced by business people, and businesses. Cheap accommodation, which is empty, is demolished and luxury apartments built. This is because the luxury apartments are easy to sell, and the extra business brings more money into the area.
Figures for the population of the Docklands from 1981 to 1996 shows that the population has risen (see fig. 32). Figures showing the number of jobs in the Docklands area also show that there has been a big increase in the number of jobs (see fig. 33).
Fig. 32 shows the increase in population over 15 years
Fig. 33 shows the increase in the work force in the Docklands area
Although fig. 32 and fig.33 show an increase in both population and the workforce, it is not the people that were targeted by the LDDC that are creating these figures. It is the business people that are creating these figures. The workforce has grown, but most of these jobs are just the workers that moved to the area with their employer.
"What should planners in the new Millenium learn from the redevelopment of the London Docklands"
* Consider the needs of locals
* Cheap housing, made available to locals
* Jobs available to locals-suitable jobs for local community e.g., un-skilled manual
* Develop areas that need development the most first, and do not neglect areas that are isolated
* Provide leisure facilities for the locals, which are cheap (free is possible), clean and accessible
* Transport access to all areas is very important, to attract people to the area
* Attract the right businesses for the area, not expensive jewellery shops or finance companies in an area with a low average wage
I will try and use these priorities to draw plans to develop the Royal Docks in my own style. I will include criteria that I think is important.
Evaluation
I did a lot of research for this project, and I didn't have much primary data as we didn't have much time in the Docklands area. I would have visited the area again if I had had the time. I would have collected more primary data, as I think that I could have included more in my project. I looked for newspaper articles about the Docklands developments, but I could not find many. I looked on the Internet and in the library, but there were not many articles available. During the project I had to try to view the developments from a neutral point of view. This wasn't very difficult as the developments have no real effect on me personally, but I did feel that some of the LDDC's decisions were wrong. I tried not to let this effect my judgement though. I think that due to the limited time available for this project, I have completed the task successfully. I could have improved the accuracy of my project by using more recent data, as the data that I used was quite old, most of it from 1995.
Bibliography
* Red Docklands Field Work Booklet
* White Docklands data booklet
* Various maps provided by school
* Various sheets provided by school
* London travel guide
* Jubilee line extension booklet, collected during visit
* A Passengers guide, LCA
* Canary wharf shops and restaurants booklet
* London Docklands and Greenwich, booklet
* A guide to services on the DLR