What should planners in the new Millenium learn from the redevelopment of the London Docklands?

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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).
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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 ...

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