Homes England has awarded a £23 million grant to Transport for London (TfL) as part of the Agency’s ongoing support to help transform two major brownfield sites into thriving communities at Thamesmead Waterfront and Beckton Riverside.
The grant will fund a new bus link to connect new housing and enhance existing bus corridors linking Thamesmead with the Abbey Wood and Woolwich Elizabeth line stations.
The work will be delivered ahead of the broader DLR extension, as backed by government in the 2025 autumn budget, and is supported by Homes England expertise and resources.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: “The DLR extension to Thamesmead is a perfect example of how this government is making the economy grow faster.
“Better public transport links open up land for thousands of new homes, creating good jobs and connecting people to the opportunities just a short journey away in the heart of capital. We’re not just building 1.5 million homes but ensuring communities like Thamesmead are finally receiving the investment and infrastructure they’ve been promised for decades.”
New transport infrastructure like the Bus Transit project is essential to the DLR extension, helping to enable 25,000 to 30,000 new homes and two new communities, spanning about 145 hectares of brownfield land across the two London boroughs of Newham and Greenwich.
Homes England has been actively involved in supporting the DLR extension since its inception. This work has been part of a collaboration led by TfL, Greater London Authority (GLA), the London Borough of Newham (LBN), Royal Borough of Greenwich (RBG), developers and landowners, as well as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
Amy Rees CB, Chief Executive of Homes England, said: “This collaboration is just one example of how local and national organisations are working together, combining expertise and resources, to create communities with the homes and infrastructure that people need to thrive and grow.
“We are proud to work with local leaders, mayors and partners across the country, to help everybody have a safe, secure place to call home within sustainable, flourishing communities.”
Alex Williams, TfL’s Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, said: “This funding marks an important step towards delivering better transport connections for Thamesmead and Beckton Riverside. By improving bus links now and progressing plans for the DLR extension, we’re helping unlock thousands of new homes and creating sustainable communities with the transport infrastructure they need to thrive.”
