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London’s waterways are among its many treasures, from the Thames at Southbank to the canals of Little Venice and Hackney Wick. Soon, more Londoners could wake up to riverside views thanks to government backing for an entire new town on the Thames in southeast London.
A vast 1,000-hectare brownfield site in Thamesmead – in the Royal Borough of Greenwich – has been earmarked for up to 15,000 homes. The site, largely owned by housing association Peabody, will be developed with The Crown Estate and Lendlease into a ‘modern and vibrant’ riverside community.
Thamesmead was originally conceived as a bold post-war development in the 1960s, but most of that vision was left unfinished. Today, despite its riverside setting and open spaces, it remains one of London’s least connected areas. Unlocking its true potential also depends heavily on transport: an extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Thamesmead is central to the regeneration plans, with designs for a brand-new station already underway.
If the plans get the go ahead, construction of the extension could begin in 2028, with the first trains expected in the early 2030s. Local leaders are also lobbying for the DLR to stretch even further east to Belvedere, which would dramatically improve links across southeast London.
Thamesmead isn’t the only place in London poised to transform into a new town under the government’s New Towns Taskforce. Crews Hill, a quiet, leafy enclave in Enfield with only a few hundred residents, will get 10,000 new homes.
Up to now, Crews Hill has been mostly known for its garden centres and golf course. The area has a train station – operated by Great Northern – with trains to Finsbury Park, Old Street and Moorgate. It is the northernmost settlement in Greater London. The government officially confirmed this weekend that Crews Hill, along with Thamesmead, is recommended as a location for a ‘new town’.
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