黑洞社区

A team headed by Arup has been signed up by the London Thames Gateway Urban Development Corporation to deliver the long-awaited masterplan of the regeneration zone.

The consultant is part of a team that has been asked to work up a physical development framework for the Gateway, running from London鈥檚 Olympic zone to the boundary with Thurrock in Essex.

The area takes in all of the London Riverside area, as well as Barking and Dagenham and East Beckton, and will produce a blueprint for what is increasingly being talked of as the focus of new housebuilding in east London.

黑洞社区 recently revealed that Richard Rogers鈥� reconvened urban taskforce is likely to recommend that the Thames Gateway be refocused on the area. London mayor Ken Livingstone is to have a personal role in driving the regeneration forward.

Arup has been working with the London Development Agency, the London Thames Gateway UDC, headed by Lorraine Baldry, and a team of consultants to assemble the plan.

It鈥檚 not a traditional job where we go off and produce something six months later

Chris Tunnell, Arup director

The team also includes Stephen Taylor Architects, consultant Turner & Townsend, transport expert Steer Davies Gleave, property specialist Savills and project manager Capita Symonds.

Sources close to the project said that the work currently being done by the team would produce the 鈥渂ig idea鈥� for the Thames Gateway.

Arup director Chris Tunnell said it would look to achieve a 鈥渟tep change鈥� in terms of sustainability and design. He said: 鈥淲e need to take the area forward in a way that sits well with the aims of the local communities and government. It鈥檚 quite an innovative approach as the LDA, the UDC and the consulting team have been working closely together. It鈥檚 not a traditional job where we go off and produce something six months later.鈥�

The team hopes to draw all the work in the area into an overarching strategy for development in the Gateway.