Development News
Newham casino gets Government go-ahead
After being placed on a shortlist back in May 2006, Newham Council has this month been granted a licence by the Casino Advisory Panel to have a 'large' casino built in the borough. Newham was put forward by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as one of the 16 locations throughout the UK to be awarded casino licences, eight large and eight small casinos.
The licence permits a large casino to be erected at a Newham site, still to be confirmed, with specifications limiting the building to be one fifth of the size of the regional "super-casino" originally proposed for east Manchester. The licence will however allow it to contain up to 150 slot machines and have a maximum jackpot of £4,000.
A site has not yet been confirmed but suggested locations include Stratford City, West Ham Football Club's leisure complex and the ExCeL exhibition centre.
Thames Gateway Bridge Review to Increase Role of Public Transport
Transport for London is to grant funding of up to £15,000 for advice to review and define options to increase the role of public transport on the bridge, says a letter from the Mayor Ken Livingstone to the London Assembly Green Party.
The advice will be assessed in Transport for London's review and must be submitted to the agency before the end of March. The planned six-lane river crossing, connecting Beckton to Thamesmead in east London, is on hold until the outcome of the reopened inquiry is known. Gateway to London continues to campaign in support of the Thames Gateway Bridge. Vital to the local economy, the bridge would provide an invaluable transport link between businesses and the region's labour pool.
Mixed Use Tower Approved for New Providence Wharf
Tower Hamlets council has approved planning permission for the latest part of property developer Ballymore's New Providence Wharf site at Blackwall. 'The Quebec Building' will be a mixed use development containing 486 flats. Gateway to London can report that as well as apartments, it will house a 3,500 sq ft retail unit and a 10,000 sq ft health & fitness club, bringing new jobs and leisure facilities to Tower Hamlets.
Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 44-floor building will be the tallest in New Providence Wharf, sited to the north of the existing 29-storey Ontario Tower.
ProLogis to Develop New Sustainable Distribution Park in London Thames Gateway
The world's largest distribution facilities company, Prologis www.prologis.com, has chosen London Thames Gateway to develop its new 2.1 million sq ft distribution park. The 158 acre park near Erith, to be called ProLogis Park Howbury, is the first of several rail served distribution parks the company will develop at key road and rail intersections throughout the UK.
ProLogis Park Howbury is located approximately 12 miles from central London, at Junction 1A of the M25 motorway. The rail infrastructure planned at the park will make the most of London Thames Gateway's excellent transport links, connecting to major freight routes, sea ports and other rail-served logistics parks throughout the country, as well as a pan-European network of existing ProLogis rail-served facilities.
ProLogis plans to begin construction on the park, which will be developed using a number of environmentally friendly features and technologies, in the next few months. Rail freight produces less greenhouse gas emissions than cars, is more cost-effective fuel-wise and reduces delays related to road congestion.
In the south east of London Thames Gateway, the new ProLogis site is well placed to serve customer demand for rail-served distribution facilities. The UK government last year announced its policies for sustainable distribution including the transfer of the transportation of goods from road to rail freight as a fundamental requirement. Specific environmental design techniques to be used include photovoltaic panels to harvest solar energy, rain water harvesting to reduce water consumption and water-efficient irrigation. This includes using grey water to irrigate approximately 130 acres of environmentally sensitive marshland surrounding the new park. London Thames Gateway is seeing a cluster of environment conscience companies move into the area and is a symptom of the forward thinking, sustainable mood of the region.
