Policy information sourced from Newham Local Plan 2018

S2 Stratford and West Ham

Proposals that address the following over-arching strategic criteria and spatial strategy will be supported:

  • Strategic Principles:
    • Achieve a distinctive, varied and thriving Metropolitan centre, together with secondary intensification and regeneration focused around Plaistow, Maryland and West Ham stations, providing investment and carefully managed development to drive delivery of new and rejuvenated communities and significant economic growth;
    • The regionally significant economic role of the area will be centred on Stratford which will provide major employment and business opportunities derived from its international, regional and local connectivity , quality of environment and strategic retail growth (including a significant amount of higher order comparison goods), tourism and visitor economy including food, drink, arts and cultural, quality leisure and evening and night-time activity, and significant healthcare and education facilities (including higher and further education), together with the extensive service sector supporting these; and
    • Major new housing (at least 4286 units) and accompanying jobs growth and infrastructure provision will be delivered primarily on 3 Strategic Sites, acting in concert with those in adjoining neighbouring areas and well integrated with their surroundings, with non-strategic opportunities, including through Managed Transition and sensitive infill also being identifiable at locations close to other transport hubs and within the wider area.
  • Vision-based Spatial Strategy
    • Stratford will maintain and extend its success as a town centre, becoming more integrated through physical linkages, improvements to legibility and parity of design and public realm quality with Stratford City and the International Quarter, with a significant reduction in the dominance of traffic and comfortable, convenient pedestrian and cycling movement, and with its Metropolitan status and unrivalled transport connectivity marked by careful distribution of the tallest buildings in the borough. Variety and distinctiveness will be fostered by the range of uses in the centre; a mix of unit types and scales including market facilities; local, wider London and international customers, visitors and businesses; and re-valuation of its heritage and character assets notably the St Johns Conservation area and listed buildings and proximity to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and local waterways;
    • Investment opportunities brought by Crossrail and associated public realm and interchange enhancements will improve the retail and service offer at Maryland local centre to better reflect its role as a gateway to Metropolitan Stratford and Urban Newham;
    • New Local Centres and community uses focused around West Ham and Plaistow stations will become resource hubs for surrounding neighbourhoods including significant new areas of housing, marked by new tall buildings and well-used by new and existing residents, local workers and others passing through the area;
    • Outside of the Abbey Mills and Plaistow North Strategic Sites, which will see comprehensive development, residential hinterlands will undergo gradual renewal brought about by the cumulative impact of small scale changes, including public realm and smaller scale infrastructure improvements particularly focused on the Key Corridors of Romford Road, Leyton Road / Angel Lane, Manor Road and West Ham Lane / New Plaistow Road;
    • The area’s other heritage and character assets, notably University Conservation Area, Church Street North ATV, West Ham Park and its setting and view towards St John’s Church in Stratford, views from and access to the Greenway, and access to waterways, will be enhanced, ensuring that they form an integral part of the area’s future through sensitive integration in line with Policies SP5, J1, INF6 and INF7;
    • Improvements to local permeability and connectivity, notably east-west south of the High Street, and across the High Street will overcome barriers to movement caused by railways, busy or disconnected roads, waterways, and key development sites to increase integration with surrounding areas and between new and existing communities;
    • Industry and transport facilities, notably the Jubilee Line engineering depots and smaller local businesses will continue to be present in the southern part of the area close to Abbey Road DLR station, but with LMUA sites at Maryland Industrial Estate, Grove Crescent, Canning Road West and Bridge Road Depot and additional micro-opportunities between Stratford and Maryland, moving towards lighter, cultural, creative and service uses more compatible with residential and other contexts, including the presence and adjacency of the Abbey Gardens and West Ham Pumping Station heritage assets;
    • Public transport access will be further enhanced, with significant improvements to interchange capacity in and around Stratford and West Ham Stations, step-free access improvements at Plaistow Station, and the development of new and improved services along the associated rail, tube, DLR and bus corridors;
    • The provision, quality and access to open space will be improved, including extending green grid links to the Greenway, the Lea River Park and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and improving access to the Abbey Creek, and waterways, and other measures to improve the activation of parks and open spaces;
    • New schools, further and higher education provision and healthcare together with flexible community spaces will develop at accessible sites in or well-related to centres and Key Movement Corridors, notably the Romford Road;
    • Local energy generation and district heating will be typical throughout the area with major developments being required to enable linkage to networks; and
    • In order to deliver the above vision-based spatial strategy, the following Strategic Sites sites, as shown on the Policies Map, are allocated for development as set out in Appendix 1:
      • S05 Stratford Central
      • S10 Abbey Mills
      • S29 Plaistow North

For more information please see the Local Plan 2018