Today (Monday October 21, 2024), the Member of Parliament for Stratford and Bow Uma Kumaran MP, and Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz OBE were joined by project partners involved in Carpenters Estate to mark the official completion of construction works for a new entrance to Stratford Station.

The £9.5 million project is a joint initiative between Newham Council, Transport for London (TfL), who delivered the construction, with the GLA and London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). The new entrance will improve access to the southern concourse next to the Jubilee Line for residents and visitors. It opens new routes into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and East Bank, helping to connect residents, visitors and businesses.

For the first time local residents and visitors will have a direct entrance and exit to Gibbins Road in Carpenters Estate and help improve feelings of safety and security. The new entrance will help to reduce walking time by up to 20 minutes for people entering from Carpenters Estate and avoid the existing narrow overbridge at Jupp Road. New cycling spaces and improved CCTV coverage have also been installed along with space for new retail kiosks.

The new entrance and exit marks a significant milestone in the 28-acre Carpenters Estate restoration and regeneration scheme, led by Populo Living, Newham’s wholly owned housing company. The regeneration will deliver over 2,000 homes, with 50% at social rent levels. 

The Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance said: “Stratford, the East Bank and the wider Queen Elizabeth Olympic park area have seen radical improvement over recent years, with expanding arts, culture, and educational opportunities in turn leading to more residents and visitors. This new entrance at Stratford station exemplifies this recent regeneration of the area, providing more people with direct access to the station and shaving up to 20 minutes off some journeys, building a better London for everyone.”

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, said: “The completion of this new entrance at Stratford Station is an another milestone in the delivery of the restored Carpenters Estate and will benefit the wider community, visitors and businesses with ease of access to one of the busiest stations in the country. Enhancing the connection from Stratford Town Centre, Carpenters Estate through to the East Bank and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, we are transforming the neighbourhood as a regionally significant part of London. As we deliver on our promise to restore the 28-acre Carpenters Estate with over 2000 new homes where fifty percent will be at social rent, we are making sure that residents benefit from new community facilities and vital transport and infrastructure improvements like this new station entrance."

Lyn Garner, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “This is a vitally important project for the local area. It will make a significant improvement for residents living on the Carpenters Estate and supports the wider area regeneration by providing improved access to the station for visitors to East Bank and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.”

David Rowe, Director of Investment Delivery Planning said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership with London Legacy Development Corporation and the London Borough of Newham to deliver the new entrance and enhanced streetscape. The new entrance will make a huge difference to the local residents, improving access to the station and reducing journey times by nearly 20 minutes. It is another example of how investing in transport infrastructure can support communities and new jobs, homes and economic growth.”

Designed by Fereday Pollard Architects and Hawkins\Brown, the construction works were carried out by Taylor Woodrow BAM Nuttall (TWBN) and works were completed earlier this year.

By using clever design, the project has seen the transformation of a car park into a piece of high-quality public realm that integrates with the station buildings, maintains car spaces for TfL train drivers and staff, and provides a vital new connection to existing pedestrian and cycle routes. This includes the provision of new bicycle racks, to help promote active travel around the station and Stratford town centre, while supporting Newham Council’s aspiration for Stratford to become London’s first-ever Green Zone; part of the Just Transition Climate Action plans. The entrance also features generous bench seating that has been commissioned from the nearby Building Crafts College and designed and made by a previous student.

The entrance was funded by contributions from Newham Council, £1m from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), LLDC provided £3.4m from s106 and CIL agreements with local developers and £4m from the Greater London Authority’s Strategic Infrastructure Fund. TfL has contributed £1m.

Stratford Station is one of the busiest stations in the UK; it is the seventh busiest TfL station with 54.3m passenger entries and exits. The station provides vital interconnections between Network Rail, London Underground and Overground, DLR, bus, taxi, cycle routes and the Elizabeth Line. The new entrance marks the start of a drive to improve the station and is a key to London Borough of Newham’s broader Stratford Vision.  This project will also form part of the foundations for a strategic outline business case that seeks investment for the wider expansion and enhancement of Stratford Station in longer-term.  This is to enable the station to better meet the future needs of travellers, bring benefits to local communities and enable businesses to thrive here.  The business case will be due for submission to Government in autumn 2025.

ENDS