Plans for a major redevelopment of Stratford station in east London have been announced.
The plans, which include 2,000 new homes, were developed by Newham Council, Network Rail, Transport for London and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). The organisations submitted a business case for the project to the government on Tuesday.
The plans call for a significant increase in capacity and simplified routing to help passengers better navigate between the many different trains that stop at the station.
New retail and community spaces will be built around a large new public square and up to 2,000 new homes will be built – 50 percent of which will be “truly affordable”.
In addition, the application states that the scheme would support growth in east London, increasing productivity while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The business case assumes that the expanded station would create up to 10,000 new jobs and 150,000 square meters of commercial space.
The work follows growing concerns about the station’s future capacity and overcrowding.
Stratford is one of the UK’s busiest railway stations, recording more than 128 million passenger movements in 2019, an increase of 90 million in just 13 years.
In 2022, the station was the fifth busiest in the UK and is one of the UK’s most important strategic transport hubs, connecting London with Essex and the East of England, the Thames Estuary and Kent.
Rokhsana Fiaz, the Labour mayor of Newham, said if the plans went ahead they would change the station’s “confusing, cramped and overcrowded” layout.
“We need a modern, thriving transport hub so that Stratford can continue to support growth in east London and create more homes and jobs.
“We are forecasting a 60 percent increase in passengers by 2041, which is why we urgently need to plan measures to improve the station.”
Lyn Garner, chief executive of LLDC, said: “Stratford is the scene of the most successful post-Olympic regeneration, with thousands of new homes and jobs.
“A functional station is crucial to the success of already planned projects such as East Bank, major events and additional housing and jobs.”
The partnership will now develop more detailed plans for the station’s redevelopment, which will be presented to the government over the next few years.
Businesses and institutions supporting the proposals include East Bank, Here East, Westfield Stratford City, London City Airport, Stansted Airport, Notting Hill Genesis and Stratford BID.
The issue was recently raised at City Hall by Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat in the London Assembly.
She tabled a motion that was unanimously passed at a meeting in June, in which the assembly expressed its support for the plan and called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to “do everything in his power to support this important project.”
Ms Pidgeon told her parliamentary colleagues: “Straford cannot continue as a railway station. It has national and international significance.”
“Overcrowding on platforms and subway stations has led to temporary closures – these will become the norm if nothing is done.”
