Mayor has ‘torn up years of work’ with new Gallions Reach proposals

Posted by GLA Conservatives in News   Share2016

Oct
21

– Anger over new Mayor’s lack of consultation over DLR extension

The Mayor of London has ‘torn up years of hard work’ by announcing plans to extend the DLR at Gallions Reach, according to Bexley and Bromley’s London Assembly Member.

Conservative Assembly Member Gareth Bacon said TfL had spent years working on proposals for new road bridges in east London, including countless meetings and two public consultations, both of which showed high levels of support for the road bridge proposals.

But all of that work risked being ‘blown out of the water’ when the new Mayor instead announced a DLR extension would be built at Gallions Reach earlier this month, potentially killing any hopes of a road crossing.

Conservative London Assembly Member Gareth Bacon said:

“The Mayor has effectively torn up years of hard work for the sake of a press release.

“These are extremely complex engineering projects that will be very expensive, take a lot of time and require major consultation with residents in the affected areas and the relevant boroughs, including Bexley, Newham, Greenwich and Havering.

“Yet the Mayor felt it appropriate to simply go ahead and announce a DLR extension at Gallions Reach without speaking in any detail with the affected local authorities, despite knowing it could blow their hard-thought proposals out of the water.

“Not only has Sadiq Khan risked severely damaging the relationship between City Hall and the local boroughs in east London, he has also left major doubts over his ability to deliver these much-needed crossings.

“The Mayor has been entirely cavalier in his approach to these river crossings so far. He quickly needs to recover some good faith with those he will need to work with to deliver these major infrastructure projects.”

During an exchange at City Hall during Mayor's Question Time, the Mayor took personal responsibility for the ‘discourtesy’ shown to Bexley Council leader Teresa O’Neill, who was not informed of the Mayor’s announcement prior to it being released to the press.