The London Development Agency (LDA) - Mixed-Use Development - Essex, Beam Reach 8
Date: 10 Feb 2005
The London Development Agency (LDA) has gained planning permission for Beam Reach 8, a key commercial site in Rainham, with 105,100 sq m of buildings for offices, industrial use and storage centres.
The 12 hectare site is part of London Riverside, one of the largest regeneration projects ever undertaken in East London. This area totals over 135 hectares of mostly industrial workspace in the Thames Gateway and also includes Dagenham Dock and the Ford Motor Company's Dagenham site.
Beam Reach 8 lies alongside the Thames at the southern end of Ferry Lane. Local roads have been upgraded to improve access to the A13, and the site is approximately five miles from junction 30 of the M25.
Fiona Duncan, Head of Thames Gateway Development Projects at the LDA, said: "This decision is a major step in our drive to change the face of Dagenham. It will help to bring private sector investment to the area and boost local employment prospects. The LDA is also working with partners to provide training and help local people develop the high-tech engineering and manufacturing skills that new businesses will need."
London Riverside is a public/private sector partnership established to promote key projects within London Riverside and surrounding areas. It will stimulate investment in manufacturing and improve the quality of life in the London Boroughs of Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Thurrock. Other partners involved in the London Riverside area include the local authorities, the Greater London Authority, LDA, Transport for London, Thames Gateway London Partnership and Ford Motor Company. The vision is of a revitalised gateway to East London, blending modern manufacturing, commerce, housing, education and employment based on essential transport links through the south east both local and international.
"The aim here is to find manufacturing occupiers rather than large scale office or warehousing development," adds Colin Herman of Kemsley Whiteley & Ferris. "While one obvious answer would be to fill the space with distributors because of the excellent road links, we are really aiming to attract occupiers who can take advantage of local skills, engineering and technology, and who will be able to benefit from the recently opened Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence backed by Barking and Havering colleges."
The land is being marketed on behalf of the LDA through joint agents CB Richard Ellis and Kemsley Whiteley & Ferris.
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