10 December - Bexley Council wants DLR to go to Belvedere but once voted against it!
On Murky Depths there is a new feature on the planned DLR extension to Thamesmead
linked to Bexley Council’s most recent
plea for a DLR extension to Belvedere. It is probably fair
to say that the author regards the Thamesmead plan as less than ideal and maybe not a
sensible expenditure at all; but even sillier would be the further extension to
Belvedere that Bexley Council advocates.
It is not a new idea and first
reported here nearly 13 years ago when
then Cabinet Member Councillor Peter Craske said “it would be
great if the DLR could be extended to Bexley”.
In 2015, before the benefits of the Elizabeth Line became apparent,
Peabody surveyed its residents and found that they were keen on getting the
DLR into Thamesmead. Probably everyone offered a new transport facility will say
yes please impulsively. The same month brought a report that
Greenwich Council was pushing for the DLR to be extended to Thamesmead.
A year later Labour Councillor Stefano Borella
welcomed a DLR extension but former Bexley Cabinet Member Alex Sawyer said that extending the DLR was
not nearly as important as securing a river crossing. Bexley Council was
not formally told of the extension.
Another year went by and Bexley Council produced its Growth Strategy. It wanted
the DLR to go all the way to Bexleyheath. Peabody said that an extension to Thamesmead would
fundamentally change the town centre.
Five years ago Bexley Council forgot all about its campaign to ensure that Bexley
would have no river crossings (Don’t let the bridge back in) and instead
put forward a Motion
calling for them. The Labour Group wanted it to be amended to include the DLR to Belvedere.
In an act of political stupidity the Conservatives voted it down. They didn’t
want to vote in favour of extending the DLR even though their Growth Strategy required it.
Almost needless to say, Bexley Conservatives
put out a Tweet claiming that Labour was against improved transport links
even though they were in favour of more than the Tories were!
Last year, when the Council Leader pleaded for a DLR extension
“to Belvedere or even further” she was
backed by the Labour Group.
Index to DLR related blogs.