MP DEMANDS TORY U-TURN ON BEAM PARK STATION

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MP DEMANDS TORY U-TURN ON BEAM PARK STATION

Following revelations in August that the Department for Transport (DfT) had withdrawn their support for the delivery of Beam Park Station, Jon Cruddas MP for Dagenham and Rainham launched a campaign against the decision and is demanding a Tory U-turn to deliver the station.

In the Minister of State's response, the DfT are unequivocal that permission was never granted for the station. Stating that "it is not that the Department withdrew support or funding for the development of the station, but that support was never given in the first instance."

However, after discussions with both Deputy London Mayors for Housing and Transport it has become clear that Boris Johnson when Mayor of London agreed the station as viable, and a key component of the new Beam Park Housing Zone. This agreement also set in place a Grampian clause meaning development cannot continue past Phase 3 on Beam Park without a new station.

Jon Cruddas MP said: "Boris Johnson's Government are denying approval for a project that Boris Johnson set in motion when he was Mayor of London. This just doesn't add up and looks to me that the Department for Transport are trying to dodge any potential financial risk. Yet all the modelling suggests that as c2c services on the line are back up to 70% of pre-pandemic levels, and with over 3,200 new homes planned the GLA expect the station to break even in seven years."

Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Minister of State for Transport in his letter dated October 6th expressed that any offer from the Greater London Authority to both deliver and cover operational costs of a new station "would need to be unlimited in both time and cost." This follows the GLA's offer to fully cover the £43m build cost of Beam Park Station, with contributions from developers, and to provide a £10 million indemnity against ongoing operational costs for a 10-year period.

Jon expressed: "this is a completely unreasonable ask and shows that they have no intention of delivering the station. It is also very short sighted as the station unlocks potential for future developments; this highlights a concerning lack of joined up thinking across Government.

I am committed to ensuring that this vital infrastructure project is delivered. Next week I will be speaking with Michael Gove MP, the new Minister for ‘levelling up' about how the DfT decision will stagnate growth in our area, grinding housing and economic delivery to a halt. The Tories must reconsider their position on this. As it stands, they have reneged on their commitments to local residents and the PM must make good on his promises."

In the coming weeks Jon will feed back to residents. In the meantime, please sign and share the petition: https://www.joncruddas.org.uk/beampark