Shadow minister visits Beam Park as Labour urges government …

22/04/2023

Louise Haigh joined Dagenham and Rainham MP Jon Cruddas and neighbouring Village ward councillor Margaret Mullane at the site of the long-awaited station on April 18.

The scheme is part of the redevelopment of the area around a former factory, which is set to deliver thousands of homes.

A station for the new community in Beam Park has been subject to ongoing uncertainty after it emerged in 2021 that central government never granted its support for the project.

In August 2022, this paper reported ^[1] that Havering Council, Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Department for Transport (DfT) had been working on a terms of reference in relation to the station.

Mr Cruddas has now criticised the lack of progress on the plans for the station, claiming that “the government has to get out of the way” of the project.

He said: “The government has to get out of the way and allow the promised station at Beam Park to proceed.

“Margaret and I invited Louise Haigh to the site of the station…to point out that residents bought homes on the Beam Park development and elsewhere in the vicinity on the explicit promise that there would be a station ^[2] with a 20 minute travel time to central London.”

Residents have already begun moving into homes at Beam Park, which will also contain two primary schools, a nursery and green spaces.

Cllr Mullane is going to be Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Dagenham and Rainham at the next general election after Mr Cruddas announced last year he would be stepping down ^[3] as MP.

She said she would do everything she could to ensure the station is built if elected to Parliament.

She told this paper that gaining approval for the proposed Beam Park station, as well as tackling the issue of fires in Launders Lane, Rainham ^[5], were “massive” priorities for her.

A DfT spokesperson said: “We continue to engage with Greater London Authority, C2C and Havering Council on the development of Beam Park station while the business case is still ongoing.”

References

^{^} this paper reported (www.romfordrecorder.co.uk)
^{^} residents bought homes on the Beam Park development and elsewhere in the vicinity on the explicit promise that there would be a station (www.romfordrecorder.co.uk)
^{^} Mr Cruddas announced last year he would be stepping down (www.romfordrecorder.co.uk)
^{^}