The DLR extension to Stratford International is a project to integrate a former underutilised rail corridor into the DLR network. This will allow DLR to operate into the heart of the Olympic Park providing an interchange with high speed rail services at Stratford International station and serving the new Stratford City development (including the new Westfield Stratford City). New intermediate stations have been built at Stratford High Street, Abbey Road and Star Lane. More information on the project can be found here.
In order to track the effects of the new extension, a survey has been conducted to assess the area to be served by the new extension now. This will allow a comparison to be conducted 1 - 3 years after the extension has opened.
West Ham neighbourhoods
"[New DLR?] Absolutely, it would really help attract more outsiders to the area."
The survey studies the area around the new Stratford International line, dividing it into two distinct residential zones next to Star Lane and Abbey Road stations, and the Cody Road industrial estate next to Star Lane. It was decided to exclude Stratford and Stratford High Street from the base line survey due to the inevitable difficulty of separating the effect of Olympic development from DLR impact in these areas.
According to data published by Newham Council* the population of Stratford and West Ham has grown between 2001 and 2006 by 10.4%, faster than the borough average of 5.1%. However closer examination of historic data shows Canning Town North and West Ham has a much smaller growth growth rate, of only 1.6%. This growth rate will be monitored to see the effect of opening the DLR extension and the benefits of increased accessibility to the area.
The two distinctive features of the population in Newham are that it is a younger population than the London average and that there is a rich mix of minority ethnic groups. These statistical profiles will be monitored because new people moving into the area after the DLR is opened may not follow the local profile of the existing area, but still fit the profile of the whole of Newham borough.
* Footnote: Newham Borough Council (1997) Focus on Newham: Local people and local conditions.
Crime and personal safety
"I won't travel at certain time or in certain areas, but it is improving - they are doing work towards Canning Town, lots of development."
"We were planning to move in the past because of crime, but that’s better now."
Crime rates in the area are generally lower than London as a whole and in the study area are lower than the Newham average in the Abbey Road catchment area but higher in the Canning Town area. The survey results show that there is a sense that crime is improving, but nevertheless, there is still concern about crime, especially personal safety and this could deter walking to the new stations especially from the industrial estates to the west of the DLR line. Multi-agency work will be required to delivery safe access routes to the new stations to ensure people feel comfortable travelling in the area.
Education
"I would use it to go to college."
Newham is a young borough: almost a quarter of the residents are aged 0-14, compared with 19% in London as a whole. Fifteen to seventeen year olds are a further 5% of the population. Education results may represent the key to tackling multiple deprivation in the Borough in the medium and long run. For the DLR, it means that the next generation of Newham residents should be in a position to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the DLR’s improved connections throughout Docklands and London.
Employment and income
"Useful for travelling faster into City - particularly for work – quite a bit of unemployment ‘round here."
"Useful for job hunting - access to Canary Wharf."
Newham residents, in general, are substantially less qualified than the London or national average*. This will make it more difficult for them to take full advantage of the wider opportunity that the DLR will open up. Nonetheless, it will be important for the after study to find out to what extent a shift in the future is caused by incomers raising the average and to what extent by local people benefiting from the opportunity to improve their economic and social conditions.
As would be expected from the qualifications figures, jobs in Newham are not generally highly paid. In 2007, median earnings in Newham as a whole at £20,970 were lower than the Inner London average, £27,572, and the London average, £26,036**. Newham had the lowest mean earnings of all the Inner London Boroughs where income was recorded. These figures refer to jobs in the Borough, not to all the jobs held by residents.
Given the tendency of DLR extensions (and other strategic investments) to attract people on a higher income into an area, the figure below may be one of the most useful to compare with future data.
* Footnote: Newham Borough Council (1997) Focus on Newham: Local people and local conditions.
** Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.
Housing and future development
"All transport links and progressive area expansion is a good thing."
"Transport is good, people are friendly, housing is affordable."
"This used to be very run down. Stratford has been refurbished and is now a nice area to live – transport keeps improving."
A study of land registry data reveals Newham has traditionally been slightly more expensive for housing than the average for the entire London region. This is not in keeping with some perceptions of Newham as a ‘poor’ Borough, but does reflect the fact that the London average includes the whole of London and not just inner London: inner London prices do tend to be higher. While property prices in Newham as a whole have been rising, the rise has not been as steep as in London generally.
A comparison of housing prices between the borough and the study areas highlights some interesting features. There appears to be differences between areas with DLR and without, so the ‘after’ study (for which this baseline is the ‘before’) may well find that the property market has shifted in type as well as in volume and value once the new DLR line is open.
Newham is the least densely populated Inner London borough*. There are many opportunities for development, both on open land and in redevelopment. Some of Newham’s housing stock would benefit from refurbishment and renewal. Part of the hope from the current investment in the sub-region, including London 2012 and the DLR, is that they will attract development into the area. One of the sources of optimism here is that the current low density leaves room for future residential development without displacing the traditional residents.
* Footnote: Newham Borough Council (1997) Focus on Newham: Local people and local conditions.
Perceptions of the area - residents
"Been here 20 years, retired and happy with the people."
"Transport is one reason why we've stayed here - Council have put money into their properties - new DLR - Olympics work on Greenway."
The majority of people interviewed for the main household survey lived in the Abbey Road or Star Lane station catchment areas. This was adjusted to take account of people’s patterns of walking in the area. When examining residents' current travel patterns, the survey found a relatively small proportion of people use only one transport mode for all purposes. For example, only 7% solely use their car for all trips and only 5% solely use the bus for all trips. This is an important finding for the new DLR line since it shows that local residents are ‘public transport savvy’ and thus open for new opportunities. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that over three quarters of respondents had an Oyster card.
Most people welcome the new DLR extension to Stratford International, including those who had not heard about it previously. The majority (59%) also thought the new route would prove an advantage to them personally. 85% of residents thought the new station(s) would be and advantage to the neighbourhood.
The survey asked people to give general ratings for different aspects of the area they live in. The overall views were optimistic with half judging the area to be improving and only around a quarter thinking it was getting worse. Interestingly, of the half who thought it was improving, around a third thought that the coming of the DLR was a positive influence. Other positive aspects were the Olympic effect and a perception of gentrification.
A follow up question asked people whether they would move away from the area if they had the chance and half said they would. However, only 6% of these judged this to be due to DLR. The main reasons for wanting to move were concern about crime and the desire for more space either in relation to housing or garden. In addition it was noticeable that even those who eventually planned to move were not expecting to do this immediately on the basis that things would continue to improve and house prices rise due to the Olympic effect.
Perceptions of the area - businesses
"I think more people will walk along this way to Star Lane so we’re bound to get more passing trade."
"It will certainly benefit us – more clients are coming to our premises and the new station will mean it’s not so far to walk – at the moment we have to pick them up from West Ham or Canary Wharf."
A total of 85 managers or employees of local businesses were interviewed, divided between small businesses to the East of Manor Road and larger firms to the West both North and South of the District Line.
The ratings for different aspects of the area by business interviewees were similar to those of the general public with concern about crime, litter and graffiti uppermost. Nevertheless there was also agreement that the area was improving with a clear sense of the contribution of the Olympic but also awareness of the role of the Council. In spite of concern about congestion, transport was rated favourably by over half the business respondents and DLR often attracted especially favourable mention.
The survey did not include details of all employees’ travel – which most interviewees did not know. The breakdown by mode of the interviewees’ own travel to work showed the importance of the car. Nevertheless over half did use some form of public transport for travel to work and three quarters had an Oyster Card.
When the locations and routes for the new stations were explained there was much interest in the potential and support for the development – in part due to the perceived increased congestion in the area. Responses and discussions about the potential of the new stations to support local business were generally divided between businesses in the industrial parks to the west of the DLR line and the smaller businesses to the east of the DLR line. But overall, there is growing evidence of optimism and that there are more positive than negative views. 42% of respondents said the area was improving, of these half said the DLR was a factor in this view, compared with 26% said the area has become worse.
Roughly the same proportion of people said they would move their business if the opportunity arose (47%), compared with those who planned to say (48%). Of those who planned to stay, 15% said the coming of the DLR influenced their view positively.