Bow bells ring for east London rail hub

The London Olympics of 2012 is still developing, and rail freight is the last medal winner. The UK infrastructure agency Network Rail has been given the go-ahead for a 30-acre (12-hectare) industrial-led logistics campus at Bow Goods Yard in the historic East End of London. An outline master plan had been put forward earlier this year.

The plan is to regenerate a large area of brownfield land at Bow Goods Yard, East London, into a rail freight campus and last-mile logistics hub. The London Legacy Development Corporation has unanimously approved the plan. Bow Goods Yard is the final parcel of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy land, which has not yet been developed.

Transition to green freight future

The proposals put forward by Network Rail Property is the agency’s first independent planning submission. Under the industrial-led masterplan, nearly 300,000 square metres of floor space will be created, including heavy and light industrial space. “Bow Goods Yard has the potential to deliver a new centralised hub for Network Rail, accelerating London’s transition to green freight future,” said the proposal documents. “Taking up to 90,000 HGV [heavy goods vehicle] movements a year away from the national road network, the masterplan will cut congestion and emissions.”

The mixing of rail-served freight facilities and other uses is reminiscent of the mixed-use development that once characterised the heavily industrialised East End of London. A range of leisure uses are proposed, with the flexibility for up to 33,000m2 of “destination leisure” supported by over 3000m2 of food and beverage space. As befits the legacy of the 2012 games, 5000m2 of sports pitches will complement existing facilities on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

5000 new jobs in sustainable freight

There is no denying that rail freight is the focus of the development. Bow Goods Yard is vital to London’s construction sector, supplying over one million tonnes of aggregates annually. “Rail freight contributes £2.5bn [€2.9bn] to the UK economy,” says Network Rail in their submission. “Hubs such as Bow Goods Yard will be crucial to expanding sustainable freight as businesses switch to rail.

The speedy approval process is a part of the special legislation brought forward as part of the Olympic legacy development. Network Rail says that the development improves rail freight capacity and efficiency. They expect to consolidate operations by, for example, enclosing and screening a concrete-batching facility. This, says the agency, will enable an integrated last-mile logistics hub to be brought forward, with the scheme creating up to 5,000 new jobs.

Heavy industry can co-exist in city

The area will see the introduction of 150 trees, green walls and green roofs – something historically lacking in the area. “The approval of this masterplan submitted by Network Rail Property is a major milestone in repositioning the property business, said Robin Dobson, Group Property Director at Network Rail.“Transforming this strategically underutilised freight site into the largest industrial and logistics campus that serves the whole of East London is central to expanding rail freight capacity and supporting the capital’s logistics market.”

Currently an isolated site, large parts of Bow Goods Yard are not accessible to the local community. A series of green open spaces will be created, adding to the Olympic regeneration area. “The result is a masterplan showing that heavy industry can successfully co-exist with other functions in a city,” claims Network Rail. Older residents, who remember the days of the East End in its industrial heyday, will say that’s less a regeneration, and more of a restoration.