East London, England

East London is the name commonly given to the north eastern part of London on the north side of the River Thames.

Definition of the area

The London boroughs that make up this informal area are Barking & Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The total area of this group of boroughs is 318.64 km² and the total population in 2004 was 1.5 million. The East London sub region of the London Plan additionally includes the City of London which would otherwise be included in Central London, excludes Waltham Forest, but includes the boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham which are south of the river and often considered to be either South or South East London. This sub region, the largest in London, contains all of the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone that is in London, on both sides of the Thames within a single sub region. Other organisations including the Learning and Skills Council, the related London East Connexions Partnership and the London Development Agency also use this definition.

Present and future

East London is today an area of regeneration, with a rising population. The redevelopment of the Docklands area began in the early 1980s, and the Thames Gateway project is now extending regeneration further east, with the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation responsible for planning and delivery of the project in East London. London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics has kick-started regeneration programmes in the area, and is likely to have an impact on house prices. This has been evidenced in August 2005 where East London was one of only three places in England and Wales to have increases in property prices. ^*

Transportation

East London has seen considerable improvement with transport in recent years and is the focus for further development over the years leading up to 2012 and beyond. The A12 and A13 trunk roads have been considerably upgraded and the Docklands Light Railway and Jubilee Line Extension constructed. A new extension to the Docklands Light Railway to connect with London City Airport opened in December 2005 while work on an extension under the Thames to connect with Woolwich has already started.

Other DLR projects include an extension to Barking Reach and Dagenham Dock, and a direct route, via West Ham, from Royal Victoria to Stratford. Further options for extending eastwards are also planned as well as an extension to connect with Stratford International station on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, itself currently under construction at the heart of Stratford City. Transport for London are currently developing an East London Transit scheme for the area and an east-west rail route known as Crossrail is also planned to serve several stations in East London.

History

The oldest parts of East London are Tower Hamlets and Hackney. These areas, originally in Middlesex officially became part of London with the creation of the County of London in 1888. The eastern limit of London at this time became the River Lea which was the traditional boundary between Middlesex and Essex.

Because the strict planning laws of London were not in force on the eastern side of the river the area began to industrialise quickly in places such as Canning Town and Silvertown, now in the borough of Newham. This area became known as 'London over the Border'. In 1965 the boroughs of Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham and Havering were incorporated into Greater London. As a legacy of not being in the original County of London, Newham receives less funding, than for example Tower Hamlets, and is campaigning to be officially recognised as an Inner London borough.

Alternative names

East End

East London is sometimes erroneously considered interchangeable with the East End of London; however, the traditional East End is a comparatively small area, covering only the innermost (western) parts of East London, centred on Tower Hamlets and part of Hackney, immediately adjacent to the ancient eastern boundary of the City of London.

North East London

As no part of London south of the River Thames is considered to be part of East London, North East London would strictly be a more accurate description of the area, and this name is sometimes used to refer to it. For example, there is a North East London strategic health authority and a North East London Assembly constituency (which also covers Islington). The rest of East London is covered by City and East which includes Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Tower Hamlets while Havering and Redbridge form a constituency.

Places in East London

Places of interest

External links

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