Network Rail Property has unveiled plans to regenerate 30 acres of brownfield land at Bow Goods Yard, East London. The scheme will create London's largest integrated rail freight logistics hub, which will serve both the construction sector and provide rail-enabled warehousing for the last mile, creating a future model for the regeneration of rail freight sites.
The masterplan is Network Rail Property's first independent planning submission and Bow Goods Yard is the final plot of land to be released as part of London's 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy.
Bow Goods Yard is one of the most important railheads in the London area. The site, which is protected for rail freight, is vital to the capital's construction sector and is currently the destination for over a million tonnes of concrete a year. As well as transporting concrete and aggregates by rail to build London's schools, hospitals, and homes, it enables the sustainable movement of construction materials to and from the site.
The industry-led masterplan will enable Bow Goods Yard to help London make the transition to a greener freight future by taking up to 90,000 lorry movements a year off London's roads, reducing congestion and emissions. The proposals also include the introduction of an integrated last-mile logistics hub.
The new system is designed to increase the capacity of the railhead, improve rail freight efficiencies by combining activities, and enclose and screen the concrete batch plant and siding. In addition to the industrial operations, the masterplan provides the opportunity to create a new central hub for Network Rail, as well as extensive warehousing and workspace. A range of leisure uses are also proposed to increase activity around Bow Goods Yard and complement the existing facilities in the Olympic Park.
“This masterplan takes an ambitious approach to unlocking a challenging site and putting infrastructure at its heart. By reimaging the land-use, we are creating a state-of-the-art freight, warehousing and logistics campus that is vital to London,” Robin Dobson, Group Property Director at Network Rail.
