Over the next fifteen years or so, the 140 acres that make up the Rail Lands at Stratford will be transformed. But why is this development happening at Stratford, and why now?

Strategically, there are few parts of London as well placed as Stratford. After King’s Cross, it has the best connected underground station in London. The International Station, opening in 2007, will link it directly with Europe, with the journey from Stratford to Paris taking just 2 hours and 20 minutes. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is set for expansion and new rail services are planned, with quick connections to the City Airport, to Stansted and, if the Cross Rail scheme goes ahead, to Heathrow. All this makes Stratford especially attractive to business, but in addition it is part of the Thames Gateway, designated by the government for regeneration in the coming decades, as London moves eastwards.

Because Stratford is so well positioned, it is not surprising that it is considered crucial to the future development of London. In his 2002 Draft London Plan, the Mayor of London singled it out as a ‘new mixed used European business quarter’ and ‘a new metropolitan centre for East London’ with the potential to provide thousands of new homes and jobs, as well as outstanding retail, leisure and community facilities.

Today’s planners are expected to follow development principles set out by central government that aim to achieve a better quality of life for everyone in our cities. When the government published its Urban Renaissance White Paper in 2000, it declared that our future towns and cities should be attractive, well designed and environmentally sustainable. It also said that they should help create prosperity, support the people who live and work in them to realise their full potential, and provide services of high quality. In addition, it insisted that people should have a strong role in shaping the future of their towns and cities.

The Stratford development will not only follow these guidelines, but aims to be a model for others to aspire to. It will be inclusive and well integrated, physically and socially, and will provide many community benefits. It will be innovative in design, and will contain a wide range of buildings, spaces and activities to increase the wellbeing and prosperity of the area. It will be sustainable, economically, socially and environmentally; and it will be a catalyst for further regeneration in the area. Above all, its development will be influenced by the very active consultation process, in which everyone in Stratford is invited to take part. So please let us know your views – and why not come to a consultation meeting?