The transport solutions needed to unlock the Canada Water Opportunity Area and Housing Zone will require a partnership approach involving the Greater London Authority (GLA), Transport for London (TfL), Southwark Council and other developers operating in the area. 

As such, over the past few years. we have been working with the community, local interest groups, TfL and Southwark Council to understand more about the local transport context. The feedback from our most recent round of consultation, as well as a number of dedicated transport topic sessions, has been invaluable in allowing us to understand local needs and concerns in this area. 

Following recent announcements by TfL on tube upgrades and bus service changes, we thought it was important to provide an update on the ongoing work being undertaken by the masterplan team on transport. As well as ongoing regular discussions with the relevant transport authorities, we continue to:

• Discuss transport issues at the highest levels within the GLA, TfL and Southwark Council.
• Support the Mayor of London’s attempts to secure more funds for transport improvements for the Canada Water Opportunity Area and Housing Zone.  This recently included us supporting the Mayor’s Housing Infrastructure Fund bid to Central Government – this comprises a project to upgrade local Overground services, as well as physical improvements to Surrey Quays and Canada Water stations (including potential bus station improvements). We have also suggested ways in which TfL could make internal improvements to the ways Surrey Quays and Canada Water stations currently operate.
• Actively contribute to TfL and Southwark Council’s work on the Strategic Transport Study for the Canada Water area.  Over the coming months this is expected to recommend a range of transport improvements and some of these are likely to require funding from us to address the direct impacts attributable to the Canada Water Masterplan development.
• Discuss the transport situation with Sellar Properties and other local developers to ensure our efforts are joined-up.
• Meet with local interest groups and recently met with Southwark Cyclists to discuss the cycling provisions within the masterplan. A really helpful session which generated some excellent ideas.
• Discuss the draft plans for Cycle Superhighway 4 with TfL and Southwark Council to ensure that local bus service journey times and reliability are a key focus.
• Discuss the plans for the proposed cycle and walking bridge with TfL to ensure it links to the masterplan site and works for the wider community.
• Meet with London Buses to review their changes to the local bus network to ensure it delivers for the existing and future community.
• Maximise the focus on encouraging active lifestyles and health and wellbeing. The masterplan design looks to deliver Healthy Streets by providing more facilities and routes for walking and cycling across the area / and linking into the wider area.

We continue to assess the current transport situation and the likely impact of the masterplan on the local transport network and will continue to work closely with Southwark Council, TfL and other relevant bodies to find solutions. We will continue to update you as more news becomes available.