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But how much do you know about the Thames Gateway development plans, and how the project will transform East London?

Which areas will be affected?听听

The Thames Gateway project covers East London, Essex and Kent.

There are two key zones of the development in East London. The first is called the Lower Lea and runs from Stratford to Canary Wharf.

The second zone is called London Riverside and includes Barking and Dagenham, parts of Newham and Havering. It runs from Becton to Rainham along the north Bank of the Thames and is about 15 square miles.

Most of the area was previously industrial land which has now become idle.
The London Development Agency say they want to turn it into an area where people want to 鈥渨ork, invest, live and relax鈥� by creating new homes and employment.

Barking & Dagenham

An estimated 26,000 homes will be built across the whole borough over the next 20 years.

The majority of these will be in Barking at a new development called Barking Riverside, and extra housing being built in Barking existing town centre.

Barking Riverside is one of the largest redevelopment areas in the entire Thames Gateway.

The plan is essentially to create a new town between the north bank of the Thames and the A13, using the large areas of derelict land there.

More than 10,000 new homes will be built there, with a mix of social, private, family housing and flats.

Some of the initial housing at the Barking Riverside site was criticised, with locals complaining of a lack of public transport, and other infrastructure, as well as unsightly electrical pilons.

But housing bosses are keen to stress they've learned from this experience, and promising that further development depends on delivery of transport for the community there.

Ken Jones who鈥檚 head of housing at Barking & Dagenham council told me "the council was at pains to ensure that [further] development couldn't take place unless certain conditions were met鈥�

Unless [transport] plans are confirmed and underway we won't go beyond 4,000 homes.鈥� To watch this interview in full click on the box above.

Transport plans include new fast, modern bus service called the East London Transit which is expected to be operational by 2009.

There are also plans for a Dockland Light Railway connection at Barking Riverside by 2017.

Around 6,000 homes will be built in Barking town centre, with old tower blocks and estates being knocked down to make way for new housing.

Dagenham will see slightly less new homes, with around 4,000 being built on this side of the borough.

However the former Ford site in South Dagenham will be redeveloped, and Dagenham Dock will be turned into an industrial park, creating thousands of new jobs.

Havering

Most of the new housing in Havering will be built around the south of the borough, with around 1,500 new homes being built in South Hornchurch and Rainham over the next 10 years.

Rainham鈥檚 notorious Mardyke estate is also being knocked down and rebuilt as part of this.

Rainham's nature reserve

Transport is a particular issue in this part of the borough as it's less well connected to central Loondon.

Havering Housing boss Jonathan Geall told me that the council are working with TFL to try and build another station along the C2C line between Rainham and Dagenham.

There are also plans for an improved bus service linking Rainham and South Hornchurch with Romford.

A new flagship conservation area between Rainham and Purfleet called 鈥淲ildspace鈥� has recently opened to the public at the East of the London Riverside project.

The reserve is particularly known for its diverse birds, and also serves as an education centre.

It's expected all work on the Wildspace will be completed by 2023.