Greenwich Council has reaffirmed its backing for an extension of the DLR to Thamesmead as it prepares for major growth in the east of the borough.

It comes months after TfL confirmed to councillors it was investigating the extension under City Hall’s planning framework.

Greenwich Council has thrown its weight behind extending the line from Becton to Thamesmead to support the thousands of new homes planned.

Pippa Hack, the council’s director of regeneration, enterprise and skills, said: “It is vital that we can assess what infrastructure is required alongside residential and employment uses.

“Thamesmead is an area that we know will go through significant change. The land is owned by Peabody who have announced a long-term partnership with Lendlease.

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“We are keen to make sure to work with the Greater London Authority and Bexley Council to make sure what is delivered there is appropriate and secures the appropriate infrastructure.

“Regeneration needs to be around securing public transport, the council is very supportive of bringing the DLR to Thamesmead.

“A new opportunity planning framework being drafted by the GLA will be looking at how we make sure that infrastructure is in place.”

Eltham North councillor Charlie Davis asked whether the council would support an extension of the over-ground out to the east of the borough.

Graham Nash, assistant director for transportation, said: “It depends on the scale of the build out in Thamesmead on what transport is needed to support it, on a medium level a rapid bus transit. The attraction of that is that it is available quickly.

“But for the maximum build out, which is what we are anticipating, it needs the extension of the DLR and we would want both.

Peabody’s deal with Lendlease is for a huge 11,000 home development at Thamesmead Waterfront over the next 30 years.

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It comes as councillors were told that the lion’s share of cash made from granting planning permission was going towards a £15m payback bill for Woolwich’s new Crossrail Station.

The council has so far paid back £4.8m in money it makes from Community Infrastructure Levy back to TfL despite no confirmed date for services to be launched.

The botched opening of Crossrail has drawn criticism of TfL and the Mayor of London, with local MP Teresa Pearce calling the situation “mismanagement on an epic scale”.

Bexley Council has also supported an extension of the DLR.