ABSTRACT
East London is experiencing a major restructuring and remaking of its urban landscape, a process which began with post-war reconstruction, continued with the London Docklands regeneration project in the 1980s and now is marshalled under the strategic concept of the Thames Gateway (formerly the East Thames Corridor). Much of the development land available in the Thames Gateway is either contaminated by past industrial and other processes, or is environmentally sensitive. The estimated 4,000 hectares of development land which have been identified are concentrated on a few large sites, some contaminated by previous uses, and some located by the riverside, including the Royal Docks, Barking Reach, Rainham Marshes (Havering Riverside) and Thurrock. Developers’ strategies for mitigating environmental effects and gaining support for the sustainability of their proposals are examined below.
