February 2011
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) London City Airport extension has won the ‘Best Built Project Five Years On’ category at the 2010/2011 London Planning Awards.
The awards are run jointly by the Mayor, London First, the Royal Town Planning Institute and London Councils.
Planning makes a profound contribution to London as a safe, clean and attractive place in which to live, work and play. The planning decisions and policies of London's boroughs are key to the capital's success, but borough planning does not always get the recognition it deserves. The London Planning Awards are one way of acknowledging the profession's success in creating a better London.
The ceremony was hosted by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson at City Hall on Thursday 20 January 2011.
The award was accepted on behalf of everyone at DLR by their head of planning and development, Rob Niven.
When the extension opened in 2005 it provided the first dedicated rail link to Britain’s fastest growing airport. Since then the number of customers using the route has more than tripled and it has brought significant regeneration benefits to the communities it serves.
The extension is just one chapter in the ongoing story of DLR growth. In 2009 the Woolwich Arsenal extension carried its first customers, and later this year the new Stratford International – Canning Town link will open, playing a key role in supporting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Halcrow, working for AMEC, acted as lead designer for the City Airport Extension, responsible for the design of all civil, structural, architectural and M&E works including rail systems. Weston Williamson was Halcrow’s architectural sub-consultant. Halcrow also provided support throughout the construction phase and during testing, commissioning and handover.