London,
03
October
2013
|
15:26
Europe/London

£8.5m upgrade for Hackney Wick Station

An £8.5 million project to upgrade Hackney Wick Station has been announced.

Improvements are set to include new routes to reduce journey times to iCITY and the Olympic Park, moving the station entrance to street level, a new and enlarged concourse, lifts for step free access and the creation of a north-south walkway for passengers and pedestrians through the railway embankment.

The proposals had been put together by Hackney Council and the London Legacy Development Corporation, which submitted the bid for funding to the London Enterprise Panel.

Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney
The confirmation of funding for the much-needed upgrade of Hackney Wick Station is excellent news. The new routes, reduced journey times and better facilities for passengers will be a boost for the local economy, existing businesses and the generation of new job opportunities around the Olympic Park. Hackney Council worked closely with the London Legacy Development Corporation to secure this funding so it’s great these efforts have paid off. This development is part of the Council's ambition to improve four key Overground stations in Hackney, a long-term project which will bring huge benefits to residents and businesses and help unlock the full potential for jobs and investment across the borough.
Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney

The plans for Hackney Wick and Fish Island (including iCITY’s transformation of the 2012 Games press and broadcast buildings, the creation of a centre around the station and the new neighbourhoods of East Wick and Sweetwater) are expected to deliver new business space creating thousands of job opportunities for Hackney residents, a range of local facilities and up to 2,000 new homes.

The London Enterprise Panel acts as a forum for London’s businesses, boroughs, the Mayoralty, Transport for London and other key organisations to encourage private sector growth in London. It is supported by £111 million from the Government’s Growing Places Fund.

The Hackney Wick Station improvement, due to be completed by 2016, was one of four projects across London to secure a share of £40 million allocated in phase two of the fund’s distribution. A total of 32 projects submitted bids for this phase, which also included a £25 million finance scheme for small and medium sized businesses.

The projects will now be subject to further due diligence to finalise the details. The next stage of approval is assessment by the Greater London Authority’s Investment and Performance Board.