E16
Silvertown and North Woolwich have seen the greatest recent changes in accommodation. Between Victoria Dock and North Woolwich Road, 1,132 homes have been constructed in the Western Beach, Eastern Quay and Britannia Village developments. These waterside flats have been an instant success and the locals here are the beneficiaries of the new footbridge over the dock.
Pontoon Dock and the Millennium Mill are vast developments which have a 120,000 sq ft aquarium as its centerpiece. This is a five hectare site, again destined for mixed-use, of which affordable housing of varying sizes will be a component. 5,000 new homes will emerge alongside 400,000 sq ft of entertainment, retail and community-based buildings. Barrier Point, is south of Pontoon Dock and by the river and new park. Here are 252 new apartments - all with their own parking. A further 18-storey circular tower has another 45 apartments and is now the tallest construction created by Barratt Homes.
Across the park, at Ward's Wharf another 250 flats overlook the Thames Barrier. All these developments are within easy access of West Silvertown, Pontoon Dock, the City Airport and George V Dock. New and exciting projects are coming to realization. Watersports- Canoeing, sailing, power boating, waterskiing, rowing and raft building are on offer courtesy of a number of new clubs which have sprung up in the area. Crossing over Victoria Dock is the new footbridge linking the new flats of Silvertown to the Excel Exhibition Halls. With the usual hotels, restaurants and a nightclub no event is too small or large for the Excel and recent events have stretched from sub-aqua diving and judo, to the London Triathlon. Facing the Excel is F1 City Racing, one of the capital's most in-demand go-karting tracks.
Silvertown overlooks the north side of the Thames Barrier, built between 1974 and 1981. Silvertown has benefited from a brand new park, Thames Barrier Park. Other open spaces in E16 include Canning Town Recreation Ground on Prince Regent Lane which offers football, tennis and a junior cycle track. The Keir Hardie Ground on Tarling Road also deals in football and has a playground and there is a further recreation ground on Newham Way. King George V Park on King George Avenue boasts a city farm while Royal Victoria Gardens at North Woolwich Station is more sports-oriented with its hard floodlit areas, 5-a-side pitches and basketball court.
Like much of E16, transport links are changing beyond recognition. Silverlink (The old North London Line) keeps North Woolwich, Silvertown, Custom House and Canning Town stations linked to the over ground rail network in the capital. In addition Canning Town now serves the Jubilee Line extension to Stratford. The Docklands Light Railway has brought another rail network to this postcode. Terminating at Beckton the DLR now runs along the north side of the docks with stations at Canning Town, Royal Victoria, Custom House, Prince Regent, Royal Albert, Beckton Park, Cyprus and Galleons Reach. E16 can boast two further rare features in the Free Ferry and the London City Airport. The Woolwich Free Ferry, in operation since 1889, is the capital's only vehicular ferry and operates over the foot tunnel which links Woolwich to North Woolwich. London City Airport, created in 1987, based between Albert and George V Docks, is a great success.
