Curvy bridge at Royal Docks to be bigger and bolder

A new walking and cycling bridge at the Royal Docks will be bigger than planned after an east London council said it would contribute £13.2m.

Newham Council’s cabinet members approved the cash injection, which will come from its capital programme.

The bridge, at the Royal Victoria Dock, was originally forecast to cost about £28m and would have been covered by a loan from public body, Homes England, however estimated costs have jumped to £41m.

This rise was partly down to the council, which wanted the width and the capacity of the bridge to be increased.

'Unique and majestic'

The 312m (1,024ft) bridge will be step-free and should improve access to the local Elizabeth line and DLR stations at Custom House, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

It will have S-shaped curves as part of its design and there are plans to include seating at the bends of the bridge.

Cabinet members proceeded to approve the report and the new costs of the bridge, which will be paid within three years.

The mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, told cabinet members that the bridge was "a key piece of infrastructure" for the borough and would help "enable regeneration" at the Silvertown Quays site.

She added: “It’s a really unique and majestic part of our borough and we’re really lucky to have it.

"This bridge serves to ensure that we remain very much in the driving seat in terms of the vision for that part of our borough.”