Journal
Treasure buried
Royal Victoria Dock, the first of the Royals group, was opened by Prince Albert during the Crimean War in 1855. It incorporated a whole range of firsts: it was the first dock to use the new railways, the first designed to take the new iron steamships and the first to use hydraulic cranes and lifts to raise ships in a pontoon dock. Its success led to an extension to the east Royal Albert Dock, which opened in 1880.
One hundred years later, the Royal Docks and surroundings were areas of economic and social deprivation, characterised by inadequate and poor social and community facilities. They were physically isolated with few and poor public transport links. The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was set up to tackle the blight and published the first development framework for the Royal Docks in 1985.
Regeneration was to be achieved by a combination of public and private sector investment. The public sector would concentrate on infrastructure by investing in environmental improvements, new roads and public transport, and services including drainage. The private sector would build on the new infrastructure, making imaginative use of the potential of the dock waterscape, and provide developments of international quality. The Government agreed to provide the resources needed for a comprehensive infrastructure, environmental and transport programme. Discuss this article
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