Friends of Abbey Gardens

Shelley has been copying me your various emails on this subject and I though it would be easier to liaise with you directly.

OPTEMS (Olympic Park Transport and Environmental Mitigation Schemes) is a fund made available by ODA to the five host Boroughs for schemes which will mitigate against the adverse environmental and transport effects of the Olympic Park, both during construction and games-time. (A further separate fund will be made available later for any mitigations required in legacy mode).

The five Boroughs have been invited to prepare bids for a share of the OPTEMS fund – which is around £15m in total. While the majority of this fund will be allocated to bids which have a direct transport and environmental benefit (eg junction improvements etc), a proportion will be available for more aesthetic streetscape improvements, provided that a linkage to the Olympic Park can be demonstrated.

As part of a strategy to maximise the use of public transport for journeys to and from the Olympic Park and to improve access to public transport nodes, the Council is preparing bids for so-called ‘context works’ for Stratford High Street, Star Lane, Abbey Road and West Ham DLR stations. Realistically, the OPTEMS bids being prepared cannot match the costings prepared in the earlier feasibility work – as there are more pressing schemes with more demonstrable linkages to environmental and transport mitigations. As a result, the proposed bid to OPTEMS for Abbey Road DLR is for £250k. Bidding tactics dictate that an attempt to bid for the entire costed amount would be likely to be unsuccessful and we have a greater chance of success with a smaller bid.

While the bid is currently loosely described as ‘streetscape improvements to facilitate access to the new DLR station’, this is aimed specifically at pedestrians and cyclists, and therefore does not preclude measures to mitigate against the adverse impacts of increased vehicular traffic around the station. I also note that you have concerns over drop-off at the station. Our intention is to monitor the drop-off activity at all the new Stratford Extension stations, and in the event that it becomes a problem, then we will consult with the local community over the introduction of parking and waiting restrictions around the station to discourage this. However, at present, we are not convinced this will be a major issue for a minor station like Abbey Road – but as I say it will be monitored by the Council. I am sure that should a problem develop, you and your fellow residents will make sure we know about it promptly and quick action can be taken.

Regarding bid priorities, there is no priority, inferred or otherwise, in our bid submissions to ODA – and these range from bus priority and bus service improvements to disabled crossing upgrades at signal controlled junctions. The ODA assessment panel will determine the priority for themselves and allocate the fund on that basis. I can therefore offer no guarantee that our bid will be successful. This will depend on the other schemes submitted by the other Boroughs for ODA consideration. However, I can assure you that we will make every effort to enhance the bid to maximise its chances of success.

It should also be noted that this will not be our only chance to secure funding for Abbey Road, as there is a parallel process known as the ‘Multi-Agency Agreement’ where a substantially larger pot of money is available for environmental and other enhancement around the fringes of the Olympic Park. This fund is specifically aimed at reducing the ‘cliff edge’ effect of the newly constructed and aesthetically pleasing Olympic Park with its somewhat scruffy environs. The bid process for this has only begun recently, and my colleague John Herman from the Newham 2012 Unit is assisting in the compilation of this – as it has a more cross-departmental remit than OPTEMS.

Should we be successful in obtaining funding from any source, there would then follow a consultation process on the scheme with local residents to ensure that local aspirations are met as well as possible with the available funds.

Finally, regarding timescales, bid preparation to OPTEMS is underway now with a view to submission in mid/late March. However, it is unclear how long the ODA decision process might be before monies are allocated to the successful bids – so I cannot tell you when a definitive decision will be available.

I hope this addresses some of your queries, and if I can be of any further help during the bidding process or thereafter, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Kind regards

Murray Woodburn