Beam Park Railway Station

A national housebuilder (Countryside) received planning permission for a large housing development in East London. The planning permission included a Grampian clause that only granted permission for all the houses to be built after a new train station was opened. The planned station was to be built by a partnership including the Greater London Authority (GLA) but it needed permission from the Department for Transport (DfT). The department is refusing to grant that permission unless the GLA accepts an unlimited indemnity for any future costs. The GLA is not in a position to offer this an therefore the station, and the houses, cannot be built.

The developer contracted Cratus to assist with the public affairs work in this campaign to have the DfT remove the requirement for an unlimited indemnity.

Cratus has assisted the client with collating the data that supports the argument for commencing with the train station and therefore unlocking the house building. We have identified the political stakeholders who would be able to influence a change in approach. Cratus has held conversations with the relevant ministers and put forward the case for the building of the train station.

The situation is edging toward a resolution and the political will to change the approach and open the train station is building.