- 25th November 2025
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Last week Local London published its Vision for Growth across its nine member boroughs, setting out ambitions to create a place where all can live well, succeed and thrive.
Researched and written by leading independent think tank, Centre for London, the Vision highlights how unlocking growth in the Local London sub-region will play a key role in meeting the UK’s prosperity ambitions.
The Vision provides a blueprint for growth, supporting the London Growth Plan and the UK government’s national industrial strategy and growth ambitions. It also highlights how chronic under-investment in infrastructure is limiting growth.
While the Growth Plan for London identified three key investment priorities - Stratford upgrade, DLR extension and the Bakerloo Line extension - Local London’s own research, produced by GC Insight*, goes further and identifies 15 priorities for investment.
The GC Insight report, which outlines the socio-economic benefits that each of these projects could catalyse, is already informing Local London’s advocacy and drive for investment, part of discussions at the sub-region’s first Investment Forum on 18 November 2025.
These transport infrastructure investments are key to:
- Ensuring London’s growth is sustainable by, for example, utilising alternative routes such as the river.
- Attracting businesses to our boroughs and enabling businesses to access the skills and workforce that they need to grow.
- Improving the experience of millions journeys in and out of the sub-region, helping residents access good jobs, education/training, services and social activities.
- Unlocking housing and investment in local services and economies.
- Responding to the needs of South East England and local freeports, in particular, to accommodate huge expected growth in freight.
Mayor Fiaz, Chair of Local London’s Growth Board and Mayor of Newham, said “For a number of years, investment in transport has not matched growth in our boroughs. This is holding up building much-needed housing and amenity, adversely affecting access to jobs and health services, and leading to high levels of car usage, which is negatively affecting air quality.
These issues affect us all, but the impacts are most especially felt by our in-need communities. Stalling transport investment is not an option.
With this appraisal of the sub-regional opportunities and challenges ahead, we will fortify our case for urgent transport investment to achieve the potential of this part of the capital.”
A spokesperson for GC Insight said “Our research shows that growth in east London—both north and south of the river—is being constrained by a lack of investment in transport infrastructure. Unlocking these projects will deliver far-reaching benefits, from boosting housing supply and improving air quality to creating jobs and enhancing quality of life.”
* GC Insight formerly operating as ekosgen
Discover more about our Vision for Growth: local.london/vision
If you would like to be part of delivering our Vision get in touch.