The Mayor of London has confirmed plans for an empty piece of industrial land in Rainham to be transformed into a new neighbourhood with thousands of homes and a train station with easy access to central London, accelerating the regeneration of east London and opening the way to the creation of thousands of new jobs.

A 29-hectare site in Beam Park, bisected by the Beam River, is one of the largest areas of land earmarked for new development currently owned by the Mayor of London and the last major site released for development.

It is thought that the area could host close to 2000 new homes with the potential for up to 5000 in associated nearby developments. In concert with a brand new rail station, Beam Park is set to become a highly-connected residential hub for the fast-growing east London region.

London’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Land, Richard Blakeway, said: “The development of Beam Park will result in a vibrant new neighbourhood with major transport links, providing a new locus of jobs, activity and growth for south Dagenham and east London. We’re looking for some truly visionary proposals in response to this exciting opportunity.”