HOMEOWNERS who paid up to £550,000 for their dream homes say their lives are a misery after a promised train station never opened.
Residents in Beam Park, East London, were told a station of the same name would shuttle them to the Thameside line and get them to work.
2
2
But more than 13 years later, residents in the Thames Riverside Opportunity Area find themselves trapped and forced to massively alter their lives.
Md Kavirul Islam, 42, an IT consultant, told MyLondon: “It’s unimaginable here without a car. I have to go in for 9am, I can’t make it [for 8am].
“£550,000 is a big investment, and we expected amenities. This has not been done, it’s really disappointing for us.”
Beam Park is set in over 71.7 acres and has planning for around 4,000 homes, with some residents already moved in.
The project – much of which is on the site of the old Ford Dagenham plant – will also have a new town centre.
A train station connecting residents to Dagenham Dock and Rainham stations could cut journey times into Central London by up to an hour.
But residents are instead forced onto the traffic-clogged A13 meaning journey times in rush hour can be up to an hour-and-a-half.
The lack of a station has been compounded by the fact that many in Beam Park say they can’t hop on a bus thanks to a lack of nearby stops.
Most read in Money
And it’s not just careers that have taken a beating, residents say getting to a supermarket and schools is an uphill battle.
The nearest tube to the new build estate is Dagenham Heathway, which is 15 minutes on the bus for Ziaur Rahman, 42, who spent £480,000 on his home.
The Sainsbury’s worker fumed: “People [selling] the properties said it will be there.
“They announced that it would be minutes walking distance.”
Councillor Ray Morgon, leader of Havering Council, where Beam Park is, told MyLondon: “There was a promise of building Beam Park station.
“That’s not happened, and it’s still a bit of a battle to see if we can get somebody to agree to build it.”
A Beam Park spokesperson said: “We understand and echo residents’ concern with regards to the new rail station at Beam Park.”
Government officials say the business case for Beam Park station is ongoing and is the responsibility of the Greater London Authority.
