London Docklands Development Corporation

London Docklands Development Corporation
Formation1981
Dissolved1998
HeadquartersLondon
Official language
English
Chairmen
Key people
  • Reg Ward
  • Eric Sorenson
  • Neil Spence
  • Roger Squire
The Docklands Light Railway at South Quay in 1991, both built as a result of LDDC interventions

The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London.[1] During its seventeen-year existence, it was responsible for regenerating an area of 22 square kilometres (8.5 sq mi) in the London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and Southwark. LDDC helped to create Canary Wharf, Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, London City Airport, ExCeL London, London Arena and the Docklands Light Railway, bringing more than 120,000 new jobs to the Docklands and making the area highly sought after for housing. Although initially fiercely resisted by local councils and residents, today it is generally regarded as having been a success and is now used as an example of large-scale regeneration, although tensions between older and more recent residents remain.